Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. This week we have a nice crop of stories for you, including some classic Kirby and the march toward Marvel Legacy; let’s dig right in.

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

America #6

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Gabby Rivera; Archery Consultant: Kelly Thompson; Artist: Ramon Villalobos; Additional Inks: Walden Wong; Color Artist: Tamra Bonvillain; Letterer & Production: Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Jen Bartel

The most relentlessly positive and sweet comic on the market that is not a. marketed to children nor b. skimping on the villain-punching. This issue had every excuse to be grim, what with America’s betrayal at the hands of her friend and ex-girlfriend in #5, but instead this issue is about love, and forgiveness, and taking a third option; it takes what is a totally by-the-numbers supervillain plot (starring one of our most by-the-numbers supervillains — no spoilers!) and instead writes this amazing story about trust and togetherness against all odds. The subversion of what would be a simple white-meat superhero plot is fun, but the heart of this is its…well, heart. America Chavez, Kate Bishop, and their supporting cast feel like millennial superheroes done right: young supers bringing back the mutual trust and closeness and believing the best of people, in the wake of a generation who got a little obsessed with conspiracies and civil wars. This comic is like Steven Universe but with 100% more space-time shenanigans and Marvel super-villains, and for that it gets the highest rating I can give it.

Power Level: 5 of 5

Black Panther & The Crew #6

Publisher: Marvel

Writers: Ta-Nehisi Coates & Yona Harvey; Pencilers: Butch Guice w/Mack Chater; Inkers: Scott Hanna w/Chater; Colorist: Dan Brown; Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino; Design: Manny Mederos; Logo: Rian Hughes; Recap Art: Brian Stelfreeze; Cover by: John Cassaday & Paul Mounts

A great ending to a first arc, but an unsatisfying end to a series, and through no fault of the writers. This issue is a perfect summation of what has come before: the problems inherent in revolutions, the ways in which revolutionaries can easily lose sight of the goal, and the tools fascists use to get the resistance to destroy themselves. It is also a fun little superhero story that also serves to cap off the mystery. All of this is done with some really incredible dialogue and some very solid art…and yet, it falls just a tiny bit hollow. See,  things Get Worse at the end of the story, even though they found the bad guy and “beat” them, and that speaks to the message of Black Panther & The Crew at large; this sees them established as a team, each a little worse and a little better for the interaction, all clearly dedicated to serving the black community at large and the Harlem community in specific. It’s a great origin story, and we’re never getting a sequel. I’m so sorry to Coates, Harvey, Guice, everyone involved in this process…you, and we, deserve better.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

Darkseid Special #1

Publisher: DC

“The Resistance!”: Writer: Mark Evanier; Artist: Scott Kolins; Colorist: Dave McCaig; Letterer: A Larger World’s Troy Peteri; Cover: Chris Burnham & Nathan Fairbairn; Fourth World Created By: Jack Kirby

“OMAC: One Man Army Corps”: Storytellers: Paul Levitz & Phil Hester; Inks: Ande Parks; Colors: Dave Stewart; Letters: Todd Klein; Special Thanks: Steve Rude; OMAC Created by: Jack Kirby

“Raid from Apokolips”: Edited, Written & Drawn by: Jack Kirby; Inked by: Vince Colletta

“The All-Seeing Eye”: Writer: Unknown; Inker/Penciller: Jack Kirby

Monday was Jack Kirby’s birthday, so I of course couldn’t pass up their Kirby homage offering for this week. Like the previous ones, this is a main story and a backup story, with some brief Kirby originals to round out the page count. The Darkseid story is all it should be: hopeless, grim, bombastic, depressing, and with a little speechifying and a touch of Omega Beams. The writing and art are both right on point in terms of bringing across the oppressive, horrifying existence that is life on Apokolips, and Darkseid is presented as the absolute terror that he has always been, while still getting a brief bit of humanity (as it were) in the course of events; my only complaint is that Darkseid is not given room to give the speeches (“the tiger-force at the center of all things”; “it is with one billion mouths”; etc.) that are such a hallmark of the character. The OMAC backup story is brief, but full of Kirby pomp and circumstance, with plenty of exclamation-point-laden homage to his dialogue style and a fluid, cartoony homage to the mohawked super-soldier he created so long ago. The New Gods and “All-Seeing Eye” backup stories are fantastic and very much classic Kirby, but as has always been the case with this series of one-shots, the stuff at the end is filler, a neat back look at Kirby’s ouevre that doesn’t stand up as a main attraction. Happy Birthday, King; thank you for forever changing this medium with your presence.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

Generations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye #1

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Kelly Thompson; Artist: Stefano Raffaele; Color Artist: Digikore; Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino; Main Cover Artist: Greg Smallwood; Variant Cover Artists: Alex Ross; Elizabeth Torque; Meghan Hetrick

If you saw this cover and were hoping for both Hawkeyes in full snark mode: You got everything you asked for. Like America above, the backbone of this story is a totally standard plot, well-worn since the days of The Most Dangerous Game, but it fits with the apparently Silver/Golden Age version of Clint the Generations time-travel shenanigans have selected, and it’s also used as a perfect backdrop for a metric ton of piss-taking, quip-slinging, and fourth-wall-leaning by the leads. Following on from the Thor Generations issue, this is also a nice way to expand both characters a little bit, reminding us and them about what they have in common and what they can take from each other; but more importantly, it’s heartfelt, weird superhero fun from start to finish. I loved the heck out of this issue and it’s definitely got me excited for Legacy.

Power Level: 5 of 5

Justice League of America #13

Publisher: DC

Writer: Steve Orlando; Pencils: Ivan Reis; Inks: Ivan Reis and Julio Ferreira; Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo; Letterer: Clayton Cowles; Cover: Ivan Reis and Marcelo Maiolo; Variant Cover: Doug Mahnke & Wil Quintana

The weirdest and most feels-tastic issue yet, and therefore the continuing climb of this series toward its apotheosis. The Microverse is utterly bizarre, but Orlando and Reis do yeoman’s work in making clear how much it is the natives’ normal; things like quantum storms and sentient planets are discussed in the same way we would discuss extreme weather events or monuments. Speaking of utterly bizarre and yet somehow normal, Reis, Ferreira, and Maiolo are at their zenith here, giving us truly alien landscapes and making them feel oh-so-real the entire time, pulling out little details that had me kind of giddy the whole way through the issue. On a character level, Orlando continues his comfortable work developing just a couple people at a time: Both the Atom and Frost get some excellent focus here, with the others around to play foils to their arcs, and it works very nicely. I also adored the cliffhanger at the end of the issue for just how over-the-top and four-color it is (a thing that astute readers might maybe have noticed I tend to be into). This series is just so, so great, and “Panic in the Microverse” is proving to be a particularly great arc already.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Saga #46

Publisher: Image

Art by: Fiona Staples; Written by: Brian K. Vaughan; Letters + Design by: Fonografiks; Coordinated by: Eric Stephenson

The Abortion Town arc goes where it is inevitably going to go, and it is as heartbreaking as you would expect. Vaughan and Staples wed their visual and textual crafts together gorgeously, giving us a disturbing figure in the Endwife and some truly gut-wrenching interactions between Hazel and the magical projection of her dead baby brother. The conversation between Marko and Endwife is nicely nuanced and philosophical on the subject of abortion without shaming it or pretending it is unnecessary (or that it is anyone but the childbearing person’s decision), and never tries to pull punches on how awful a thing it is to have to do and how hard that decision is. In the B-plot, there’s some interaction between Prince Robot and Petrichor that serves as a further shot of philosophy, reminding the reader of the fluid and subjective nature of our understanding of history, and the challenges in unlearning prejudices baked into you from our childhood, especially vis a vis war. For an issue where it feels like very little happens, a whole lot happens to our thought processes, and that, right there, is the magic that makes Saga what it is.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Quote of the Week:

“And if this Bullseye kills me with a playing card, please…tell nobody. Make up a good story!”

– Clint Barton, Generations: Hawkeye & Hawkeye #1

And there you have it. A note that next week we might be a day late releasing; Wednesday is my wedding anniversary, and I cannot promise I will have time that day to file a column. Either way, we’ll be around next week, and we want you to keep loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 8/31/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. This week it’s not a six-pack, but an eight-pack of comics! We’ve got a mix of DC and Marvel, old and new, and, unfortunately, good and bad; whatever the mix, we have a lot to get through, so let’s do this. Mark!

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

Detective Comics #964

Publisher: DC

Story: James Tynion IV and Christopher Sebela; Words: Sebela; Art: Carmen Carnero; Colors: Ulises Arreolo; Letters: Sal Cipriano; Cover: Yasmine Putri; Variant Cover: Rafael Albuquerque

I hate it when the Pull List starts with an issue I didn’t enjoy, but here we are. I picked this up to help fill the void left in my pull by a couple series ending, and I knew that I was probably jumping on in the middle of several character and story arcs, but the writing never makes any effort to help me understand what is going on, it just moves forward. On top of that, it never uses the code-names of any of the characters involved except Clayface and Batman, which is appropriate for the characters involved, but it also means that a new reader might have no clue who anybody is (especially because Stephanie Brown/Spoiler is called “Steph” and Cassandra Kane/Orphan is called “Cass” the whole time — two layers of deciphering required there). There are some interesting concepts at work here with the Peoples’ City and Monstertown and all that, but without more data I can’t speak to how effectively they are executed because I literally don’t know what is being executed here, with the exception of Clayface’s character arc (and even that is kind of impenetrable in spots). I will say that the art is truly stellar — Carnero’s detail is impressive without being overwhelming, and Arreolo’s colors and use of shadow are gorgeous — but that is not enough to elevate this above a “pass,” not when so much is out there that I truly do enjoy.

Power Level: 2 of 5

Generations: Captain Marvel & Captain Mar-Vell #1

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Margaret Stohl; Artist: Brent Schoonover; Color Artist: Jordan Boyd; Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Main Cover Artist: David Nakayama; Variant Cover Artists: Brent Schoonover & Rachelle Rosenberg; Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson

I also hate it when the Pull List starts with two issues I didn’t like, but again…here we are. Both the artist and the writer just didn’t impress me here. I am not a fan of Schoonover’s style — it feels very blocky and raw, and especially off in the action sequences, which is not great for a book involving Captain Marvel of all people. Likewise, Stohl’s writing continues to not click with me for the same reasons that I ditched The Mighty Captain Marvel: her Carol and her Mar-Vell both feel just a little too on-the-nose, and the point about Mar-Vell being old-fashioned (read: sexist) and Carol being A Strong Female Protagonist feels like it gets hammered on one too many times. Also, for a Generations story, it doesn’t actually feel like either character learns a whole lot — they beat up a bad guy using their rad superpowers, then they talk about how they both feel familiar, and then it’s over. Carol’s big hero moment is fun, but not anything groundbreaking for her, really. I wanted more from a story with Mar-Vell in it, but ultimately I felt this one was skippable.

Power Level: 2 of 5

Hulk #10

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Mariko Tamaki; Artists: Julian Lopez & Francesco Gaston; Color Artist: Matt Milla; Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit; Cover Artist: John Tyler Christopher

The sad ending of the saga of Oliver Cakes. Like most issues of Hulk to date, this one is very small-scale, personal, and difficult; Oliver’s transformation and rage help mirror Jen’s own, and bring to light a lot of the trauma she’s dealing with. The struggles with her temper and her pain that were hinted at earlier in the story are on display here, and resolved-without-resolution in a compelling and, yes, painful way. The framing device for the narration is excellent, and I like how Tamaki tackles the issues inherent in She-Hulk, specifically, trying to participate in standard trauma recovery methods — it’s played for tragedy without edging into bathos. My major complaint is the art — the issue shifts artists midway through, and the change to the visual language is bizarre and not entirely welcome; the latter artist portrays Jen’s Hulk form as much slighter and smaller than the first one, which would have been fine if that were the only Hulk form we saw in this issue, but it suddenly changes the dynamic between her and Oliver in a way that really upsets and changes the narration. Still, this is a solid, psychological book, which is exactly what a Hulk book should be.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

Justice League of America #14

Publisher: DC

Writer: Steve Orlando; Pencils: Ivan Reis; Inks: Ivan Reis & Julio Ferreira; Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo; Letterer: Clayton Cowles; Cover: Ivan Reis and Marcelo Maiolo; Variant Cover: Doug Mahnke & Wil Quintana

A bit of connective tissue with some character growth…and some nasty bumps in the road. Most of the focus here is on Atom, what with him having shrunk himself even further in order to communicate with the sentient planet, and Orlando does an excellent job with Ryan’s day in the limelight — Atom surmounts some of his personal barriers and shows off a lot of depth of character, and he advances the plot in a way that makes his background as a person of color important without beating the reader over the head with it or delving into any ethnic stereotypes. The Atom’s story is layered with the action sequence on the next largest scale of the Microverse, as the League continues battling micro-mooks, and here we have Frost’s arc take some interesting twists and turns; and then layered into that, we get a brief update on the Might Beyond the Mirror meta-arc, which occurs back on the regular-world scale. All of that is to say, this is perfect storytelling and use of setting by Orlando here — he even gets in some fun play with the Microverse’s bizarre physics. The art is amazing, as always — Maiolo’s colors, especially, really pop and help lend life to the surreal Microverse. And on top of that hero sandwich of awesome, we have a plot twist that in other hands might be generic, but here feels appropriate and fitting and gets me really revved up for the next issue. As always, JLA is superheroes done right, and I am on this ride to the very end.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Ms. Marvel #22

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: G. Willow Wilson; Artist: Marco Failla; Color Artist: Ian Herring; Lettering: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Cover Artists: Valerio Schiti and Rachelle Rosenberg

The conclusion to “Mecca” comes out swinging and never stops. This issue is, in every sense, beautiful. Failla’s art and Herring’s colors are on freaking point the entire time, expressing emotion and detailing action in ways that flow and feel natural and help to cement the deeply upsetting and satisfying emotions that occur over the course of this rollercoaster. The story helps wrap up Kamala’s arc over the course of “Mecca” without being truly conclusive or overly neat about it, which is absolutely appropriate given the situation Kamala finds herself in. The way the story of Discord and Lockdown gets wrapped up is fantastic, because it is not just simple superhero punching — it’s Kamala learning lessons and pushing herself, and it’s a hero connecting with and inspiring a community who decides not to take fascism lying down. Great art, great dialogue, digs at fascism (and therefore at the current President of the United States); this is the total package.

Power Level: 5 of 5

Titans #15

Publisher: DC

Writer: Dan Abnett; Pencils: Brett Booth; Inks: Norm Rapmund; Letters: Josh Reed; Colors: Andrew Dalhouse; Cover: Booth, Rapmund & Dalhouse; Variant Cover: Dan Mora

A masterful bit of storytelling, this. As with Detective Comics up above, I could tell (and expected) that I was coming in after a big bomb-drop in the previous issue, and it was obvious throughout the issue that the Titans as a team are in the middle of several character and team arcs — but despite that, I never felt like I didn’t understand what was going on, only some of the details, which Abnett also achieves without ever having anyone indulge in unnecessary or cumbersome expo-speak. For an ongoing like Titans, that’s a very good sign. The narrative framing of this issue (a letter from Wally to Dick) is executed perfectly, and the art is beautiful, with a 90s flair that never sinks to the lows of the 90s as we remember them. On a details level, I adored the themes of honesty, trust, and friendship running through the conversations and conflicts between the Titans, and Nightwing straight-up admitting that his secretive behavior is a result of there being “too much Batman” in him. I also like the idea of a nanotechnology-focused villain group, a nice place to focus stories as we move toward the middle of the twenty-first century. The twist in this issue is a bit dark, but it’s also richly emotional, and I’m excited to see how it resolves. I am definitely in for the next issue.

Power Level: 4 of 5

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #24

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Ryan North; Artist: Erica Henderson; Trading Card Artist: Alan Smithee; Color Artist: Rico Renzi; Letterer: Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Erica Henderson; Logo: Michael Allred

An extra-precious issue that takes the ball of Dinosaur Ultron and runs with it all the way downfield. The explanation of Dinosaur Ultron actually makes sense in its bizarre, latter-day Marvel Universe way, and while it’s played for Unbeatable Squirrel Girl‘s usual earnest laughs, it is also a serious superhero story underneath that. Really, this issue is funny all the way through, and extra precious, with the heroes really working hard and using their brains to try to stop Ultron while also having feelings and making Doctor Doom jokes. Then, after twenty pages of that, it raises the stakes, hard, and also throws in some weird fourth-wall breakage to wrap it all up. In other words, it’s vintage Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and if you like your superheroes kind-hearted and funny, you need look no further.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

New Series: Runaways #1

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Rainbow Rowell; Artist: Kris Anka; Color Artist: Matthew Wilson; Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Cover Artist: Kris Anka; Variant Cover Artists: Adrian Alphona & Ian Herring (Artist and Venomized Villains Variants); Kevin Wada; Skottie Young; Production Designer: Carlos Lao

I had no idea this was coming back, and I am so glad I was on vacation from my day job this week so I had the time to add it to my pull. This issue takes place on a personal scale, and is fraught and emotional without tripping over its high superheroic weirdness. The interactions between the Runaways who show their faces here (it’s not all of them, so please be aware of that) are touching and deep and real without feeling like I was bludgeoned with them, and we spend some great time learning about Nico Minoru’s powers without the action and the pressure ever pausing. Anka and Wilson deliver some beautiful, fitting art to go with Rowell’s solid writing, perfect for the scale and tone of the story. I subscribed as soon as I got to the last page, and I am also going back and familiarizing myself more deeply with the original Runaways canon so I can be sure I get everything out of this. And yes, the cover does not lie — Gert has a role to play here. Just stunning.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Quote of the Week:

“I’ve had a quart of coffee and I brought a friend. Which means you are all officially on notice.”

– Ms. Marvel, Ms. Marvel #1

Phew. Hopefully that journey was as worth it for you as it was for me. Thank you for over a year of reviews; I’m so glad to be sharing my love of comics with you all, and I hope to be extending the same warm feelings to you all in September of next year.

The post The Pull List, 9/14/16 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. Fall is quite literally upon us, and we’ve got some excellent comics here to help you get through the early parts of the descent into the darker months.

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

America #7

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Gabby Rivera; Artists: Jen Bartel (pgs. 1-4), Annie Wu (pgs. 5-9), Ming Doyle (pgs. 10-14), Aud Koch (pgs. 15-19), and Joe Quinones with Joe Rivera (pg. 20); Color Artists: Jen Bartel (pgs. 1-4), Rachelle Rosenberg (pgs. 5-19), and Jordan Gibson (pg. 20); Letterer & Production: Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Joe Quinones

A bizarre info-dump issue that is nevertheless incredibly sweet, and oh-so-slightly cryptic…yeah, this is America alright. America and her abuela finally get to sit down (in an alternate dimension) and talk, and it’s everything it should be: both an important story beat for the two characters, and a wicked take-down of the “cryptic mentor” trope and all its attendant cliches. My main complaint is that the added backstory for America feels really, really bizarre and I am not sure how I feel about it — though I really do like that now the responsibility for her existence and powers rests on LGBT women, rather than on (male, white-presenting) Wiccan. I adore how emotionally honest, accepting, and kind this comic is, and I am excited to see where the hook at the end takes us, because I trust Rivera to not just be giving us any old superhero story.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

Batwoman #7

Publisher: DC

Writer: Marguerite Bennett; Artist: Fernando Blanco; Colorist: John Rauch; Letterer: Deron Bennett; Cover Artist: Ben Oliver; Variant Cover Artist: Robbi Rodriguez

A good issue that could have been great, if it had not been for the cover. I don’t say that because the cover is badly crafted — that art is actually gorgeous! — but because the cover provides data that is not revealed until a ways into the issue, and I think it might have been a better story if we had not known about the Scarecrow’s involvement from the jump. But that said (and therefore spoiled — thanks, cover), the story is actually phenomenal, both as an exploration of what is going on in Batwoman’s psyche and an exploration of the perspective of a victim of Scarecrow’s fear toxin. Bennett tells the story in a dreamlike way without just being weird and random (I mean, the story is that, too, but it also has internal logic and flow), leading me to my conclusion that I just am not a fan of James Tynion IV’s storytelling (he had co-writing credit on all the issues I struggled with the most); Blanco and Rauch follow right along behind her, providing distorted, confusing, almost lyrical visuals that hint at what is going on without outright saying it until the story is good and disturbing. Even (Deron) Bennett’s lettering gets in on the act, warping and mutating as the story goes on to assist the increasingly bizarre visuals. My only complain about the 2o-some pages of actual comics is that I’m not sure how I feel about the implication that multiple months of “Many Arms of Death” storyline have happened off-panel while we took a break to read about Another Dark Fascist Future. I loved this issue and it got me re-excited about the series, but if it gets hobbled by the cover or editorial mandates again, I might jump off the ride.

Power Level: 3 of 5

Bitch Planet Triple Feature #4

Publisher: Image

“Life of a Sportsman”: Marc Deschamps and Mindy Lee, with colors by Leondardo Olea; “Bodymod”: Sara Woolley; “To Be Free…”: Vita Ayala and Rossi Gifford; Letters: Clayton Cowles; Cover: Valentine de Landro; Cover Design & Logo: Rian Hughes; Backmatter Design: Lauren McCubbin

Another three-story selection from the Bitch Planet crew, and honestly the best one yet. First up is “Life of a Sportsman,” which is a laser-hot and laser-accurate attack on sports media, the enshrinement of athletes, and the ways toxic masculinity is expressed through sports. Though the writing is largely two characters spouting stereotypical comments made about problematic (or in this case downright vile) athletes, what is being said is so true that repetition is not a flaw. The art is married to the writing beautifully, bringing across the particular mix of toxic masculinity and homoeroticism that sports displays without working overtime at it. It’s weird to focus on men in a Bitch Planet story, but I like how this one was executed. The next story is “Bodymods,” an attack on female-presenting body standards, and it’s gutting and unsettling. The art is so terrifying it occasionally nauseated me, all without going gory or even too photorealistic — honestly, the more abstracted, cartoonish style helps accentuate how disturbing it is. There’s not a lot of plot here, but there doesn’t need to be. And finally, there’s “To Be Free…” which…might be the most disturbing Bitch Planet story yet published. The focus is on banned media, including examples, through the lens of a heist on an archive of “corruptive” materials, and wow is it disturbing. It’s a beautiful commentary on the power of art to make us think and foment change, and also the incredible power that access to information and control over one’s body impart to people, especially disenfrachised people. It’s also one of the most hopeful stories so far, though that hope is entirely confined to the ignorant behavior of a couple of men. This was a great issue, and if you want a good set of Bitch Planet side stories, this is the one to grab.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Generations: Ms. Marvel & Ms. Marvel #1

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: G. Willow Wilson; Artist: Paulo Villanelli; Color Artist: Ian Herring; Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Main Cover Artists: Nelson Blake II & Rachelle Rosenberg; Variant Cover Artists: Kris Anka; Olivier Coipel & Laura Martin

This issue was everything a Generations one-shot should be: an opportunity for growth for both main characters, a commentary on real social issues via superheroes, and also a fun story. Villanelli and Herring’s artwork is a blast, evoking a retro feel while also carrying on with modern levels of detail and skill. Wilson, continuing to be one of the best writers in comics today, nails the characterization of both Kamala and Carol; the lessons they learn and the things they do feel totally spot on, like they both needed this experience to help with their current narrative (though how this will influence the modern, Captain Marvel!Carol is as yet unclear). I loved the discussion of women’s lib and feminism, and the non-sledgehammering reminder of exactly how many victories we have achieved, even though it isn’t all the victories we need to achieve. Plus, there’s some nice super-fighting that shows off both characters’ strengths and weaknesses. This was great, and if they continue to give writers like Wilson the helm, I have high hopes for Legacy and beyond.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Royals #8

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Al Ewing; Pencilers: Kevin Libranda and Javier Rodriguez; Inkers: Kevin Libranda and Alvaro Lopez; Color Artist: Jose Villarrubia; Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles; Cover Artist: Sanford Greene

A fun conclusion to the Snarkwar subplot, while also doing some excellent plot building and character building…yep, that’s an Al Ewing book, for sure. The Snark conflict comes to a head in a big, weird way, but with an internal consistency to its weirdness and characterization that ultimately plays into how the conflict is resolved and that leaves behind complications for a main character, which is really the best way to handle any plot, but especially a superhero plot. Maximus again makes himself very useful, but his weaknesses both external and internal are on full display here, helping to head off any concern that the solution to any given plot will be “we throw Maximus at it” (spoiler: that is not how this plot is resolved). The art is particularly good in this issue, with action that is easy to follow from start to finish (not a small feat when you have pages full of superpowers getting thrown around every which way); I also like that they put a spotlight on Gorgon after so much focus on literally every other member of the crew, and I like the ways in which the “Last Inhuman” plotline is continuing to fold in certain elements and echoes of our own mythology among the Inhuman mythology. I have some feelings about the way the Snark are handled, but I’ll just swallow them for now because discussion is spoilerrific. Overall, Royals continues to be one of the things I look forward to in my pull every month.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Quote of the Week:

“Five thousand years ago, the last Inhuman threw the Accuser into a Skyspear, triggering a traumatic download of alien information. He has never apologized.”

– Narrator, Royals #8

And there you have it; time for me to head outdoors and enjoy the first fits of autumn. Have a good one, and until next week, keep loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 9/22/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. We’ve got a bumper crop of comics for you this week, from all corners of the publishing map, so let’s try to ignore the heat of Zombie Summer and cool down with some high weirdness.

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

Blood Brothers #4

Publisher: Dynamite

Created by: Fabian Rangel, Jr. & Javier Caba; Script by: Fabian Rangel, Jr.; Art by: Javier Caba; Letters by: Ryan Ferrier; Blood Brothers Logo by: Dylan Todd; Original Series Edits by: Jim Gibbons; Cover by: Javier Caba

Fun, but rushed. This issue is the end of Book One, and therefore the conclusion of the story of the missing Aztec skull, and I really, really feel like this story arc could have been split over five or six issues and been a little bit better for it. That is not to say Rangel and Caba do not do a great job with what is here — they do — but it feels like it’s moving a little too fast for its own comfort at every turn: the art is not quite as on point, the fight sequences are lacking some of the great pro wrestling illustrations, and the explanation of the mystery feels really breathless. I like this book’s ideas, and I will see how Book Two fares, but this was a really average issue overall from a series that has been great fun before.

Power Level: 3 of 5

Generations: Miles Morales: Spider-Man & Peter Parker: Spider-Man #1

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Artist: Ramon Perez; Colorist: Msassyk; Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit; Cover Artists: Ramon Perez & Msassyk; Variant Cover Artists: Chris Sprouse, Karl Story, & Justin Ponsor; Olivier Coipel & Laura Martin

Reader, I cried happy tears. This issue is a perfect homage to the heart of what makes Spider-Man Spider-Man, for both of the bearers of the title. As you’d expect, the time traveler here is Miles, who goes back to visit a college-aged Peter, and Bendis nails his homage to Lee and Ditko in this issue: Peter and all of his supporting cast sound like Lee himself is writing them (albeit a bit refined compared to a Lee who was writing essentially every book the company was putting out). Rather than focus on a villain or a monster, or even banter, Bendis has the two of them focus on the other thing that makes a Spider-Man story what it is: the emotion and the personal stakes. This is heroes being heroic through support and emotional labor, not violence; and seeing that makes me understand why Bendis is as beloved a comic book writer as he is. This was wonderful, and I may have to duck over and see what our friendly neighborhood hero is up to these days…

Power Level: 5 of 5

Justice League of America #15

Publisher: DC

Writer: Steve Orlando; Pencils: Felipe Wantanabe; Inks: Ruy Jose; Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo; Letterer: Clayton Cowles; Cover: Ivan Reis and Marcelo Maiolo; Variant Cover: Doug Mahnke & Wil Quintana

You wanted Microverse? We got Microverse! This issue is focused almost exclusively on the original Atom, Ray Palmer, and his experiences in the Microverse leading up to when the JLA found him last issue. If we thought Orlando’s previous JLA work was high-concept, this issue blows those out of the water. I am not well-versed enough in the Atom and the Microverse to know for sure how much of this he pulled from previous works, but I will say that I found the variety of worlds, races, and ideas that he crams into twenty or so pages of script is mind-blowing. Wantanabe and Jose most assuredly do those ideas justice (heh) with some incredible illustrations — the Celestiophage, especially, is phenomenal, but that’s a narrow lead over the rest of the book. Forcing myself to complain, I do wish that this issue had fully resolved the cliffhanger from the last one instead of adding another one into the mix, but I’ll accept that this part of the story deserved to be told and move forward. This book is pure joy every month, and this is no exception.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Marvel Legacy #1

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Jason Aaron; Artists: Esad Ribic with Steve McNiven; Color Artist: Matthew Wilson; Additional Artists: Chris Samnee; Russell Dauterman; Alex Maleev; Ed McGuinness; Stuart Immonen & Wade Von Grawbadger; Pepe Larraz; Jim Cheung; Daniel Acuna; Greg Land & Jay Leisten; Mike Deodato Jr.; David Marquez; Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit; Cover: Joe Quesada, Kevin Nowlan & Richard Isanove; Variant Covers: Alex Ross; Mark Brooks; John Tyler Christopher; Mike Deodato Jr.; Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson; Greg Land & Frank D’Armata; Amy Reeder; Skottie Young

This is exactly what I would have hoped it would be. Legacy, far from kicking off a huge company-wide event, is instead a prologue for everything coming up in the Marvel Universe — including, yes, the return of several well-known characters and concepts. In the process, it is also a reflection on what it is to be a superhero in the Marvel Universe — and on the nature of legacies, whether it be a mantle you are passing on or a body of work you are leaving behind. Jason Aaron nails both aspects, while also giving us an excellent peek into a vast web of stories upcoming in so many comics, both long-runners and new ones. Reader, I cried several times. Now, to be clear, no plot is actually resolved in the course of this issue — we get a lot of glimpses of ongoing plots but we don’t get any conclusions. Also, there are still aspects of what Marvel is doing that I do not like — Sam Wilson should be keeping the mantle of Cap, for one thing, and the character whose resurrection is revealed in this issue is one that I would have been just peachy without having happen. But overall, this tells me that the trajectory for Marvel is one that I can continue to get behind, and I am glad they aren’t just making this an ongoing miniseries. I have a lot of hope for the company; may they go forth, and unequivocally make mine Marvel.

Power Level: 4 of 5

The Mighty Thor #23

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Jason Aaron; Artist: Valerio Schiti; Color Artist: Rain Beredo; Letterer & Production: VC’s Joe Sabino; Cover Artists: Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson; Rock and Roll Variant: Marco Rudy; Venomized Villain Variant: Clayton Crain

Wow. So, this issue is the resolution of the clash between Thor (a.k.a. Jane Foster) and War Thor (a.k.a. Volstagg), and it is handled absolutely beautifully. First of all, the violence here is A+; Schiti and Beredo deliver fight scenes that are quite literally divine, taking a superhero clash and giving it an extra dimension that brings across the incredible power and mythic scope of the problems that make up your typical Mighty Thor story. The way that fight is resolved, though, is truly first-rate writing, executed flawlessly and handled with the care and emotion it deserves; some of what was going on here worried me given the current political climate, but in the end, it was terrific. I am still leery of this whole thing where the next story is “The Death of the Mighty Thor,” but I’m giving it a chance if only because this creative team is just so incredible.

Power Level: 5 of 5

Saga #47

Publisher: Image

Art by: Fiona Staples; Written by: Brian K. Vaughan; Letters + Design by: Fonografiks; Coordinated by: Eric Stephenson

And now for something completely different. This issue is superbly written and impeccably illustrated, as always, but the story being told is such a diversion from the main plot over in Abortion Town that for a second I was worried I missed an issue somehow. Rather than Marko, Alana, and Hazel, this issue focuses on the Will and his own life, including some of his backstory that we have not previously been privy to. It’s a nice story about how everyone in the world (universe?) has a story — even the faceless goons are people, and someone, somewhere, cares about them. The issue is also extremely vulgar, in a very different way than the typical Saga curse-fest, and comes with a long-expected wrinkle in the narrative. It’s almost rote to say how great Saga is, but Saga is really, really great.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Zodiac Starforce: Cries of the Fire Prince #2

Publisher: Dark Horse

Written by: Kevin Panetta; Art and Cover by: Paulina Ganucheau; Colors by: Sarah Stern; Lettering by: Christy Sawyer

More plot development and character development in a series that has enough of the former and a surplus of the latter. I adore the way the ladies of the Starforce are portrayed — the diversity, the depth, the empathy and support they show each other. I also appreciate them showing their parents running the gamut, too, with one teammate’s acting supportive and another’s being outright abusive to her. The fight sequence (of course a magical girl series has a fight sequence) is well-executed and flavorful, and the villain, who gets a little more spotlight this issue, is actually pretty great. He could so easily have fallen into common tropes of queer-coding villains, but instead he is a realistic portrayal of a conventionally attractive man who is not hypermasculine, but is explicitly straight the entire time. This series is honestly just great fun with some surprising heart and mind underneath it. Though, did it feel to anyone else like a billion years went by between the previous issue and this one, though?

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

Quote of the Week:

“So what do we do? I suppose we do what our kind has always done. What has become our legacy. We stand on the shoulders of super geniuses and space gods, close our eyes and imagine a better, brighter, more amazing tomorrow. Then bring it to life. Something grand and fun mind-staggeringly ridiculous. Something full of hope and compassion. Something both real and profoundly unreal. Something mad. Something magical. Something fantas–“

– Narrator, Marvel Legacy #1

And there you have it; time for me to head outdoors and enjoy the first fits of autumn. Have a good one, and until next week, keep loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 9/28/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. Fall is finally actually starting to settle in on California (freaking climate change…), and we have an embarrassment of sequential riches to cover. What could be better?

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

Justice League of America #16

Publisher: DC

Writer: Steve Orlando; Pencils: Felipe Watanabe; Inks: Ruy Jose; Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo; Letterer: Clayton Cowles; Cover: Andy Kubert & Brad Anderson; Variant Cover: Doug Mahnke & Wil Quintana

Steve Orlando is DC’s Al Ewing — the writer who can take the weirdest, most convoluted aspects of the universe they have been given to play with, and make stories out of them that not only hang together, they elevate the material. This issue, we finally get to know more about Dr. Aron Aut and the reasons Ray Palmer panicked so much when he showed up at the Ignition Point, and as villain origin stories go this one is, well, exactly what I’d hope to see from this incarnation of the Justice League of America: believable, internally consistent, but also rooted in the most bizarre stuff the DC Universe has to offer. Watanabe, Jose, and Maiolo again conspire to bring us a breathtaking visual of the Microverse, lending even more weight to Aut’s little Start of Darkness. And the final panel is pure four-color villainous gold, making me oh-so-excited for the finale of this arc. That this is not the absolute unchallenged best in my pull every week is proof of how good comics are right now.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Ms. Marvel #23

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: G. Willow Wilson; Artist: Diego Olortegui; Color Artist: Ian Herring; Lettering: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Cover Artists: Valerio Schiti and Rachelle Rosenberg

This issue is a G. Willow Wilson special: Some simple, back-to-basics superhero action, used as a backdrop for some big, important emotions and examinations of the life of a young superhero. As the cover indicates, this story involves the return of Laal Khanjeer, now in New Jersey; his arrival is a jumping-off point for Kamala to have to deal with two new things: another superhero working on her turf, and the worry about her becoming yesterday’s news. There are some very touching sequences that serve as reminders of how “the man on the street” views superheroes; there are also some very pointed and poignant sequences that serve as nice digs at both the U.S.A.’s casual racism and its semi-illusory status as the most developed nation on the planet. Beyond the writing, the art is also great; Olortegui draws very smooth, believable, but fantastical superhero action sequences, and his background detail work is aces, too. I will say that the story is maybe a little too basic, but it’s understandable given the amount Wilson is trying to convey with her story arc here; it’s still good, it’s just that Ms. Marvel is capable of a lot more than “good” so it feels a little hollow. It’s a good problem to have.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

Runaways #2

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Rainbow Rowell; Artist: Kris Anka; Color Artist: Matthew Wilson; Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Cover Artist: Kris Anka; Variant Cover Artist: Kevin Wada; Graphic Designer: Carlos Lao

The good kind of deconstruction, courtesy of your favorite kid heroes all grown up. This issue takes the premise established in the first one — that two years down the line, Chase has rescued Gert at the moment of her death in the original series — and runs with it all the way to the finish line, allowing just the right amount of realism to ensue in Gert’s reaction both to being rescued and to the way things have played out over those years. Not only does Rowell do an excellent job with the emotional and ethical implications of Chase’s act, but the expertise with which she uses this story to recap what we need to know about the original Runaways series and what has occurred in the time between then and now is hard to overstate. I want to make absolutely certain I give Kris Anka the credit he deserves for his art, too; his faces help sell Rowell’s writing in a way that not every artist could, making everything they’re going through — even the bits involving time travel and dinosaurs — feel bitingly real. Plus, this might have the most goofy splash page ever that still manages to be hugely emotional. I am so glad I picked this series up.

Power Level: 4 of 5

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #25

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Ryan North; Artist: Erica Henderson; Color Artist: Rico Renzi; Letterer: Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Erica Henderson; Variant Cover: Chip Zdarsky (with Ryan North); Logo: Michael Allred; Special Thanks: Dwayne McDuffie

Darling, precious, funny — Squirrel Girl, everybody. This is the resolution to the whole “dinosaur Ultron” arc, and it resolves in a way only Ryan North can sell to an audience. The dialogue is North at his apex, with everyone using the same earnest, slightly stilted delivery but everyone also being genuine and emotional and kind and fun (well, except Ultron, who is just fun). The art is some of Henderson’s best on this series — the final panel, especially, is extremely touching, and that is all down to her detail and framing. It’s zany, but it’s never just zany, and that is how I like my Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.

Power Level: 4 of 5

The Wicked + The Divine #32

Publisher: Image

Writer: Kieron Gillen; Artist: Jamie McKelvie; Colourist: Matthew Wilson; Letterer: Clayton Cowles; Flatter: Dee Cunniffe

This issue is a perfect blend of character building and action, and it is absolutely brutal. The action is honestly the goriest WicDiv has gotten in…well, OK, a couple issues, but the use of gore is so expert that it hits hard every single time they deploy it, and it is no different here. On a more abstract level, the emotions of the characters — every one of them — are on full display (full marks to McKelvie for how powerfully the characters’ expressions and body language are rendered), and it is wrenching to see the small decisions and big consequences for all of them. The panels are perfectly laid out and paced, and the dialogue is surgically precise — Persephone’s bitterness, especially, is just plain vicious. Add in possibly the meanest ending hook this series has ever pulled, and this was just another issue of WicDiv, by which I mean some of the best comics you can get.

Power Level: 5 of 5

Quote of the Week:

“Sometimes evil time-traveling parents give really good presents.”

— Narrator, Runaways #2

This was an amazing week for comics. We’ll see you for the next one; until next time, keep on loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 10/12/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. It’s well and truly autumn, so let’s curl up with some comics. See what I did there?

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

Batwoman #8

Publisher: DC

Writer: Marguerite Bennett; Artist: Fernando Blanco; Colorist: John Rauch; Letterer: Deron Bennett; Main Cover Artist: Fernando Blanco; Variant Cover Artist: Michael Cho

Batwoman vs. Scarecrow continues, this time with a side of plot advancement! The star of this issue, like the last one, is once again the art — Blanco and Rauch are doing some very creative things here with the Scarecrow gas hallucinations, telling a story in the art that’s complementary to the script rather than simply illustrative. Bennett’s version of Crane is gloriously scenery-chewing; I could practically hear Henry Polic II reading all of his lines. I’m so glad Bennett is flying solo on the scripts now — it’s really helping give the book its own voice. I did find some of the action sequences — especially the bits in the cells — hard to follow in places (I’m still not clear on what’s supposed to be happening in one panel, and Kate was explaining the sequence of events to the reader the whole time). But, I am interested to see how Batwoman beats Scarecrow, and how this ties into the Many Arms of Death, and basically this was a good issue in a good series.

Power Level: 3 of 5

Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #5

Publisher: Image

“Everyone’s Grandma is a Little Bit Feminist”: Matt Fraction and Elsa Charretier, with colors by Nick Filardi; “Mirror, Mirror”: Jon Tsuei and Saskia Gutekunst; “Basic Bitch”: Bassey Nyambi, Eyang Nyambi, Nyambi Nyambi, and Chris Visions

The last set of Triple Feature vignettes before we go back to the main plotline was is a whimper instead of a bang. The first story, “Everyone’s Grandma is a Little Bit Feminist,” has some chilling components to it, and some nice subtext (which was echoed in all the stories this time out) about how very often sexism and racism go together like a hand in a glove; it’s a perfectly fine story but the title really tells you most of what is going on there. The second story, “Mirror, Mirror,” is a perfectly reasonable comment on the racism of the movie industry, but it’s not a Bitch Planet story at all — no element of the BP world is necessary for it to be told, and it doesn’t actually involve women or gender roles at all. The final story, “Basic Bitch,” is a commentary on cultural appropriation and police violence, and it does use sci-fi elements to tell its story; it’s also a topic that needs to be tackled often and with great fervor in today’s society, and for that I welcome it. However, it’s once again not exactly a Bitch Planet story. The art is all perfectly fine, but none of it knocked my socks off. Overall, this felt like a miss to me.

Power Level: 1.5 of 5

The Mighty Thor #700

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Jason Aaron; Artists: Walter Simonson & Matthew Wilson, Russell Dauterman & Wilson, Daniel Acuna, James Harren & Dave Stewart, Becky Cloonan & Stewart, Das Pastoras, Chris Burnham & Ive Svorcina, Andrew MacLean & Stewart, Jill Thompson, Mike Del Mundo, and Oliver Coipel and Stewart; Letterer & Production: VC’s Joe Sabino; Cover Artists: Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson; Variant Cover Artists: Stephanie Hanks (based on the original cover of The Death of Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin); Adam Hughes; Mike McKone & Rachelle Rosenberg; Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers; John Tyler Christopher; Chip Zdarsky

Is anyone shocked anymore when I declare a Mighty Thor issue the crown jewel of the week’s pull? OK, good. This is, as the new Legacy-spawned numbering suggests, the 700th issue of a Thor solo series, dating all the way back to Smilin’ Stan, and what a beautiful, loving, lyrical celebration it is. There are a whole host of artists working on this issue, and rather than feeling jarring, they are used absolutely perfectly, with the fifty (yes, fifty) pages of comics using the artists to signify and weave together disparate storylines about a whole host of Thor-adjacent characters, from Thor proper to Odinson to Loki to Volstagg to Throg, the Frog of Thunder! Aaron’s writing feels like a Norse saga, weighty and brutal and poetic, giving every character involved their due and lending an air of importance to everything from an Earthly battle with She-Hulk to Malekith’s slow takeover of the realms to Throg chasing a murderer through Central Park. We get some cosmic-level stuff that is drawn and colored with pure love of King Kirby’s work in mind, right down to a Kirby-original character who was hinted at during the Asgard-Shi’ar War making their triumphant on-panel return; we also get some villainous speechifying of not one, but three different varieties. We also get even Throg’s comedic little appearance ultimately weaving into the other stories in a meaningful, heroic way. This series is the real deal, and this issue so transcendentally good that I’m not even mad Jane Foster might be about to die — or at least, not mad yet.

Power Level: 5 of 5

Titans #16

Publisher: DC

Writer: Dan Abnett; Pencils: Brett Booth; Inks: Norm Rapmund; Colors: Andrew Dalhouse; Letters: Josh Reed; Cover: Booth, Rapmund & Dalhouse; Variant Cover: Dan Mora

All action and reveals from beginning to end, and all of it enjoyable. As I was afraid might be the case after last issue, original-flavor Wally West appears to be dead (though the fact that they’re still mid-action right now means he might not be gone for good — superheroes, everyone!), and the tragedy of that is not only played up, it’s played into the overall plot in a way besides “he’s dead, now things are serious!“, which is a spin I really like. Really, having the Titans fight a villain explicitly trying to cause them angst as the goal of the conflict is perfect Titans writing — they so often mix angst and combat anyway, why not have an antagonist who can make that work for them? Plus, making sure the fight has an emotional core is so important for superheroes generally. The art is also phenomenal, still coming off like all the good parts of the Nineties with all the crusts trimmed off (and actual visible feet). I will say, though, that this issue relies on knowledge of the Titans’ backstories heavily, enough so that the reveal at the end, which was clearly impactful to the characters, left me totally cold. But at least for that, they had our old friends notes from the editor to tell us which issues to go back and look at for more information, so they knew what they were doing and were prepared to address it. In summary: This is a fun series, and I’m going to keep reading it for the time being.

Power Level: 3 of 5

Quote of the Week:

“Our time grows short. If today we must bleed, then let us do so as Norns.”

“Aye…and Norns…bleed stories…stories of revelry and woe, of triumph and tribulation. Stories of war and thunder. Stories of hammers and Hel and the twilight of the gods.”

— The Norns, The Mighty Thor #700

And there you have it. Until next time, keep on loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 10/19/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. Summer has decided to take another swing at us with everything it has, but that didn’t stop me from getting to this week’s comics with a vengeance. Let’s go.

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

America #8

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Gabby Rivera; Penciler: Joe Quinones; Inker: Joe Rivera; Color Artist: Jordan Gibson; Letterer & Production: Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Joe Quinones

The series is still fun and kinetic, but this outing is a little bit disjointed. The story is interesting and longtime readers will know I am pretty much always here for a superhero story that has interesting things to say about fascism and the resistance thereof, especially when it focuses on how good people can be convinced to give up a little liberty in exchange for a little safety. I also, as always, love how empathetic and kind the main characters are; this is a book where people are happy to see each other happy, where emotions are communicated honestly without the narrative sweeping trauma and fear and personal struggle under the rug, and where the greatest good is people being allowed to be themselves and keeping others from being hurt instead of just punching cryptofascists in the mouth (though that, too). However, there are a few rough patches: there are places where it feels like the narrative skipped something important, or else leaned on the art to convey more than it was able to (I looked at a couple panels twice to be sure I didn’t miss something); X’Andria kind of gets short shrift here for the sake of advancing the larger plot, which is unfortunate because she’s a really compelling supporting character; and, of course, there is the common comic book issue where the cover sort of spoils the comic itself (we knew Exterminatrix was coming from previous issues, but it’s obvious from the beginning how she’s involved in a way that the comic at least seems to think it might be surprising us with). This is a fun story told in a fun way and I’m here for it, but I hope that next time the script and the art are a little more harmoniously blended.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

Justice League of America #17

Publisher: DC

Writer: Steve Orlando; Penciler: Ivan Reis; Inkers: Julio Ferreira & Oclair Albwert; Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo; Letterer: Clayton Cowles; Cover: Ivan Reis & Marcelo Maiolo; Variant Cover: Doug Mahnke & Wil Quintana

A fun resolution to a fun storyline, as only Orlando and Reis can bring us. This is the capper to the Panic in the Microverse storyline, and as you’d expect it comes with a whole raft of development for Ryan Choi. Some bits of the resolution here do not make sense, in a fairly typical “only 20ish pages to get all of my story beats out in the world” way that can hit final issues of storylines, but for the most part all of it hangs together, and I never stopped enjoying it at any point, especially the weird pseudoscience powering the four (count ’em, four) Bio-Belts this issue has bouncing around. In addition to our spotlight character getting a nice, fulfilling day in the sun, (Killer) Frost gets some excellent development in her limited panel time that feels like the core of what this book is about; the Might Beyond the Mirror meta-plot continues to advance; a couple mysteries are sprinkled into the mix; and we end with the appearance of some reappearing DC villains whose reason for facing the JLA should be fodder for some excellent conflict and hero/villain patter down the road. Couple all that with the excellent artwork, and you have one of my favorite dang books going today.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Saga #48

Publisher: Image

Art by: Fiona Staples; Written by: Brian K. Vaughan; Letters + Design by: Fonografiks; Coordinated by: Eric Stephenson

Another, more emotional, interlude, this time featuring our favorite grizzled/adorable (grizzledorable?) seal-person, Ghus. The cover doesn’t lie here — the spotlight is on Ghus and Squire Robot, and it’s actually a really touching, emotional story even as it manages to be a little grim and a little absurd, with Hazel’s narration layered over it to tell us some of what the themes are here. The cover also doesn’t lie in terms of how gorgeous this issue (all issues, really) is, with Staples again showing off her capacity for blending the familiar and the bizarre when creating their universe’s flora and fauna. It’s a little bit weird that we still don’t know the full extent of what happened in Abortion Town, but it does feel like we know enough for the book to go elsewhere, so I am not sure how much to hold that against Staples and Vaughan. Meanwhile, the story that is in this issue is a complete one, and while its structure is simple and its resolution is a little bit convenient, it carries a surprising (for any series but Saga, anyway) emotional and philosophical depth — the themes this time being death, violence, and the unfortunate necessity of both for life to perpetuate itself, which are deep subjects that nevertheless get conveyed using a seal-person, their telepathically linked walrus-creature buddy, and a boy with a monitor for a head, and possibly better than they could have been using default Earth humans. The issue even manages to throw in a dash of hope for the future — specifically, the possibility that the generation of kids we are seeing grow up in this story’s pages are going to move beyond the generation of adults we see trying to raise them, in every way possible. The hook at the end of the issue is Saga encapsulated: no promise of action, but tons of promise of relationship shifts and stories about the family we choose and mostly importantly, lots and lots of feelings, all against the backdrop of sci-fi surrealism and war. I love that the future and the family unit and politics are the constant main stakes of this series when they could easily make it about saving the world, and I never tire of wondering what this series is going to bring — even when they do as they’ve done this issue and go on vacation.

Power Level: 4 of 5

New Series: Ghostbusters: Answer the Call #1

Publisher: IDW

Written by: Kelly Thompson; Art by: Corin Howell; Colors by: Valentina Pinto; Letters by: Neil Uyetake

The cover and title once again do not lie here: this is the story of the Ghostbusters team as presented to us in the recent film, and in addition to being pretty faithful, it’s also pretty fun. Howell and Pinto’s art is great, a relaxed, cartoonish style that goes along well with the tone of the movie while also staking out its own visual territory (right down to a more subdued palette compared to the brighter colors of the film); it suffers from the action problem I often have with comics, though, in that there are several panels where it’s not entirely clear what’s supposed to be happening. Thompson’s writing, meanwhile, really feels like it nailed the team’s personalities while also allowing them to be new interpretations; Holtzmann is the only one who feels off, but I think that’s because Kate McKinnon’s physical acting can’t be easily duplicated in sequential art, forcing Thompson to rely on patter that makes her occasionally feel both too wordy and too inert, even if the words are appropriately brainy and reckless. I also like that the book doesn’t spend a lot of time on introductions — each Ghostbuster gets one panel and one narration bubble, and we are already on a case when the story starts rather than trying to give us a whole history of ghosts and the busting thereof, while also reminding us of who these four wonderful characters are. The storyline is a teensy bit basic, but that is true of nearly all Ghostbusters stories, and there is some promise of it getting more complex as it goes. All in all, this is at least worth an Issue 2, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

Quote of the Week:

“One day, a boy decided to break the rules. Like in most children’s stories, he then had an adventure. This experience taught the boy that those aforementioned rules were there for a reason. But he also learned another important lesson…that one should break rules as often as possible. Because who the hell doesn’t want to have an adventure?”

– Narrator, Saga #48

And there you have it. Until next time, keep on loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 10/26/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. Halloween is behind us, and I apparently chose “trick” because I only got one comic in my pull this week. Fortunately for both you and me, that just gave me an excuse to pick up two new comics this week, including something horror-themed in honor of the season.

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

Black Bolt #7

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Saladin Ahmed; Guest Artist: Frazier Irving; Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles; Cover Artist: Christian Ward; Design: Nicholas Russell; Logo Design: Jay Bowen

An overall good, but decidedly weird issue. The story here is all about Black Bolt’s journey home to Earth, which is framed as a series of small incidents that serve to help define the characters of both Blinky and Black Bolt now that they are no longer in immediate crisis. As character work goes, this is actually great. Ahmed has emphatically hit his stride in this series; his voice has settled very nicely into its Conan the Barbarian style of narration, while still showing that he can write at a different speed through the way Blinky and other supporting characters speak. I enjoyed both Blackagar and Blinky as characters, without fully liking nor hating Black Bolt, which is appropriate for a character who is, at root, a monarch more than a superhero, and who therefore sees the burden of immoral acts for moral reasons as his to carry. I also really like the way Ahmed is handling Black Bolt having no voice, reminding us that he has a huge host of other powers and forcing the Silent King to focus on those, while also allowing him to reflect on the ways he adapted to having his voice now that he doesn’t have to constantly adjust for it. Irving’s stint as guest artist is particularly welcome here; the semi-photographic, detailed-yet-fuzzy style Irving employs really works here, and his detail work is fantastic for the emotional beats between Black Bolt and Blinky. But while the character work is good, the plot is a little bit flat; up until the very end, when there is a solid twist, it all felt fairly work-a-day, more a palette to paint psychology on than a plot in and of itself, and that’s a little bit unfortunate, even if the picture painted is actually really good; it also felt sort of stilted and stuttering, never quite fully hitting its stride as to how long and how fast each segment of the story should be. It’s not a good jumping-on point for the series, but it is a good issue in the series as a whole, and while I think you should start at #1 at this point, I do think it and every subsequent issue has been worth the subscription.

Power Level: 4 of 5

One-Shot: Batman the Devastator #1

Publisher: DC

Plot: Frank Tieri; Words: James Tynion; Pencils: Tony S. Daniel; Inks: Danny Miki; Colors: Tomeu Morey; Letters: Tom Napolitano; Cover: Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson

I won’t lie — the Dark Nights: Metal crossover event has not enticed me at all up to this point; the designs look extra-grimdark, which I’m on record as hating, and I’m so overloaded with crossovers after Marvel’s recent glut of them that I have trouble imagining signing on again any time soon. But I had a paucity of comics for this week, and this issue was there, and I thought, what the heck. And…I think it might have sold me. The story of Batman the Devastator is actually really cool, even though it’s incredibly bleak, and I think it’s because they used that most august tool of the superhero comics writer seeking to deviate from the norm: the alternate reality. This Batman is a Batman from a world where Superman went evil, and who decided to enact a Plan B for dealing with Evil Supes that turned him into something monstrous. This Batman’s toxic, destructive, abusive ideas about how to “save” the multiverse from Superman are entirely believable within the context of the story, including some truly chilling narration by the Devastator himself and a particularly terrifying monologue by the corrupted version of Supes. The art is also really good, actually; Daniel’s designs for the Devastator are extreme and grim and a little Nineties-tastic, but that works in this context, and he shows off enough non-Liefeldian work in the supporting cast for me to treat this as intentional. If this kind of psychology is where the plot of Metal is going — extremist, damaged alternate Batmen showing up to wreak cryptofascist havoc on a proper superheroic universe that doesn’t have time for their cynical nonsense — honestly, I might have to pick up some more Metal crossovers.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

New Series: The Gravedigger’s Union #1

Publisher: Image

Writer (Artist Pages 1-5 × Cover): Wes Craig; Artist (Pages 6-30): Toby Cypress; Colorist: Niko Guardia; Letters × Design: Jared K. Fletcher

When I’ve got a spot to fill in my comics for the week, I strive to go indie and creator-owned, and this was not a disappointment. I’m going to deliver my dislike up front: I was not a huge fan of the art in this issue. The abstract, rough, sketchy style is one that can definitely work, and I can see it growing on me here, but it felt like it made it a little hard for me to read some of the panels (I will note that I say some, unlike many indies where I would say all). Fortunately, it wasn’t bad enough that I couldn’t move past it, because actually the story here is pretty darn good. It takes what is now a weirdly tired horror trope (everyone knows about the supernatural and it’s become a part of everyday life with its own branches of government and pertinent laws), and adds onto it the wrinkle of the monster slayers not being a branch of government, but a blue-collar union, with all the attendant hierarchies, regulations, politics, and funding issues, and out of that mix comes something that promises to be a whole heck of a lot of fun. The main characters are POCs, with a couple white supporting characters, and while they do not profess what I would call overtly progressive politics, they aren’t outright regressive, either (at least not in a way that’s framed as heroic). The plot is a little bit thin on the ground, which is to be expected from an Issue #1, but what there is feels like it could be good (though some of it feels like it’s revealed in an on-the-nose way, especially the erstwhile twist). I’m not 100% sold on subscribing yet, but if you like your horror a little self-aware and a decent bit socially aware, this one might be a good series for you.

Power Level: 3.5 of 5

Quote of the Week:

“I never understood, Bruce. The other Leaguers in their quiet conversations, they always said that you could beat me, head to head. If we really fought. If neither of us held back. With only a look, I could split you in half. With only a breath, I could freeze your heart. With the slightest touch, I could break every bone in your body. And what do you have, Bruce? A spear? Do you understand how weak you all are to me?”

– Earth −1 Superman, Batman the Devastator #1

And there you have it; three up, three down. Have a wonderful start of November, and until next week, keep on loving comics!

The post The Pull List 11/2/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. Today marks the one-year anniversary of a particularly difficult day in my life (in many lives…), so I am grateful to say that I got to spend it reading comics and sharing them with all of you.

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

Justice League of America #18

Publisher: DC

Writer: Steve Orlando; Artist: Hugo Petrus; Colors: Hi-Fi; Letters: Clayton Cowles; Cover: Carlos D’Anda; Variant Cover: Doug Mahnke & Wil Quintana

Oh, hey, the documentary storyline! This should be a quiet break between regular superhero plots — wait — oh, God! This issue is a little lower on action and a little higher on feelings than “Panic in the Microverse,” but it does not feel any less intense. The documentary format is used to highlight (both diegetically and exegetically) the cracks in this Justice League, and the character arcs that are occurring and will need to occur in order for those cracks to be repaired. Everybody gets a few seconds in the limelight, and everybody comes off looking, if not good, then like a whole, coherent character, which is hugely important for any team book, but especially one like this that’s less than a year old. The documentarian’s attacks on the team come off a little stilted and forced, but I think in storyline it’s meant to be that way, so I’m not inclined to hold it against Orlando for now. Overall, it’s a great story about the public perception surrounding any hero team, but especially one claiming to be “of the people” the way this League is, and especially one with two redeemed or semi-redeemed villains in their midst; I like the feeling of the team getting broken apart like this while facing their latest threat, especially the way that Lobo’s and Batman’s loner tendencies play into the whole mess. This is a nice cooldown story after the Microverse plot, with some inventive variations on the old “villain in the base” formula, and I am excited to see where it goes from here; the fact this feels like “more of the same” for JLA really just drives home how great this series is to begin with.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Ms. Marvel #24

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: G. Willow Wilson; Artist: Diego Olortegui; Color Artist: Ian Herring; Lettering: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Cover Artists: Valerio Schiti and Rachelle Rosenberg

The back half of “Northeast Corridor” is as good as the first half, but it also left a weird taste in my mouth. Ms. Marvel and Laal Khanjeer continue their effort to stop the runaway train, but where they spent the first issue arguing, they spend this issue starting to reconcile, just as Kamala starts to reconcile the warring emotions inside herself. It’s good for reminding us what’s great about Kamala, but also that Kamala is still a teenager, and is still relatively new to the superhero gig, and has a lot of baggage coming from both of those; it also carries an interesting message about the need for self-care whose narrative destination I am not entirely certain of yet, but that is an interesting direction to take the character after the stresses of the HYDRA/Secret Empire stuff she had to deal with. And also, Olortegui’s art continues to grow on me. Yet, despite those good things, something about this issue just didn’t quite click. The stakes, and Kamala’s reaction to goings-on, feel slightly forced — or more accurately, it feels really forced that everybody really has moved on to the New Hotness of Laal Khanjeer as fast as they have. Some of it is probably that Kamala is having slightly outsized (by which I mean slightly teenaged) reactions to her situation overall, and I definitely think that when viewed as a part of a greater arc I will look more favorably on this issue — but as an individual issue, it just felt a tiny bit hollow.

Power Level: 3 of 5

Royals #10

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Al Ewing; Penciler: Javier Rodriguez; Inker: Alvaro Lopez; Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire; Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles; Cover Artist: Javier Rodriguez

Every time I think this book has gotten to the most weird level it possibly can, it builds a new top just so it can go over it. This issue picks up right where the last one left off, with a Progenitor deciding, hey, let’s blow up the Inhuman spaceship, and it only gets more bizarre from there. Literally any explanation is a spoiler, but I can say with confidence that there’s organic computers, giant planets with other planets contained within them, Progenitors, Flint turning partially into crystal, the main characters threatening a planet by the mere fact they breathe, and Maximus shouting about stealing God’s car, and all of it makes sense in context, has emotional weight, and is rendered in Rodriguez, Lopez, and Bellaire’s absolutely gorgeous, imaginative art. This is Cosmic Marvel at its best, every month, and I am so grateful to be here for the ride.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Runaways #3

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Rainbow Rowell; Artist: Kris Anka; Color Artist: Matthew Wilson; Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Cover Artist: Kris Anka; Variant Cover Artist: Kevin Wada; Graphic Designer: Carlos Lao

In true Runaways fashion, this issue punches you directly in the feelings and never takes its fist away, and it does it all without ever compromising on the fact it’s a superhero story. As you might expect from the progression thus far, this issue brings Karolina back into focus and shows us what she’s been up to since the end of the original series, and what she’s been up to manages to be upsetting precisely because she’s clearly had the most post-Runaways success of any team member shown thus far. The emotions run high here without ever feeling bathetic, building naturally on not only who each teammate was during the original run, but the consequences of things like the impact that Chase’s rescue of Gert has on Gert, which receives some focus time in one of the most painful scenes I have read in comics this calendar year. Possibly ever. Rowell mixes in some comedic beats, mostly revolving around Old Lace, which help to both relieve pressure and provide agonizing contrast. It wouldn’t work without Anka’s art, either — Rowell lets him tell a lot of the story through body language and camera angles, which lend a heft to the feelings playing out in the dialogue that walls of text wouldn’t provide on their own. And then for those concerned that there wasn’t much action or danger thus far, the ending hook helps lay that concern to rest. This is a nice quiet, tense, heartfelt book in and among a lot of explosions, and I am glad to leaven my pull list with it.

Power Level: 5 of 5

Spirits of Vengeance #2

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Victor Gischler; Artist: David Baldeon; Color Artist: Andres Mossa; Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit; Cover Artist: Dan Mora & David Curiel; Variant Cover Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli & Daniele Orlandini; Designer: Jay Bowen

At the risk of a pun: damn. The second issue delivers on all the promise of the first and kicks it up a further notch; both the art and the writing really picked up here. On the visual side, Baldeon’s style really gelled for me here — his character designs, so sketchy and rubbery the first time around, now feel well-balanced, with the human or human-adjacent characters clearly standing out from the monsters. On the writing and plotting mix of action and investigation is perfectly balanced, and the tone has really come through in every little detail — the way the characters talk to each other, the way they fight (or maybe more accurately “slaughter”) brings everyone’s individual personality across and really helps plant the book at the crossroads of superheroes and horror (I especially love the stark, somewhat horrifying contrast between Johnny Blaze and the Ghost Rider). The stakes are clarified and raised, giving the proceedings a sort of The Prophecy vibe that I cannot help but dig. Plus, how often do you see a comic book dedicated to Albrecht Durer? This book is my jam, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys any of the individual characters, or just some darker magical superheroes and a little bit of the war between Heaven and Hell.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Titans #17

Publisher: DC

Writer: Dan Abnett; Pencils: Minkyu Jung; Inks: Mick Gray; Colors: Blond; Letters: Josh Reed; Cover: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund & Andrew Dalhouse; Variant Cover: Dan Mora

Issue #17 is my favorite kind of superhero comics issue: The deep, involved, flavorful conversation between two characters while a pitched superpower battle occurs around them. In this case, it’s Troia, a.k.a. Future Donna Troy Now With Angst-Monkey Powers, explaining why she’s been doing what she’s been doing this whole time (and since before this book joined the Pull List) as her way of trying to make present-time Donna Troy make a very important, possibly paradox-inducing decision. The core story beats being hit here are nothing new to superhero comics — in the foreground, an evil future version of a hero travels back in time to make things more evil, operating from the shadows until their big reveal; in the background, a hero lies dead, but maybe not quite dead! — but Abnett invests the characters with such real, vivid emotion, and Jung/Gray/Blond make the art so dynamic and engaging, that it all feels weighty and powerful and fresh just for the spin the team’s putting on it. Plus, just like the harvesting of misery that all of Troia’s goons were performing, I love that a team known for its emotional arcs is fighting a battle that entirely revolves around emotions. This book continues to be self-aware without failing to be either dramatic, heroic, or fun, and that’s an impressive niche to fall into. If you’re looking for a team book and you already have Royals and JLA, this here just might be for you. Bonus: this team has Nightwing’s butt.

Power Level: 4 of 5

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #26

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Ryan North (except the Howard comic); Squirrel Girl Comic: Madeline McGrane (art, colors, lettering), Iris Holdren (“cool kid drawing”); Howard the Duck Comic: Erica Henderson (writer), Chip Zdarsky (art, colors), Travis Lanham with Madeline McGrane (lettering); Loki Comic: Carla Speed McNeil (art), Rico Renzi (colors), Travis Lanham (lettering); Kraven Comic: Michael Cho (art, colors), Travis Lanham (lettering); Spider-Man Comic: Rahzzah: art, colors, lettering; Wolverine Comic: Anders Nilsen (art, colors, lettering), Soren Iverson (color flats); Tippy-Toe Comic: Rico Renzi (art, colors), Travis Lanham (lettering); Galactus Comic: Jim Davis (art, lettering), Rico Renzi (colors); Nancy Whitehead Comic: Ryan North and Rahzzah (with thanks to Emily Horne and Joey Comeau); Production: Travis Lanham; Cover: Erica Henderson; Michael Allred: Logo

Jim Davis has a guest comic in this book, and there is an A Softer World reference. What, you want more review than that? Okay. This issue is a series of very short (1-2 page) stories by a variety of creators, including the aforementioned creator of Garfield; the tones vary wildly, though they are mostly funny, but some of them are even pretty touching, showing off Ryan North’s incredible versatility as a writer. The Wolverine short by Anders Nilsen and Soren Iverson is especially noteworthy for how extremely emotional and deep it is, while also not feeling out of place in a Squirrel Girl comic in the slightest; the shorts with Rahzzah in the style of the aforementioned A Softer World are fantastic. But the gold star for this issue really does go to Jim freaking Davis, who really did do the art for, oh yes, a series of three-panel strips about Silver Surfer and Galactus; the strips are everything you are probably hoping they are. The whole issue is absolutely worth reading; this book is so weird and I am so here for it.

Power Level: 5 of 5

Quote of the Week:

“It’s God’s I.T. department. Run.”

– Marvel Boy, Royals #10

And there you have it; three up, three down. Have a wonderful start of November, and until next week, keep on loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 11/9/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

CN: Discussion of sexual harassment and sexual violence.

**********

In a move that can only be classified as “the right move too late,” the comics wing of DC has terminated the contract of known harasser and perpetrator of sexual violence, Eddie Berganza, formerly the editor on the Superman group of comics. DC made this official statement to Bleeding Cool regarding the matter.

This is absolutely a good thing — Berganza has been known for several years to be dangerous to the women in the office, and firing him is both a net positive in and of itself and a sign of a changed attitude toward sexual harassers in the company’s offices; rumors have circulated the Internet of women working at DC being told that they should never be alone with Berganza, and of his comics groups’ roster being structured to minimize how many women he can affect. It’s also a big step up from stories like Colleen Doran’s of being thrown under the bus rather than believed. (Like most rumors of predatory men, these are circulated via social media; it is difficult for Ace of Geeks to run down specific examples but we will add them as we find them.)

However, at the same time, the fact that Berganza’s firing is coming amid the tidal wave of victims speaking out makes it seem like DC had to be shamed into doing the right thing rather than just doing it in the first place, and it’s hard to be anything but wary of them continuing in this vein in the future. There are other people at DC and other prominent comics companies accused of similarly lewd and predatory behavior — DC editor-in-chief Bob Harras among them — whom DC has not seen fit to budge from their privileged positions. So while this is welcome news, it’s hard to feel that DC has suddenly become a better place for women to work or that they are suddenly run by better people. We can only hope that as time goes on and the current movement against sexual violence and predation gains more momentum, it will eventually become ingrained reflex to react to sexual assault allegations with a suspension and an investigation — and where necessary a firing — rather than rearranging cubicles and calling it good.

In the meantime, maybe some day soon, The Pull List can feature some Superman comics.

Goodbye, Eddie. Don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out.

The post About Time: DC Fires Known Harasser Eddie Berganza appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. This week it’s a nice, simple trio of comics, with one from each main good group (DC, Marvel, and Other) — including the Pull List debut of a series I have been desperately wanting to subscribe to, that social mores and justice finally allow me to partake of.

Spoilers: I try not to spoil the issues themselves too much, but I do post cover images, and I reference past events when they are germane. You won’t see any twists posted here, but some detail is inevitable.

The Mighty Thor #701

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Jason Aaron; Guest Artist: James Harren; Guest Color Artist: Dave Stewart; Letterer & Production: VC’s Joe Sabino; Cover Artists: Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson; Variant Cover Artist: Alex Ross

Reading Alex Ross’s Thor is like reading an epic Norse saga that sometimes takes place in Brooklyn and/or involves machine guns; in that vein, this issue was like reading the beginning of…well…Ragnarok. As the cover (and so much foreshadowing in previous issues) indicate, this issue sees the return, full-bore, of the Mangog, the living embodiment of the rage of a dead planet; in the other corner stands Volstagg wielding the Ultimate Thor’s hammer, bearing the rage of a dead universe. The clash between these two is nothing short of breathtaking to read; Aaron and Harren capture the incredible power of these two characters without robbing us of any emotional beats or failing to keep the plot of the fight flowing. In and around their literally earth-shattering melee, we see the continued advancement of the Malekith/Roxxon-driven War of the Realms, in a juxtaposition of modern warfare and mystical battles that would be ludicrous in less talented hands. And then the ending, well…covers don’t lie, but the particular form, the particular framing, of this truth is absolutely touching and heartbreaking, and sets the stage for the end of “The Death of the Mighty Thor” in a way that left my heart in my throat. It’s incredible to think that essentially the same plot has been going since Jane Foster first took up the hammer, with some breaks, and that not once has it felt endless or tiresome or like it was holding the characters in place. When I think back on great arcs in superhero comics, Jason Aaron’s Mighty Thor run is going to be one of the foremost in my mind; getting to read it in real time is nothing shy of a treat.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Superman #35

Publisher: DC

Writers: Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi; Artists: Travis Moore, Stephen Segovia & Art Thibert; Colorist: Dinei Ribeiro; Letterer: Rob Leigh; Cover: Patrick Gleason & Dean White; Variant Cover: Renato Guedes

Welcome to the Pull List, Superman! Supes has long been one of my favorite characters, kept from my subscription list only by the knowledge I was encouraging DC to keep a known abuser on staff by buying his books, so I was all set to be incredibly critical of this series. I’m happy to say I couldn’t find a whole lot to be critical of; quite the opposite. To get it out of the way, having three artists on one issue really showed — Supes, especially looks distinctly different in several panels, and it didn’t take me out of the moment exactly, but it was hard not to notice, and that’s not a great look. Other than that, though, this issue was terrific. The storyline, for those just jumping on with me, is that Lex Luthor (who, remember, is currently a hero — at least apparently) has managed to first get the people of Apokolips to think he’s their destined savior, then managed to make them turn on him, and has gotten Superman, Lois, and their son Jon stuck in this mess with him. This issue plays like a four-color superhero buddy-cop movie, in the absolute best way; Clark and Lex play off each other perfectly, with Lex trying to be good but also still being his arrogant, morally flexible self, and Clark trying to trust him but also trying to teach him to be better. The Apokoliptan characters are written with the perfect amount of Jack Kirby bombast, and their reaction to the disappearance of Darkseid is believable while also being exactly as dramatic as you’d expect from the people of a planet called Apokolips. Not only this, but Lois’s and Jon’s characters are perfectly captured, too: far from being a wilting damsel in distress, Lois reacts to crisis by buckling down; and far from being an annoying tagalong, Jon is able to not only strike out on his own, but do some good through just being the good person that we all know a child raised by Superman can be. Tomasi and Gleason have perfectly captured the Man of Steel and his supporting cast here, and I am so, so grateful that DC finally did the right thing and let Big Blue back into my life.

Power Level: 4 of 5

The Wicked + The Divine #33

Publisher: Image

This issue was perhaps the most deeply messed-up issue of this entire series, and anyone who has been reading for the past thirty-two and change knows that’s saying something. I want to comment specifically on the writing or specifically on the art, and the difficulty I have doing that is testament to not only how great they both are, but how seamlessly Gillen and McKelvie work as a unit: the art facilitates the writing, which breathes depth into the art, and that’s nearly always been true in this series. As far as plot, we step back from the action again this go-round, in favor of some character revelations that spin a whole lot of things about the series on its axis — not even the core mythology is entirely untouched by it. I literally gasped at a few of the pages in this issue, sometimes in horror and sometimes because of the way it forces me to reconsider everything a character has done, and it’s not just one character who makes me feel that way. Add to that plot advancement some character progression for a few other divines (I don’t want to specify because spoilers), and you have an essentially perfect issue of The Wicked + the Divine, all tied up with a bow. I never fail to be excited by where this story is going, and it would take a disaster for me to not see this series through to its end.

Power Level: 4 of 5

Quote of the Week:

Superman: “You planned this.”

Lex Luthor: “Improvised.”

– Superman #35

And now, I am off to go read up on Superman back issues. Have a wonderful weekend, and please: keep loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 11/16/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

DC’s movie-verse has always been between a rock and a hard place. When Marvel Studios began releasing their films nearly 10 years ago, DC was on a clock. As Marvel built their movies into “phases” culminating with a team-up Avengers movie, DC had no way to build a universe of their own without copying what Marvel did.

If they released movies to build up to something, surely the comparison would be made that “DC is just copying Marvel.” If they did something different, they took a gamble on losing the valuable build up that slowly introducing your characters over multiple movies provides.

Justice League is the latter of the two. As the newest entry in the DC Extended Universe, Justice League continues the storyline started in Man of Steel and continued through Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and the fantastic Wonder Woman. The film features an alien threat against the world and can only be stopped by a united team of super people, but lacks the true emotional punch that another superhero ensemble movie had.

The biggest challenge the film faces is a general inconsistency. WB is trying to do right and listen to audience feedback and adjust the movie, but you go from more grounded or heavy movies like Man of Steel and BvS to Justice League and the tone takes a shift. While not a bad thing, it comes across a bit jarring. However, the film’s saved by its cast of characters, which help to overcome the poor pacing and plot.

Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen/The Flash is far and away the highlight of the movie. Barry is a lone wolf who isn’t fighting criminals so much as “pushing them and running away.” His wide-eyed innocence as he is more immersed into the events of the movie and realize the gravitas of what they’re up against is played wonderfully by Miller, who is a nice contrast to Grant Guston’s Barry Allen of the Arrowverse.

Gal Gadot returns as Wonder Woman, whose focus in this movie is the struggle of her coming out of the shadows as Wonder Woman and her role as a leader. The leadership bit feels a bit forced through a reshoot, as she definitely took charge in her own movie.  Gadot is a delight, as always, and it’s just great seeing her on film.

Though I was never really a fan of Ben Affleck in the Bruce Wayne/Batman role, the bulky imposing build of Affleck has grown on me. This time around, Affleck seems a bit more lighthearted as Batman, which only strengthens my problem of having a Batman who’s been around for 20 years – you can’t go from a despondent Batman who is trying to kill Superman to a lighthearted joking Batman overnight (is it overnight? It’s hard to tell how much time has passed between movies.) And while I know the point is Batman’s newfound hope and redemption arc for his guilt over Superman’s death, it’s a hard sell to me, as we spent the entire last movie watching Batman trying to kill him.

Superman is just “there.” The first half of the movie is focused on reactions of people who miss him (Lois, MARTHAAA, Bruce, Diana), while once he gets resurrected he has a weird arc where you can’t tell if he remembers anything, to attacking the Justice League, to remembering who is is and finally showing up to stop Steppenwolf. Superman has hardly been my favorite, and as this film series moves on he feels more and more like a prop than an actual developed character.

However, once Reborn Superman returns he seems to be more in line with a light hopeful Superman, even present in a fun mid-credits scene. While I think that the “Death of Superman” was done way too soon in the DCEU to have any weight or stakes moving forward, it does help to give a nice soft reboot to him.

Our other new heroes include Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. Along with the Flash, they were all introduced on Batman V Superman via quick snippets of security footage. Both have minor arcs that set up future movies, though based on the way this movie went, I’m not too excited to see either of those movies.

Aquaman is struggling between living on land or water, and Cyborg struggles with being more machine or man. As Cyborg was born of the Motherboxers (this movie’s MacGuffin), he is the one who can overcome and separate them, though a large missed opportunity to focus on his creation and having to fight against its control was missed in this movie.

As somebody who grew up on Batman, but not much else DC, it’s exciting to be able to go into a movie and see new villains you don’t know much about. While the movie explains a lot about Steppenwolf, and how and why he is trying to conquer Earth, at the end of it he seems just a teaser for Darkseid, a mystery baddie who will probably show up in the sequel. Important to note, that his appearance and voice are both fantastic and he looks and sounds imposing.

Overall, Justice League isn’t terrible, or even that bad, and I think ranks pretty high above most of the DCEU Movies (for me personally it comes behind the fantastic Wonder Woman). It’s definitely more fun than the rest of the movies that have been put out so far. Is Justice League the fantastic saving grace that the DCEU needs to help push it forward? Sadly not. Is it a more enjoyable entry and a step in the right direction? Yes it is.

The movie is fun, which is what the DCEU needs right now. Comics mean different things to different people, and while some people love the DCEU for it’s weight which the usually more lighthearted Marvel Universe come under fire for, Justice League is the fun adventure that the DCEU (and the fandom) needs.

The post Justice League: Better than Batman V Superman! appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. It’s Thanksgiving week here in America, which means we’re a little bit light on comics — but if you need an escape from cleaning dishes, your racist relative, or another tryptophan-stained game of Monopoly, the Pull List is here for you.

Justice League of America #19

Publisher: DC

This issue hits basically every story beat perfectly, but it falters on the visuals. I just am not taken with the art in this issue; it feels simultaneously too photorealistic and a little bit off in places, giving the whole thing a weird feel that doesn’t quite click with the writing. Which is a shame, because the writing is superb. The major bones of the narrative are exactly what you’d expect given the events of the first part of surgical strike, but the meat Orlando puts onto them is impressive. Yes, the Justice League is starting to band together under the pressure exerted on them by Prometheus and Afterthought; but the way the issue portrays that unity starting to sprout, the way that both the cracks and the ways they can heal them are laid out, help bring depth to individual characters and their relationships with each other, rather than just being a unilateral team power-up. Orlando is even careful to make sure that there are parts of the team’s flaws that don’t feel surmountable — that there are going to be more hurdles to clear as time goes on, and I don’t just mean the cliffhanger the issue ends on. This book takes the tropes of superheroes to another level, and this issue is no exception.

Power Level: 8/10

Royals #11

Publisher: Marvel

This issue is a standard Al Ewing one-two punch: give us a couple stimulating, exciting moments of creative superhero fights to transition into a sequence where he then socks us right in the feels-parts. As usual, Ewing pulls it off with aplomb: the fight between the Inhumans and the Progenitors is visually striking and narratively interesting, providing a character beat for Swain while also helping to elevate her power level via her own clever thinking; the emotional moment at the story’s end is tense, touching, and striking, launching off of hints and suggestions from as far back as Issue #1 while still leaving unanswered whether or not this scenario is the one the flash forwards and dramatic irony are referring to. And yet, it rings just a tiny bit hollow here. Part of it is the art — the color in this issue feels really bland, just shy of monochromatic, and it dampers the emotion a tad. It’s also the reuse of the same narrative crutch as Ewing pulled out during the Snarkwar story, though at least that came with consequences that we can worry about happening to another character. The issue handles the final scene pretty well, but I can’t help but think that with a more varied palette and a tiny bit more room to breathe, it could have been even more amazing.

Power Level: 7/10

Quote of the Week:

–

And now, I am off to prepare some yams and my speech for the One Minute Pilgrim Hate. Have a great weekend, and keep loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 11/23/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. It’s another light week for us, but with the holidays looming we can all use a break, right?

America #9

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Gabby Rivera; Artist: Flaviano; Color Artist: Jordan Gibson; Letterer & Production: VC’s Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Joe Quinones

This issue came with a dose of personal comeuppance that made it all the sweeter. The Exterminatrix storyline takes a slightly different tack here than it did in the previous issue, and one that I actually enjoyed more; where Issue #8 was about the ways that fascism insinuates itself into an otherwise reasonable, justice-leaning society under the guise of safety and security, this issue is about that society recognizing fascism for what it is, and both sides deciding it’s time to take action. I like that the inciting event for the good guys revolves around America — it really helps drive home how important America is to the people around her, how she exists as a symbol as well as an actor in her own right (a theme I love seeing in my superhero stories); as for my comeuppance, I will only say that my doubts about X’andria’s storyline were unfounded, and the way she’s handled in this issue is perfect. I did feel the resistance against Exterminatrix winds up having things a little too easy here, and that loses the issue a couple of power points — but since the idea of unity among left-leaning friends bringing down fascism has some personal narrative resonance right now, I am willing to restrict that loss to just the two. Throw in a fun raising of stakes on the final page, and that smirking, self-aware, affectionate narrative tone, and you have a solid issue. I’m not sure yet that I’m sold on Flaviano’s art, but it’s at worst inoffensive, and everything else is so great that they definitely have a chance for it to grow on me.

Power Level: 8/10

Justice League of America Annual #1

Publisher: DC

Writer: Steve Orlando; Artist: Kelley Jones; Colors: Michelle Madsen; Letters: Josh Reed; Cover: Jones & Madsen

I am a big believer in annuals being both a break from the overall storyline and a breather to allow us to have a minute before things get intense, and with the last regular issue of JLA having ended on a literal ticking time-bomb and the Might Beyond the Mirror story starting to go from slow burn to rolling boil, it could not have come at a better time; fortunately, it absolutely delivers. The three points lost here are for the art; Jones’s style has impressed me in other places, but here it really felt out of place and weird, especially the renditions of Lobo’s face, and while I could at least always tell what was supposed to be happening I felt like so many other artists could have done this story greater justice. Meanwhile, the story is a hilarious kind of perfect. We finally learn what it was Batman promised Lobo to get him to join this incarnation of the Justice League, and the answer both adds depth to the Main Man and serves as a wonderful inciting event for this deeply bizarre little side story. Everything about the story is perfect, carrying what I think of as classic Lobo flair while also maintaining a sense of connection to the JLA book; it really does feel like Orlando is being allowed to just have fun with the series, and that joy comes out in every high and low of every story, but nowhere is it more obvious than the sheer straight-faced hilarity of Lobo and Black Canary fighting someone whose reason for hating Lobo is that Lobo turned their name into a swear word. Where America up above tackles a relatively serious subtext in a fun, dynamic, humorous way, this issue of JLA takes an utterly hilarious conceit and manages to find a couple unexpected depths; it’s like America is a toll-house cookie and JLA is…okay, I got lost in that metaphor, but the point is, this annual is great.

Power Level: 7/10

Quote of the Week:

“When you’re part of the .001 percent multiverse domination is the only thing worth dreaming about, you know?”

– Exterminatrix, America #9

And with that snack-sized column, I depart. Have a great weekend, and keep loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 11/30/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. This week has not been the easiest for me personally (everyone is healthy and alive, I promise), but in weeks like these, sharing some comics with you is often just the thing for what ails me, so let’s go.

Black Bolt #8

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Saladin Ahmed; Artist & Cover Artist: Christian Ward; Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles; Variant Cover Artists: Christian Ward (based on the original cover of Uncanny X-Men #141 by John Byrne & Terry Austin); Nick Derington; Mike McKone & Rachelle Rosenberg; Design: Nicholas Russell; Logo Design: Jay Bowen

This issue manages to do the thing I thought could never be done: forge a believable, (In)human emotional moment out of the aftermath of Secret Empire. We begin with Black Bolt’s return to Earth, and while the issue does that thing that annoys me most of all in comics and immediately negates the previous issue’s final-panel cliffhanger, it launches from that capitalism-soaked moment into a genuine bout of emotion between Black Bolt and his subjects, and in this Ahmed really shows his writing chops — the Inhumans of New Attilan act very believably like people who a. only know Black Bolt was in space, not in prison, b. have suspicions that Maximus took Black Bolt’s place (spoilers: he did), and c. just had to live through the horror of Nick Spencer getting to make canonical plot decisions. The relationship between Black Bolt and Blinky is explored in a more thoughtful, slow-paced way than the Robert E. Howard-esque stuff of the last issue, and through them the relationship between Black Bolt and Medusa. And finally — because that isn’t enough — the issue also has an emotional moment between Black Bolt and another major Inhuman character that manages to, without a single word, convey oceans of emotion and turn the proceedings very, very touching. It’s a very emotional, slow, cerebral issue, which is something we haven’t gotten from Ahmed yet, and I am happy to report that he passes the test with flying colors, while also laying in some nice stores of character arc advancement in the process. The use of silence in the issue also has me really optimistic — Black Bolt, after all, is a character who has “no dialogue” as a defining trait, and so seeing Ahmed and Ward working together so harmoniously is a very good omen for the future of this series. Not only is this the start of a new arc, this is the start of a new tone, and proof that this creative team has not yet begun to show us the depths of their ability. Keep it coming, everybody; I’m excited to be here.

Power Level: 9/10

Black Cloud #6

Publisher: Image

Story: Jason Latour and Ivan Brandon; Script: Ivan Brandon; Art: Paul Reinwand; Color: Matt Wilson; Color Flats: Dee Cunniffe; Lettering: Aditya Bidikar; Logo and Design: Tom Muller; Cover: Greg Hinkle and Matt Wilson

This issue is excellent at advancing the core themes of the series while also introducing some totally unexpected elements to the story — both in terms of the cast and in terms of their motivations — that promise to take us in very different directions than the Zelda-centric earlier issues seemed to telegraph, and wraps it all in some sequences that are among the best-illustrated to come out of Black Cloud to date. After this issue, I see everything we’ve seen so far in a slightly different light, which is one of the best things you can say about a slow-burn, metaphor-laden story like this one. The issue was at times more obtuse than I think totally benefits the story being told — it fails my patented Flip-Back Test (The test: “Did I ever feel like I had to flip back to make sure I understood what was happening?”), and while I am pretty sure I figured it out, in a series where reality can be subjective at the best of times that can be a recipe for disaster. Still, this was such a strong issue, and it takes us in such a different direction than I thought we were going, that I am willing to chalk a misstep up to “this will make more sense in the trade.”

Power Level: 7/10

Spirits of Vengeance #3

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Victor Gischler; Artist: David Baldeon; Color Artist: Andres Mossa; Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit; Cover Artists: Dan Mora & Juan Fernandez; Variant Cover Artist: Francesco Mattina; Designer: Jay Bowen

It’s official: Spirits of Vengeance has found its voice, and its voice is shouting metal lyrics to the sky while driving at breakneck speed. The issue strikes an excellent balance between action and investigation, giving us some high-octane violence between half the team and the forces of Necrodamus while the other half of the team strongarms their way into further data. We get a little bit of background behind the thirty pieces of silver and how the forces of evil managed to get their hands on them. And we get a whole lot of Ghost Rider driving a flaming motorcycle off a skyscraper and a showdown between Blade and the worst decision-makers in the history of vampirism. The book is working out to be bushels full of supernatural and neo-noir elements with action-movie sensibilities, allowing itself to have that sense of beautiful weirdness that permeates good, honest superhero comics while also lending the appropriate darkness to things like demons and a possible War in Heaven. My main complaint is that while style is definitely here in spades, there is not actually much substance: not a lot happens to advance the narrative in this issue, and we get a flashback that appears to exist in large part to explain one of the sequences later in the issue (it’s not quite as blatant as that, but I definitely felt like the revelations of the issue were less revelatory when delivered in the manner they were). Baldeon’s art is growing on me, but it is definitely an acquired taste, and not one I am always sure is perfectly suited to the story being told. Spirits of Vengeance is a wonderful thing, and if you like B-horror, the Blade movies, or Supernatural (the earlier, Eric Kripke seasons), this will likely be right up your alley, and it seems like it’s only getting better from here.

Power Level: 7/10

Superman #36

Publisher: DC

Writers: Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi; Penciler: Doug Mahnke; Inkers: Jaime Mendoza & Doug Mahnke; Colorist: Wil Quintana; Letterer: Rob Leigh; Cover: Patrick Gleason & Dean White; Variant Cover: Jonboy Meyers

I am almost incapable of finding anything wrong with this Superman run, and that’s a hard thing for me to admit. This issue shows, even more effectively than the last one, that Gleason and Tomasi get the Man of Steel and his supporting cast, down to the molecular level, and they understand what is great about Superman stories: not the incredible superpowers (though those are fun!), but the incredible virtue, the willingness to love us and believe the best of us. The Kent/Lane family dynamic on display here is touching and totally believable to me; the civil war on Apokolips resolves in both the only way it could with Superman involved; and things with Lex go where things with Lex were always going to go, but all of it feels so right that none of it feels predictable, and more importantly it definitely feels like Superman being Superman — not his powers, but his personality — is necessary for things to progress in the way they do. I have some issues with the way the Lex character arc is resolved here — it feels like they had an end-point in mind but not a clear idea of how exactly to get to that point, and so there is a certain amount of Lex holding the Bad Decisions Ball involved — but at least the decisions feel like Lex decisions even if some of the stimulus feels forced. I also feel like maybe this issue plays softball with its take on Superman’s ideas about America (their presence here makes sense in context, I swear) at a time when it makes sense for him to be a little more critical of his adopted country. That said, this issue made me tear up a little bit and also pump my fist, and if that isn’t what a Superman comic should do, I don’t want to read a Superman comic.

Power Level: 9/10

Quote of the Week:

Lois Lane: “Sorry you feel that way, sister…but my love is not my weakness…and caring for others never makes us small! And you, of all people, do not get to lecture me…on who I am!”

Superman: “Have I told you how glad I am to see you, hon?”

Lois Lane: “Tell me again, babe.”

– Superman #36

And now, I am off for some self-care. Have a great weekend, and keep loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 12/7/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. Christmas is just around the corner, and we’re celebrating with another bumper-crop of comics this week!

Justice League of America #20

Publisher: DC

Writer: Steve Orlando; Artist: Hugo Petrus; Colors: Hi-Fi; Letters: Clayton Cowles; Cover: Carlos D’Anda; Variant Cover: Doug Mahnke & Wil Quintana

Nothing makes me happier than taking a superhero trope your story is obviously careening toward, and doing it with absolute aplomb and a few little tweaks to add your stamp to it; therefore, nothing makes me happier than this issue of Justice League of America. It was obvious from the end of Issue #19 that two things were going to happen: the Justice League were going to use their superpowers to defuse or otherwise weather the bombs planted in Mount Justice by Afterthought and Prometheus; and the Justice League were going to have a moment of improved unity to allow them to deal with the Prometheus threat directly. But it is the way Orlando and team handle those two points that makes this issue touching and fun, and it is the way they handle the aftermath that proves this book is worth hanging onto. The ways the team members and the team overall change in this issue really affected me: I felt for those who were being called on the carpet, and my heart swelled along with those who were expressing pride in their team and the strength of everyday humans. (If you want to know more, see the quote of the week below, from Vixen.) There is darkness in this Justice League, but it’s appropriate and respectful to the superhero genre. It’s hard for me to call an issue “perfect” when it telegraphs its punches the way this one does, but it’s at least damn good, and if you’re only reading one team book right now, I think JLA is the one it should be.

Power Level: 8/10

Royals #12

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Al Ewing; Pencilers: Kevin Libranda with Javier Rodriguez; Inkers: Libranda with Alvaro Lopez; Colorists: Jose Villarrubia with Jordie Bellaire; Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles; Cover Artists: Javier Rodriguez & Alvaro Lopez

Insert string of expletives here. This issue is the last issue of Royals, and it is absolutely fantastic. It wraps up the story of the quest for a Terrigen substitute in a weird way (as only an issue of freaking Royals could, right?), finally giving us the answer to the mystery of what is going on in the flash-forwards to the last Inhuman, and in the process leaves us with some ominous hanging plot threads for the Inhumans as a group — yes, we appear to have a replacement for Terrigen, but it comes with a greater price than just the life of Gorgon. The implications are so big, Ewing is ending Royals here and moving on to Inhumans: Judgment Day, which will apparently focus on the, er…spoilers? Focusing only on this issue, it is not just the writing that’s good: the art team is also coming out swinging here, giving us epic visuals to go with our epic revelations, with high weirdness that I suspect would make the King proud, all of it invested with a real sense of weight and emotion that made this feel like a finale. I’ll miss this series as much as I miss Ewing’s Ultimates, but I am excited to see what Ewing does with the Inhumans in Judgment Day, given how superbly he portrayed them all here; when my only worry is “but how will it affect Marvel’s other totally awesome series about the Inhumans?” I know that comics are in good hands.

Power Level: 9/10

Runaways #4

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Rainbow Rowell; Artist: Kris Anka; Color Artist: Matthew Wilson; Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Cover Artist: Kris Anka; Graphic Designer: Carlos Lao

Do not get me wrong: everything about this Runaways series is an absolute delight. I love the exploration of the impact of time travel on Gert; I love Rowell showing how the different team members have changed and matured over time, reminding us that this relatively protean state of being is the other side of the main characters’ youth; I love Anka’s art and Wilson’s colors giving the series a vibrant, poppy feel that fits well with the original; and I am especially in love with this issue’s portrayal of Molly, and the continued exploration of the idea that trying to bring the gang back together is not going to be a smooth or flawless or even attainable process, not in the way Nico and Chase really seem to mean it. But at the same time, the comic feels like it’s not moving with any great speed toward any kind of plot beyond “Runaways don’t quite get back together,” and I’d like to see more evidence of a bigger plan for the series (like we got a glimpse of in Issue #3) so I can be sure that this is going to be more than just a sort of meditation on growing up. I am standing by it for now because its emotional core and humanity are so very good and true, but I really hope it does something larger by way of a premise soon.

Power Level: 6/10

She-Hulk #160

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Mariko Tamaki; Artist: Jahnoy Lindsay; Color Artist: Federico Blee; Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham; Main Cover Art: Rahzzah; Phoenix Variant Cover Art: Ben Caldwell; Recap Page Art: John Tyler Christopher

(For those who wondered — no, (She-)Hulk did not disappear from my list on purpose — something went pear-shaped with the subscriptions and I just finally got it back into the fold!)

Jen’s initial post-Civil War II story was compelling reading, but I wasn’t sure how “superhero with anxiety” was going to play out past that initial transformation into the Hulk. The answer is now apparent: Tamaki will have Jen’s mental health and the way it affects her interactions with the world vary from story to story, growing and changing as she learns to deal with it, and that is the best answer I could ask for. This issue, we slow down for a second and get some insight into what is going on with the Leader’s pawn, and the way Tamaki brings that story across is compelling and really shows off what she’s capable of as a comic-book storyteller — the way she and Lindsay show us the life experiences that led up to the decision to enact this super-villainous scheme is clear, but also trusts in the intelligence of the reader to fill in the blanks. The Leader’s plan is, unfortunately, a tiny bit hackneyed, and borders on evil-for-evil’s sake; but his monologue (yay, Leader villain monologues!) at least gives it some amount of refreshing spin, and it feels very true to the character. I saw the twist at the end coming from last issue, but it’s not really meant to be a huge shocker, and the way it’s framed leaves an interesting (and terrifying) question to be answered next month. She-Hulk is one of the better down-to-earth superhero books I have read, and while I wouldn’t come onboard during this storyline, it’s proof the series is worth the back issues.

Power Level: 7/10

Titans #18

Publisher: DC

Writer: Dan Abnett; Pencils: Brett Booth; Inks: Norm Rapmund; Colors: Andrew Dalhouse; Letters: Travis Lanham; Variant Cover: Dan Mora

While Royals, above, is leaving my pull because it is over, this is leaving my pull because this issue just wasn’t quite good enough. The ending to the Troia story feels a little bit like Abnett is going through the motions. I emphasize “a little bit” — the characters are treated with respect, and everybody gets a spotlight moment, and the emotional arcs involved in getting to the resolution feel very “Teen Titans” in a way I really enjoy. But the actual way Troia is dealt with feels cheap, falling just shy of the absolute worst way a superhero story can be resolved, by just punching the bad guy harder than they’ve ever been punched. The finale to the arc feels really flat as a result, like not actually all that much was learned or gained, and maybe it’s me coming in in the middle of the arc, or having my expectations set by the truly stellar issue I came in on, but this doesn’t give me faith that the series is going to continue in kind. It was a serviceable, fun, even satisfying story, but not one that ultimately held me as a subscriber; not when comics are so good in general and I have to be careful where I put my entertainment budget. Sorry, Titans; I still love you.

Power Level: 6/10

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #27

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Ryan North; Artist: Erica Henderson; Color Artist & Trading Card Artist: Rico Renzi; Letterer: Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Erica Henderson; Variant Covers: Michael & Laura Allred; John Tyler Christopher; Veronica Fish (based off the original cover of Silver Surfer: Parable #1 by Moebius); Mike McKone & Andy Troy; Logo: Michael Allred

So you know how I’ve complained a few times before that it feels like North’s Squirrel Girl is separate from the rest of the Marvel Universe? This issue remedies that, and also pulls some deep cuts in Squirrel Girl continuity, and also weaves what is a totally reasonable (if cosmically weird) superhero story that carries all the same charm and humor that have made this series one of my favorites. As the cover suggests, this one winds up involving space, but the path it takes to get there involves people acting weird around Nancy and Tippy-Toe, a callback all the way back to the very first storyline of the first volume of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, a villain that I literally never expected to see in the pages of this particular comic, Loki, and oh yeah, squirrels. It all makes sense in context, or at least is only weird when it’s supposed to be weird, and it all comes wrapped in Ryan North’s signature Squirrel Girl delivery and Erica Henderson’s signature Squirrel Girl art, and all of it is absolutely delightful. I want to quote every page of this issue and tell everybody about what happens in it, except that then they wouldn’t get to read it for themselves. Literally my only complaint is that Beta Ray Bill is on the cover but does not actually make an appearance. This series is pure magic in my pull list every month, and I consistently love where the creative team takes it.

Power Level: 9/10

The Wicked + The Divine Christmas Annual #1

Publisher: Image

“Sumer Loving”: Inks by Chris Anka & Jen Bartel; Flats by Dee Cunniffe; Colour by Matt Wilson; “If You’re Feline Sinister”: Inks by Rachel Stott, Flats by Ludwig Olimba, Colour by Tamra Bonvillain; “Hitched”: Inks by Chynna Clugston Flores, Flats by Ludwig Olimba & Brandon Daniels, Colour by Tamra Bonvillain; “Decomposition”: Inks by Emma Vieceli, Flats by Dee Cunniffe, Colour by Matt Wilson; “Stolen Moment”: Inks by Rachel Stott, Flats by Dee Cunniffe, Colour by Matt Wilson; “Toxic Community”: Inks by Carla Speed McNeil, Flats by Fernando Arguello, Colour by Tamra Bonvillain; “Uh-Huh-Huh”: Inks by Emma Vieceli, Flats by Dee Cunniffe, Colour by Matt Wilson; Writer: Kieron Gillen; Letterer: Clayton Cowles

As the cargo ship full of credits up there suggests, this annual is a series of short stories, largely focused on the romantic interludes between the various divines — as Gillen himself indicates in the foreword to the issue, this is largely a series of scenes about characters Getting It On, and he does not disappoint in this regard. Nor does he disregard on the promise of the issue being bittersweet; every vignette in this issue — all from before the coming of the Great Darkness, before Ananke’s demise, before anything was any more messed up than the gods’ own inadequacies and egos — both paints one of the gods in a sympathetic light and makes us feel bad for at least one of them. Special mention goes to the work with Tara and Lucifer, who are of course long since dead but who get a chance here to remind us that we should feel their absence. I also want to give some bonus points out for matter-of-fact, unapologetic depiction of same-sex relationships here — there’s some appropriate in-character hesitation from a character who has not had a homosexual encounter prior to the one depicted, but otherwise the book is unabashed about the fact that LGBT+ people freaking exist, and that is always good to see. Also some bonus points for the very clever and surprisingly touching usage of puns. This issue only makes any sense if you’re already reading the comic — otherwise it’ll feel pretty flat and bland for a lot of it, except maybe the Baphomet sequence — and it probably doesn’t work much better if you’re not caught up on the series; but for people already digging on WicDiv, this is a lovely little stocking stuffer.

Power Level: 8/10

Quote of the Week:

“They don’t have special powers, and they still fight, every day. They’re not just like us…they’re better.”

– Vixen, Justice League of America #20

Alright — another marathon comics pull down, and with some real gems in there to boot. We’ll see you next week for the second-to-last Pull List of 2017; until then, keep on loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 12/14/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. It’s time for our last comics review before the holidays; let’s see if we can pull this off without any Christmas puns.

America #10

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Gabby Rivera; Artists: Flaviano with Jen Bartel; Color Artists: Jordan Gibson and Chris O’Halloran; Letterer & Production: VC’s Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Joe Quinones

This issue distills America down to what it does best and gives it to us in concentrated doses: convictions, punching, and joy, not necessarily in that order. The plot overall is no great shakes when you look only at the narrative bones, but I could feel Rivera’s glee as she wrote this issue, with all its weird, only-in-superhero-comics plot beats and raising stakes; I could also feel the strength of her feelings about fascism, its brother racism, and the power of sisterhood, friendship, and community. I felt everything the characters felt — heard it in their words, saw it in their faces. And speaking of the art, let’s not forget Flaviano and Bartel making the top-notch decision to make the Exterminatrix’s student-body sympathizers look an awful lot like a certain white supremacist who gets punched in the face a lot. They are absolutely going for it in this issue from top to bottom, and it takes what could be a fairly basic storyline and makes it into an issue that is What Superhero Comics Should Be About.

Power Level: 8/10

The Mighty Thor #702

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Jason Aaron; Artist: Russell Dauterman; Color Artist: Matthew Wilson; Letterer & Production: VC’s Joe Sabino; Cover Artists: Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson; Phoenix Variant Cover Artist: Kris Anka

“How good is The Mighty Thor, Tyler?”

“Well, Hypothetical Reader, The Mighty Thor is so good that it can end issue #701 with the Mangog marching on Asgard to destroy it, and take the entire next issue to focus on the human cost of the war against Malekith and not have it feel weird or disruptive because it’s so on point with its thoughts about the characters.”

Seriously, it’s that good. This entire issue is a spotlight on Jane Foster and her efforts to find a way to stop Malekith and Roxxon and end the War of the Realms, and on Odinson trying to get her to see that heroic sacrifice isn’t the only way to be heroic. The issue is something of a commentary on how much of waging war is about hearts and minds, and how much of the cost of war is paid by the best people, but it’s more than that. It’s about showing us that Odinson is slowly journeying back toward worthiness. It’s about hinting at the possible prices Jane Foster might pay for her time as the Goddess of Thunder and her efforts to win the war, and therefore at what her status will be at the end of all this. It’s about tying up loose ends as we move toward what may be the final showdown in this conflict. And it’s about upping the stakes in a fight that already had breathtakingly massive stakes, bringing us to a place where going back to the Mangog is even scarier than it was at the end of the previous issue. And it is all tied up with Dauterman’s perfect art and Wilson’s gorgeous colors. The Mighty Thor is my Platonic ideal of superhero comics.

Power Level: 9/10

Ms. Marvel #25

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: G. Willow Wilson; Artist: Nico Leon; Color Artist: Ian Herring; Lettering: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Cover Artists: Valerio Schiti & Rachelle Rosenberg; Variant Cover Artists: Takeshi Miyazawa & Ian Herring; Trading Card Variant Cover: John Tyler Christopher; Lenticular Homage Variant Cover (Based on Captain America (1968) #109 by Jack Kirby & Syd Shores): Jacob Wyatt

When G. Willow Wilson is on her game, she is among the best writers in comics. Ms. Marvel #25 is G. Willow Wilson on her game. The issue is mostly focused on Ms. Marvel-adjacent characters, rather than Kamala herself, but it is in this that Wilson accomplishes her most impressive feat: using other people to tell us about both Ms. Marvel and themselves. Red Dagger, Mike, and all the rest get distinct voices, such that I didn’t need the art to tell who was who, and all of them sound real and well-rounded in ways that you just don’t get from a lot of comics’ supporting casts. The way the characters talk about Kamala and/or Ms. Marvel and the way they behave in her absence speak volumes about who she is to them and what she means to Jersey City, which is a relationship as important for Ms. Marvel as the relationship with New York is for Spider-Man. Wilson delivers all this with perfect comedic timing, a little dash of drama and mystery, and a final splash page that has to be seen to be believed, but is a superhero final splash page from top to bottom. This was the kind of issue that has made me a Ms. Marvel subscriber from the beginning.

Power Level: 9/10

Superman #37

Publisher: DC

Writers: Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason; Artist: Jorge Jimenez; Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez; Letterer: Rob Leigh; Cover: Ivan Reis, Julio Ferreira & Marcelo Maiolo; Variant Cover: Jonboy Meyers

I had one problem with this issue, but it’s one that I’m having trouble putting down. Let me first say that overall, this issue exemplifies exactly what I adore about the post-Rebirth DC lineup: these writers are not ashamed of the bizarre fantasy kitchen sink of a multiverse they are writing in, and are instead exploiting the narrative options that surreal setting provides for them, and are writing with real affection for the characters they have been given to work with. The antagonist in this issue is a really fascinating one whose voice and behavior feel well-rounded and understandable without being made to feel justified or too sympathetic. The plot is relatively basic, but it’s been wrapped in a layer of mystery that guarantees I’ll be picking up the next issue of Super Sons to try to figure out what the heck is going on. The art is gorgeous, serving the story well and clearly (well, except for one visual detail — why does Superman’s Kryptonian battle armor change its physical logo when it gets hacked?!). But there is this one panel that I just cannot get over because of what it says about Tomasi/Gleason’s approach to the Man of Steel: when the villain shows up in front of Superman, he says he is going to teach the villain “a lesson in pain.” That’s a super-villain line; why the heck is Clark throwing that around? I am never here for Badass Gritty Superman, and part of why I loved this version of Superman is that the writer seemed to get that, so I am really hoping that the other series the editor’s notes allude to give some reason for Superman to be that angry with this character — and even then, why say it that way? But, that hang-up aside, this is a perfectly good issue; just, be ready for that weird New 52 moment.

Power Level: 7/10

New Series: Marvel Two-in-One #1

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Chip Zdarsky; Penciler: Jim Cheung; Inkers: John Dell with Walden Wong; Colorist: Frank Martin; Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna; Cover Artists: Jim Cheung & Justin Ponsor; Variant Cover Artists: Alex Ross; John Tyler Christopher; Jack Kirby; Joe Sinnott & Paul Mounts; Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott; Jon Malin after Rich Buckler & Joe Sinnott; Mike McKone & Rachelle Rosenberg; John Byrne & Paul Mounts; Arthur Adams & Morry Hollowell

Choo choo! Feels train comin’ into the station! The elevator pitch for Marvel Two-in-One is that it’s a team-up book featuring the Human Torch and the Thing, and this issue delivers on that promise with extreme prejudice. Zdarsky’s script delivers extremes of emotion, both laughter and sorrow, but most importantly, showcasing the deep, abiding love the Fantastic Four all felt (feel?) for each other. All throughout the issue, you can feel the absence of Sue and Reed from Ben’s life as sharply as he does; Johnny, likewise, is struggling, but his struggle is complicated by twists that this issue lays down, providing a motive force for the story besides the ghost of Reed Richards that is haunting this issue. If that weren’t enough, Zdarsky also manages to fold in a cameo by the Four’s most famous nemesis (who is dealing with struggles of this own these days) and some callbacks to the FF’s early adventures that were so numerous I am sure I missed a few. This was nostalgia done right — nostalgia with a clear direction it is taking from that starting point — and I am elated that I signed up for it.

Power Level: 9/10

Quote of the Week:

“They don’t have special powers, and they still fight, every day. They’re not just like us…they’re better.”

– Vixen, Justice League of America #20

Alright — another marathon comics pull down, and with some real gems in there to boot. We’ll see you next week for the second-to-last Pull List of 2017; until then, keep on loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 12/21/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. Here we are — the very last Pull List of 2017. We made it through the fire and flame, and in honor of the break we all deserve, this will be an extra-short column, with just one comic to review — which just so happens to be an issue of Ace of Geeks‘ second-best comic of the year.

Before we dive into the review, let me just take a second to say: thank you. This has been one of the darker years of my life, for all the obvious reasons, and my mental health this holiday season has been especially bad; but getting to share the joy of comics with our readers has been a highlight of this revolution of the globe.

Now then, let’s get to this year’s last comic standing!

Justice League of America #21

Publisher: DC

Writer: Steve Orlando; Artist & Cover: Steven Byrne; Letters: Clayton Cowles; Variant Cover: Doug Mahnke & Wil Quintana

Oh, yawn, a story about the Ray fighting Aztec cultist/gang members and corrupt cops and teaching a lesson about proper superheroism to an edgy superhero. How run-of-the-mill for this awesome freaking comic that strikes gold even in its most basic storylines. I don’t want to oversell it — this issue is not perfect. Orlando follows two story threads about two individual Justice Leaguers, and the points where it cuts from one to the other are not always points of maximum coherency. There are more than a few spots where the narrative feels rushed — like the dialogue is meant to deliver more data than it’s actually delivering, to the point where it failed my Flip-Back Test a couple times. But what does hold together holds together very well — three major character arcs are advanced, along with the main thrust of the series plot, and everybody feels very well-represented (well, those who get to speak — a lot of the JLA is absent or appears in the background only). The new character introduced in this issue also contributes to the feeling of a larger, wider DC Universe out there, and keeps the four-color feel clear in an issue that is a bit more gritty and street-level out of necessity. Also a shout-out to Byrne’s art, which is really impressive here — the use of color is amazing, and his faces are expressive without being too over the top. All in all, a nice little second-act issue for this new JLA, and a good setup for the story going into 2018.

Power Level: 7/10

Quote of the Week:

“The thing is…I get your anger. I know it. I’ve even felt it. And it’s easy to just let it take you. But there have to be other ways to use it. Ways that don’t hurt you. I’m here to stop you, yeah. Not for him. For you…think about it. For now, though. This is over.”

– The Ray

And that’s all Orlando wrote, and therefore all I wrote. I hope you all get to see 2017 off in whatever manner you prefer, and that you have an auspicious start to your new year. Until 2018: keep loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 12/28/17 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Pull List, the apartment down the street from the House of Ideas. Happy New Year! I hope your celebrations have been excellent and your returns to your day jobs smooth and painless, or as close to those qualifiers as possible. If it helps, comics have kicked off with a bang this January, and the Pull List is here with four of the best and most promising.

Black Bolt #9

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Saladin Ahmed; Artist: Christian Ward; Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles; Cover Artist: Christian Ward; Design: Nick Russell; Logo Design: Jay Bowen

I’ll admit, I was dubious when I saw Captain America on the cover (thanks for that, Nick Spencer…), but what is contained within is one of the best single issues of a comic in my recent memory. Far from the Secret Empire aftermath tie-in the cover made me expect, this issue picks up where we left off — with Titania demanding to know what happened to her husband, the late Absorbing Man — and takes the answer to that question in an unexpected, touching, and…actually really human direction. Cap is in this issue, so the cover is not a lie, but the context for his appearance is not only nonviolent, it’s a catalyst for showing off just how good a person Steve Rogers is — as well as how good a person Blackagar Boltagon has become through his time in prison, and how complex the villains of the Marvel Universe can actually be, even the littlest, most B-listiest of them. I did not enter this issue expecting a parade of deep feelings about superheroes, supervillains, and the lives of ex-cons, but it’s what I got, and it is glorious. Ward’s art is still a work in progress for me, but the story the art and the words are telling together is good enough that “okay” is good enough. If you aren’t sold on Ahmed’s Black Bolt yet, this might be the issue that’ll do it for you.

Power Level: 9/10

Superman #38

Publisher: DC

Writers: Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason; Penciller: Sergio Davila; Inker: Vicente Cifuentes; Colorist: Gabe Eltaeb; Letterer: Rob Leigh; Cover: Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert & Hi-Fi; Variant Cover: Jonboy Meyers

Oh my God, it’s true: DC has remembered how to write superhero comics. This issue has some grit and some grim flying around, as you might expect from the cover and the overall subject matter of the “Super Sons of Tomorrow” story — I mean, we are discussing the murder of a child — but it is handled in the reconstructive four-color style that I’ve come to expect from the best 2010s superhero books, with a mix of creative power usage and characters being good, moral people, if occasionally led astray by their fears. In other words, it’s exactly how I like my superhero comics. Just as impressive is the fact that this issue is only the second issue of “Super Sons of Tomorrow” I have read (Part One having landed in my inbox with Superman #37), but I had no trouble understanding the situation despite the gap, but also never felt like the characters were engaging in a round of “As you know, Bob” for the purpose of catching me up — in fact, the lacunae Tomasi and Gleason did leave in the story were tantalizing enough that they got me to pick up the back issues of Super Sons and Teen Titans that constituted Part Two and Part Three. Whatever worries I had about Superman’s aggressive behavior in #37 were laid to rest here, and paid back with interest. This storyline was great fun, and proof that DC has remembered that superheroes are at their best when they are heroes.

Power Level: 9/10

New Series: Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles #1

Publisher: DC

Writer: Mark Russell; Penciller: Mike Feehan; Colorist: Paul Mounts; Letterer: Dave Sharpe; Cover Artist: Ben Caldwell; Variant Cover Artist: Evan “Doc” Shaner

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I opened up an issue of something called The Snagglepuss Chronicles, but what I definitely was not expecting was a harsh, resonant indictment of 1950s American culture that also rips deep into the soft underbelly of 2010s American politics in the process. Not only is this issue never explicitly funny — the connection to Hanna-Barbera cartoons appears to be that there are anthropomorphized animals in among the humans and basically nothing else — but it explicitly brings up some deeply uncomfortable, deeply damning subject matter: Snagglepuss’s furtive homosexuality; the Stonewall Inn; Joseph McCarthy; HUAC hearings; it’s all here, and it’s all unflinching. I cannot undersell how incredible Russell’s writing in this issue is; every page of it is witty, well-paced, pithy, and biting, to the point where I barely had a chance to catch my breath at some points. Feehan’s art is also fantastic, with just the right amount of detail to make Snagglepuss and his fellow ‘toons look totally at home among the humans around them, rather than trying for a juxtaposition that might have actually taken the power out of the statements the story is making. Exit Stage Left has a lot to say about America then, about America now, about the power of art and the risk it poses to those in power, and about the horrible way America has treated the LGBT community — and somehow, because it stars a cartoon cat, it actually cut me more deeply than if it had been a straight-faced comic about McCarthy and his evils. I subscribed to this immediately after finishing the first issue, and honestly, I think you might, too.

Power Level: 9/10

New Series: Koshchei the Deathless #1

Publisher: Dark Horse

Story by: Mike Mignola; Art by: Ben Stenbeck; Colors by: Dave Stewart; Letters by: Clem Robins; Cover by: Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart

I love Mike Mignola, so this review pains me a little to have to write — I just was not that deeply into this one. I love the folklore around Koshchei the Deathless, and Mignola does an expert job of laying out those tails under the framing of Koshchei telling his story to Hellboy. Likewise, Stenbeck is an adept artist, evoking Mignola’s signature Hellboy style without trying to mimic it exactly; the use of color and negative space here is really very impressive. But in the end, this really does just feel like “Mignola does Russian folklore,” without a whole lot of changes except those directly required to marry it to the ongoing Hellboy story. And that’s a perfectly fine, even laudable thing, but it isn’t quite enough for me to sink my teeth into. If you really, really love Hellboy (and who doesn’t?), or really, really love Russian folklore, this might be right up your alley, but for me, sadly, it’s a pass.

Power Level: 6/10

Quote of the Week:

“Culture is not a harmless giggle. Some mere diversion. Show business matters because, in the end, a nation becomes that which it enjoys.”

– Gigi Allen, Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles #1

And there you have it — an excellent start to what I hope is an excellent year for all of us. Have a great weekend, and keep on loving comics!

The post The Pull List, 1/4/18 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.

Hello, Everyone and welcome to another edition of The Pull List, the apartment down the street of ideas. I’m your host Brian J. Patterson, and I’m very excited to bring you my picks for this week. The theme for this week is bloody carnage. So, I’m going to give you the two books that I thought were interesting even though they had a lot of bloody carnage. As always…Enjoy!

GO WEST #1

Publisher: Alterna Comics

Writer: Garrett Gunn, Artist: Saint Yak, Colorist: Sean Forney, Letters: HdE

I have to be honest, I can’t really put my finger on why I was so attracted to picking up this comic, but I’m glad that I did. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic California, over a hundred years in the future (2136). A great war is the cause of the damage, and the West Coast in particular, has been stripped of it’s ‘fabulousness’ so to speak. A mercenary’s wife and daughter have been killed and he makes it his mission to avenge them. While this whole Frank Castle meets Walking Dead might sound weird to you, I am surprised that I enjoyed this first episode which almost reads like a television show opening: Smooth, simple, and sopping with blood. It’s true, there is blood everywhere! The art direction is not your traditional and focuses mostly on character and emotion. The paper upon which it is printed is a kind of old school newspaper feel, which adds to the feel and telling of the story. A great escape from the superhero inundation from the big two, Go West turned out to be exactly the kind of distraction I needed, and at $1.50 you can’t go wrong!

Power level: 8/10

ALL NEW WOLVERINE #30

Publisher: Marvel

Writers: Tom Taylor, Artist: Juann Cabal, Colorist: Nolan Woodard, Cover Artists: Dan Mora and Romulo Fajardo Jr., Letters: VC & Cory Petit

The cover of this book is what drew me in the most. The angle, the colors used, the expression, the stance, and even them standing in the puddles of water. To me, it’s exactly what Wolverine is all about; The fight. After the movie Logan, we are all expecting blood and gore from anything and everything associated with Wolvie. This comic delivers, but in a new way to me. For all of the fighting, blood, and gore that appeared in the book, I was especially surprised at how well the messages of love, preservation of human life, and respect for each other as a species were conveyed and encouraged. I won’t go into much more, but I will say that regardless of anything else, this book is worth picking up for how the story unfolds. Go get it!

Power level: 8/10

Quote Of The Week: “Every humane and patriotic heart must grieve to see a bloody and causeless rebellion, costing thousands of human lives and millions of treasure. But as it was predetermined and inevitable, it was long delayed. Now is the appropriate time to solve the greatest problem ever submitted to civilized man.” – Thaddeus Stevens

As you go through the rest of your comic week, I hope that you can appreciate and enjoy some of the more bloody side of comics and the evolution and change that it represents. See you next week! -Brian

The post THE PULL LIST – 2/1/18 appeared first on Ace of Geeks.