#DC Jason artwork is actually feeding me

[betterthanbatman1]

Jason Todd Red Beanie appreciation post

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 7 January 2019

Quick Bits:

Aliens: Dust to Dust #4 concludes this series from Gabriel Hardman, Rain Beredo, and Michael Heisler. It’s been very good, capturing the feel and atmosphere of the first two Alien films and delivering a very taut horror-thriller. Absolutely gorgeous artwork from Hardman and Beredo.

| Published by Dark Horse

Atomic Robo: Dawn of a New Era #1 isn’t a bad jumping on point. It doesn’t really get you up to speed on the past of the series, but you also don’t really need to have read any of it to enjoy this story. Great humour and interesting tidbits of science and history as usual from Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener, Shannon Murphy, and Jeff Powell.

| Published by IDW

Avengers #12 works to build up Black Panther’s “Agents of Wakanda” to serve as a support network for information and grunt work throughout the world to feed the Avengers team proper. It’s an interesting use of otherwise lesser-used characters from Jason Aaron and definitely broadens the scope of the overall series.

| Published by Marvel

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris #1 is a very good beginning to this series from Leah Williams, Germán García, Addison Duke, and Crank!. Williams captures the tone and feel of both characters very well through their dialogue and the artwork from García and Duke is impressive.

| Published by Dynamite

Batman #62 is the second part of “Knightmares”, which near as I can tell is going to be a series of one-off stories by an array of brilliant artists with Batman as filtered through some strange psycho-thriller lens (or at least the first two parts adhere to that ethos). It’s good, but it’s weird. Great art from Mitch Gerads as Tom King keeps us off balance and at arms length with the narrative confusion.

| Published by DC Comics

Birthright #35 concludes this arc with an epic battle between Brennan and Mikey, as Brennan confronts his family, cutting deep into the resentment that Brennan has felt for his brother. The art from Andrei Bressan and Adriano Lucas is amazing.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Bitter Root #3 continues to be thoroughly excellent in every conceivable way, presenting a compelling mystery in the origins of the Jinoo, an interesting family drama delving into more of the history and interpersonal foibles of the Sangerye family, and it’s just an entertaining supernatural schlockfest on top of all of that. David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, Sanford Greene, Rico Renzi, and Clayton Cowles are delivering one hell of a story here. Oh, and the art from Greene and Renzi is stunning.

| Published by Image

The Black Order #3 shifts to the perspective of Black Dwarf here, and like the first issue, plays off a narrative that is contrary to what you’d expect. Where Glaive thought himself a comedian, Black Dwarf is more contemplative, wondering if his thoughts and desires are who he is, or if he’s merely the brute that others see. It’s interesting, even as it continues the ongoing plot of trying to destroy the Sinnarian Empire.

| Published by Marvel

By Night #7 takes an interesting turn as Heather’s father and uncle take a moment to act as exterminators and she and Jane try to rescue Barney from a mob boss. Love the humour as always from John Allison’s script, especially as he adds some unexpected elements. Very nice design and presentation of the bug from Eidolon by Christine Larsen and Sarah Stern.

| Published Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

Captain Marvel #1 is a fun relaunch, perfectly mixing humour, action, and interpersonal drama as Kelly Thompson, Carmen Carnero, Tamra Bonvillain, and Clayton Cowles bring Carol back to New York. Beautiful colours throughout from Bonvillain, really making Carnero’s line art shine.

| Published by Marvel

Criminal #1 is a very welcome return to the Lawless family, as Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips weave a tale of Ricky stealing an old thief’s necklace trying to bail Teeg out of jail, only to wind up in even more hot water than he began in. You don’t need to have read any of the previous volumes of Criminal before, but I still highly recommend that you do since they’re awesome.

| Published by Image

The Curse of Brimstone #10 gives us some more answers as Annie confronts Wandering Jack to get information on the Salesman and to figure out a way to possibly save her brother. This is still a weird series, but Justin Jordan, Eduardo Pansica, Júlio Ferreira, Rain Beredo, and Wes Abbott have definitely been making it interesting.

| Published by DC Comics

Deathstroke #39 gears us up for the conclusion next issue by positing that from Slade’s point of view what he’s claimed happened actually did happen, as the disparate threads converge. It’s interesting as to how Priest has been staging this story.

| Published by DC Comics

Die #2 is brilliant. As good as the first issue was, and it was really damn good, this one is even better as we get the exposed to some of the rules of this fantasy world and thrown headlong into the seamless world building of this realm. Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles have something truly magical here, taking a childhood love of science fiction and fantasy, and subverting it into something that can hurt us like weaponized nostalgia. It is absolutely stunning.

| Published by Image

Faith: Dreamside #4 is a very strong conclusion to this mini from Jody Houser, MJ Kim, Jordie Bellaire, and Dave Sharpe. The entire series has looked good, but Kim and Bellaire really take it to another level with this finale, the confrontation of Belu is just incredible.

| Published by Valiant

The Freeze #2 is probably better than the first issue and it was an incredibly debut, from Dan Wickline, Phillip Sevy, and Troy Peteri. I absolutely love that the focus isn’t on the freeze itself or what caused it, and is instead about the people living in the world and the problems that this kind of apocalypse could cause. It’s smart and leads to some very compelling character drama and complications.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1 is amazing. Spectacular even. This is a very heartfelt and humorous debut from Tom Taylor, Juann Cabal, Nolan Woodard, and Travis Lanham that takes Spider-Man down to the local level, spotlighting his, well, neighbourhood. There’s also a back-up from Taylor, Marcelo Ferreira, Roberto Poggi, Jim Campbell, and Lanham that could well be a game-changer.

| Published by Marvel

The Green Lantern #3 continues to be one hell of trip from Grant Morrison, Liam Sharp, Steve Oliff, and Tom Orzechowski. It still feels like something out of a different time, but that’s part of what really makes this work.

| Published by DC Comics

Gunning for Hits #1 is a pretty dense beginning to what’s apparently a crime drama mixed with the music industry, not at all like Empire because I know that’s probably what many would think. It’s seedier, grittier, down at the street level, but as I say, this is dense. This first issue has a lot of narration, a lot of dialogue, and a great number of pages that more or less outline how signing deals work in a how-to format. It’s unique, blending some of the hallmarks of something like an autobio comic with a more standard narrative approach. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what Jeff Rougvie, Moritat, and Casey Silver do for a second number.

| Published by Image

Hit-Girl #12 is the bloody conclusion to Rafael Scavone, Rafael Albuquerque, Marcel Maiolo, and Clem Robins’ “Rome” arc with Mindy and Paola confronting the corrupt convent. Absolutely beautiful artwork from Albuquerque and Maiolo, with even time for one last twist in the tale.

| Published by Image

House Amok #4 features some very impressive artwork from Shawn McManus and Lee Loughridge as the story takes and interesting path as it heads towards the conclusion. Christopher Sebela has been giving us an interesting look at this world through Dylan as the scales fell from her eyes, but this one makes us wonder, what if the family isn’t really crazy.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Justice League #15 heats things up on Hawkworld with a very interesting revelation about Shayera and Thanagar Prime, along with a deeper mystery about the multiverse. It really makes me wonder what James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder are getting at. Gorgeous art throughout from Jim Cheung, Stephen Segovia, Mark Morales, Tomeu Morey, and Wil Quintana.

| Published by DC Comics

The Last Siege #8 is the brutal conclusion to this series that has been a practical masterclass in storytelling, from character development through pacing, atmosphere and execution. This series has just been incredible. Landry Q. Walker, Justin Greenwood, Brad Simpson, and Patrick Brosseau stick the landing with one hell of a finale.

| Published by Image

Man Without Fear #2 continues to tear Matt Murdock apart as he finds ways not to deal very well with being hit by a truck. And gives in to fear. Great art from Stefano Landini and Andres Mossa as Matt’s nightmares come to life.

| Published by Marvel

Martian Manhunter #2 continues to be a bit of a slow burn, parcelling out a bit about the in-story present and then delving into more about J’onn’s past on Mars, building up Martian culture and what they were taking from Earth even in our ancient past. The art from Riley Rossmo and Ivan Plascencia is amazing.

| Published by DC Comics

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #2 is another great issue as Miles and the Rhino team-up to track down the missing kids. Saladin Ahmed does an amazing job of humanizing Rhino and making us empathize with his plight. The art from Javier Garrón and David Curiel is again very impressive. 

| Published by Marvel

Moth & Whisper #5 concludes this series from Ted Anderson, Jen Hickman, and Marshall Dillon. While it does bring the story to a satisfying resolution, it still leaves open the door for more to come, which I’d love to see.

| Published by AfterShock

Murder Falcon #4 delivers some pretty big revelations as the reunited Brooticus faces off against Magnum Khaos. It goes about as well as you’d expect. Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer, and Rus Wooton are really nailing the heartfelt character beats in amongst the over-the-top monster battles.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Oblivion Song #11 deals with the fallout of Ed’s transference of another piece of Philly over to Oblivion. Gorgeous artwork as always from Lorenzo De Felici and Annalisa Leoni, particularly during the creature battles.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Outer Darkness #3 continues to show us how this universe works as the crew try to salvage a derelict vessel on a supposedly barren rock. This mix of horror and science fiction is wonderful and John Layman, Afu Chan, and Pat Brosseau are really creating something unique here.

| Published by Image / Skybound

The Punisher #6 begins the next leg of Frank’s ongoing nightmares with the first part of “War in Bagalia” from Matthew Rosenberg, Szymon Kudranski, Antonio Fabela, and Cory Petit. I’ve really been enjoying what Rosenberg has been doing since the “War Machine” arc and it just seems to be getting better. There’s some really intriguing things about a nation run by Baron Zemo here.

| Published by Marvel

Red Sonja #25 ends this volume with another one-off tale with Red Sonja ferrying a musician to a ship on the coast from Amy Chu, Erik Burnham, Carlos Gomez, Mohan, and Taylor Esposito. It’s a curious story of longing for home that allows for a little bit of reflection on the series, but it doesn’t ruminate on it long. 

| Published by Dynamite

Self/Made #2 doesn’t have the luxury of the twist of the first issue, so has to work harder to get past that “I see dead people” Sixth Sense moment, and, really, it does. This is just a damned good story, playing with sci-fi and fantasy elements, blended seamlessly due to it all being a representation of game development. Mat Groom, Eduardo Ferigato, Marcelo Costa, and Troy Peteri are doing some great work here.  

| Published by Image

Sleepless #11 brings all of the plots and machinations to an end as Sarah Vaughn, Leila Del Duca, Alissa Sallah, Gabe Fischer, and Deron Bennett bring the series to an end. Some very interesting bits of tradition, change, and resentment towards monarchy.

| Published by Image

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #4 is an epilogue to the “Spider-Geddon” event, paying tribute and burying the fallen. It’s a very haunting story, making you wonder if Gwen’s going to take a darker turn in the future. Seanan McGuire, Rosi Kämpe, Takeshi Miyazawa, Ian Herring, and Clayton Cowles do a wonderful saying goodbye to various parts of the Spider-Verse.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars: Age of Republic - Jango Fett #1 is this week’s one-shot exploring various characters around the Star Wars canon. Jody Houser, Luke Ross, Java Tartaglia, and Travis Lanham give us a decent story of betrayal and consequences with Jango and Boba Fett.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down #3 concludes this mini from Scott Beatty, Derek Charm, Jon Sommariva, Sean Parsons, Matt Herms, and Tom B. Long. It’s been interesting to see the two time periods of the stories play against one other with events in the past informing those in the present.

| Published by IDW

Thor #9 is somewhat of a companion piece to this week’s Avengers #12, setting up Roz Solomon as another Agent of Wakanda, but you don’t need to read both of them to enjoy them individually. This one delivers a lot of information on what’s going on in regards to the build up of the “War of the Realms” in addition to giving Roz a new purpose and changed outlook. Gorgeous artwork from Mike del Mundo.

| Published by Marvel

Turok #1 is an entertaining reimagining of the series from Ron Marz, Roberto Castro, Salvatore Aiala, and Troy Peteri, somewhat in line with the original Valiant interpretation, albeit moving it forward to the late 1800′s. Quite like the art from Castro and Aiala. Castro’s art reminds me a bit of a cross between Joe Kubert, Bart Sears, and Jordi Bernet.

| Published by Dynamite

United States vs. Murder Inc. #5 paints a very bleak picture for the next stage in the US government’s war against the crime families following the assassination of the President. Wonderful work on tone and atmosphere from Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Avon Oeming, Taki Soma, and Carlos M. Mangual. 

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Web of Venom: Venom Unleashed #1 is a pair of tales spotlighting the new dog-form of the symbiote as he chases down people infected by Carnage, then Cletus’ perspective on it, from Ryan Stegman, Kyle Hotz, Juan Gedeon, Marc Deering, Scott Hanna, Livesay, Roberto Poggi, Victor Olazaba, Dan Brown, Matt Yackey, Andrew Crossley, Carlos Cabrera, and Clayton Cowles. Really nice to see Hotz’s art here.

| Published by Marvel

William Gibson’s Alien 3 #3 has the crap hit the proverbial fan as meddling with the xenomorphs begins to bear its deadly fruit. Johnnie Christmas, Tamra Bonvillain, and Nate Piekos are doing such an amazing job at adapting this for comics, it makes me kind of sad that it wasn’t the direction the films took.

| Published by Dark Horse

Wizard Beach #2 continues the fun of the first issue, with Hex trying to get off the beach, build himself a castle, and hunt down tasty, delicious rats for lunch to no avail. Nice bits of humour and the introduction of a girl who Hex might well be smitten with, as well as a darker mystery involving her grandfather’s wand. Great art from Conor Nolan, Chad Lewis, and Meg Casey.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

The Wrong Earth #5 has both of the dimension-displaced Dragonflies(flymen) continue to attempt to get back to their respective homes. Also, through flashbacks and monologues, I kind of get the impression that Tom Peyer is trying to tell us that both of them are thoroughly insane. There’s also the usual back-up comic and prose text pieces to round out the issue.

| Published by Ahoy

Young Justice #1 is the launch vehicle of the new Brian Michael Bendis-driven Wonder Comics line. If you look at it from a perspective of DC’s continuity, it’s probably very confusing. Many of the characters seem to be in their pre-New 52, even potentially pre-Infinite Crisis forms, Gemworld is attacking, Amethyst seems particularly bloodthirsty, and we’ve got a couple of inexplicable legacy characters in Jinny Hex and Teen Lantern, but...I think that confusion, that chaos and frenetic energy, is part of the point, since at the onset, the invaders from Gemworld are aware of the shifts in the multiverse. So maybe give it a chance to develop from there are clue us in on what’s ultimately going on? Regardless, there’s gorgeous action, interesting layouts, and fascinating design work from Patrick Gleason and Alejandro Sanchez.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Other Highlights: Auntie Agatha’s Home for Wayward Rabbits #3, Black Dahlia, Blackbird #4, Cemetery Beach #5, Curse Words #19, The Dreaming #5, DuckTales #16, Euthanauts #5, Go Go Power Rangers #16, God of War #3, Hack/Slash vs. Chaos! #2, Joe Golem: The Drowning City #5, Kick-Ass #11, LaGuardia #2, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest #4, Patience! Conviction! Revenge! #5, Predator: Hunters II #4, Prodigy #2, Rose #16, Star Wars #59, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #40, Vampirella/Dejah Thoris #4

Recommended Collections: Dread Gods, Eclipse - Volume 3, Lucy Dreaming, Modern Fantasy, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra - Volume 4: Catastrophe Con, Tomb Raider - Volume 4: Inferno

Housekeeping: You can check out my review of the hardcover of Rick Geary’s Black Dahlia here. 

Also, every Monday, I’ve been providing a selection for my comic of the week for Batman’s Bookcase. The latest was a look at Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar, Matthew Wilson, and Travis Lanham’s excellent Conan the Barbarian #1. Read it here.

d. emerson eddy is too hot to handle, too cold to hold, he’s not a Ghostbuster, and he’s not in control. Please somebody put him back into his cage and into some kind of climate controlled environment.

[themyskira]

Wonder Woman #32

i hate this comic so much i hate everything hatehatehahtehahtehtahtehate

Previously: Because Geoff Johns hates us, Diana has a secret twin brother and Darkseid has a sexy evil half-Amazon daughter called Grail. Grail is now murdering demigods and feeding their tasty life essence to Darkseid, who is a baby (Johns again). Grail has just murdered Hercules. Hercules’ lawyer, Hercule Poirot, has informed Diana that she is heir to his estate.

ah for fuck’s sake we’re one page in and already we’ve been saddled with the fucking Oddfellows, aka the shitty expies of Sameer, Charlie and the Chief from the Wonder Woman movie.

For those sensible enough not to read Tim Seeley’s Wonder Woman: Steve Trevor oneshot, the Oddfellows are a team of… mercenaries? I guess? …who do off-the-books work for ARGUS. Because Tim Seeley forgot that Rebirth Steve doesn’t work for ARGUS, I guess.

Sameer isn’t so bad -- he’s a former Moroccan intelligence agent who “speaks twenty-four languages and [is] a con man in every single one”. A reasocnable modernisation of Sameer from the movie.

Charlie is essentially the same as his movie counterpart — an ex-sniper who is, and I quote, the “steadiest hand in the business unless he’s having a panic attack, which is often, or not drinking, which isn’t”.  This worked in the context of the movie, where in the midst of a world war Steve had to assemble a team quickly and completely off the books, and where the character served to illustrate to both Diana and the audience the terrible trauma of war. It makes zero fucking sense in the context of a private contractor working for a clandestine government agency, because what worldly motivation would ARGUS have to hand dangerous and sensitive missions to a man with debilitating PTSD and alcoholism?

And the Chief? The Chief is just fucking bananas.  He’s a former Shadow Wolves operative who used his skills to help refugees and illegal immigrants past the border before he was caught, and joined ARGUS to commute his sentence, which is fine. Except… he’s also creepily into explosives? And he’s an amateur jewellery designer who makes truly hideous accessories? Which also explode? A fact which we (and Steve) discover only after the Oddfellows find themselves cornered, and the Chief tells Steve to shoot the gross necklace he gave him, and after the smoke clears, Steve is like, “is everything you’ve ever given me a potential bomb?” and the Chief answers, completely seriously, “Of course. Why make things that don’t explode? Boring.”

w h a t t h e f u c k.

But anyway, we’re talking about this shitty comic.

The Oddfellows are storming the Paris Catacombs, where I guess Diana is fighting Parademons? Don’t know when that happened; the last thing I remember Hercule Poirot was informing Diana that she was heir to Hercules’ estate. I actually just had to check back to the previous issue to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.

Charlie is drunk, of course. Alcoholism is hilarious, guys.

Steve and the bloke on his radio exposition back and forth about how the Oddfellows are here as Diana’s escorts, and Diana flew on ahead to fight Parademons. “Why?” asks the bloke on the radio.

Steve: “Dumb question. There was a battle awaiting her… and she’s a warrior.” urgh. fuuuuuuuck offffffff.

The gents catch up with Diana, and Charlie storms in singing The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond because we’re going full drunk Scottish stereotype here.

I need to talk about this terrible dialogue, because who the fuck speaks like this while they’re locked in a rapid-pace sword fight with multiple flying monsterbeings?

“I admit it isn’t easy fighting Darkseid’s Parademons in such a confined space, Steve.”

Cut to four hours earlier, and Diana and Steve are at ARGUS Central Command. A bloke named Doctor Peril, who’s either unfortunately named or a supervillain-in-waiting, asks Steve how it feels to be working with ARGUS again, because Robinson also didn’t get the memo that Rebirth Steve was never an ARGUS agent. Honest to god, between this and Grail/Jason and the bullshit with Circe in Trinity— what is the point of soft-rebooting Wonder Woman if the changes aren’t communicated to anybody else writing those characters?

Robinson highlights the stupidity of this by having Doctor Peril address Steve as Colonel Trevor, and Steve respond by telling him, “I’m Navy now, so for one thing — if you say my rank, it’s Master Chief.” I don’t know much about the military, so perhaps I’m just ill-informed, but why would a highly-ranked Air Force commissioned officer transfer to the Navy in an enlisted pay grade? That… seems strange and implausible, and probably should have been a sign to Robinson that something wasn’t right.

I also think Robinson’s promoted Steve a few pay grades — prior to this he’s been referred to as “Chief”. If he’s in the Navy, that would make him a Chief Petty Officer (Master Chief is the highest enlisted rank).

ugh, these shitty minutiae keep distracting me from the shitty story. Okay. Doctor Panic or whatever is studying Hercules’ desiccated corpse. Conveniently, the thing that killed him has left an energy marker unique to Apokolips, which ARGUS just happens to have been monitoring religiously since the last time Darkseid attacked. Diana immediately concludes that this is Grail’s work, then explains to us who Grail is because none of us bothered to read Darkseid War.

When you continually feel the need wall-of-text expositioning at your readers about stuff that when down in a different comic, you’re probably not onto a winning story.

(Also, good god this art is ugly.)

Doctor Pitfall interrupts their expositioning to inform them the Hercules wasn’t the first victim and oh fuck me what other Greek demigods has Robinson senselessly murdered as set dressing for this shitty story?

…a lot of them, apparently. He leads Diana and Steve into a curiously large morgue, where fifteen bodies are laid out on tables.

More exposition. Doctor Pissweak tells Diana that Hercules is the only one they’ve ID’d because ARGUS already had intel on him, and the Ancient Greece connection was what led them to Diana. Diana says that she has an appointment with the Poirot-lookalike lawyer. Gosh, it’s so refreshing to finally read a superhero comic where people talk about information management and appointments, this is just the kind of exciting escapism I come to DC for.

Sadly, this thrilling back-and-forth is interrupted, as a man with a distracting pornstache bursts in to declare that more convenient Apokalyptian energy has been detected in Paris. Steve takes Pornstache’s tablet and is able to immediately surmise that, yes, it’s denizens of Apokalips, but no, there’s no victim this time, they’re just shit-stirring. Yes, he can tell this all from the energy signature, obviously.

Back to the present, and we’re subjected to more excruciating flirtatious dialogue between Steve and Diana.

Steve: You know, Angel… a lesser man might feel threatened by how often you pull my fat our of the fire. Diana: Firstly, Steve, you’re not fat. Steve: Figure of speech, Angel, I just meant— Diana: And I’m sure you’ll save my back. You usually do.

Things that irritate me about this:

I get that it’s their thing, that “Angel” has been Steve’s nickname for Diana since the Marston era, but when he uses it in every second sentence, it stops being endearing and just becomes insufferable.

Steve having to explicitly flag that he is not the kind of man who feels threatened by a more powerful woman.

Steve interrupting Diana to explain a very obvious figure of speech.

Diana’s first reaction being to reassure Steve that he’s not fat.

this fucking art what the fuck are these proportions why is her tiara so huge

Anyway, then Charlie pops back into to be obnoxiously Scottish while Diana smashes some Parademons, and then the fight’s over and I still have no idea what it was actually about.

Diana and Steve realise they haven’t expositioned for a few pages, so they pause in the aftermath to remind the reader that Hercules and a bunch of other people are dead, and Grail is involved but they don’t know how or why, and hey, remember back before this ARGUS detour when Diana was talking to that Poirot chappie? The one who told her she’s the heir to Hercules’ estate? Since he has no conceivable connection to Grail or Apokalips, maybe he’ll know what’s going on! I’m pretty sure that makes sense!

Also, editing fail: “I’d be with him now, in fact, if not for ARGUS summons and then this.”

Cut to Oregon, where Diana and Poirot are being driven to Hercules’ house. Poirot sips tea and is posh. Diana is wearing a less attractive version of that one Cliff Chiang coat-with-tiara-as-a-headband ensemble, because this artist has no imagination.

And I know I’ve been snarking about this lawyer bloke being a Hercule Poirot lookalike, but the artists are so heavily photo-referencing David Suchet’s Poirot, it’s actually distracting.

They walk into Hercules’ house. Hercule Point asks Diana what’s wrong, why does she look sad? Of course, it’s an invitation for more exposition, and Diana explains to us that Hercules was her brother because she is a daughter of Zeus, who fathered many powerful demigods.

And just in case you think I’m being a little harsh on Sergio Devila’s artwork:

These are all supposed to be Diana’s face.

Then Poirot gives Diana a letter from Hercules, because if there’s one thing this comic needs at this stage, it’s more exposition.

To summarise: Blah blah you are a wonder. Blah blah shame for my past actions. Blah blah accidental typo because the editors of this book fucking suck. Blah blah self-exile. Blah blah worthy heir. btw, you have a twin brother called Jason who was raised by Glaucus, sucks that you’re finding out this way.

Diana interrupts the letter to explain the plot of Darkseid War some more. She says that she looked for this alleged “brother” but then she got distracted by her life. No, she literally says that.

Hercules concludes his letter by saying he now feels secrets are wrong and that truth is everything. Apparently he didn’t feel it that strongly, because he decided not to tell Diana the truth, and instead left it for her to discover in the very unlikely event that he died. He tells Diana he has left the coordinates of Jason’s location… embroidered in the pelt of the Nemean Lion, because I guess just writing it was too prosaic.

Cut to Diana and Poirot on the Aegean coast, where Diana. AGAIN. EXPOSITIONS ABOUT PREVIOUS COMICS. This has gone beyond a joke who the fuck is editing this comic what the fuck is this FUUUCCKING

…okay. Diana and Poirot make dull small talk, then set about finding Jason. Conveniently, the first local she ask immediately knows who she’s talking about and where he is. He and his crew are out fishing, she says, but they’ll be back this evening.

…ooooor Diana could just fly out to meet him, since after all her time is more important than his and who cares if she interrupts his work day?

OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE

i hate this comic i hate my life

[davidmann95]

Have you read The Metropolitan Man? I don't know what's your policy on fanfiction but it's a "realistic" take on Superman arriving in the 30s.

Haven’t read that one - looking over it briefly it seems pretty damn depressing, though I suppose that’s kind of the point. I’ll probably check it out sometime.

I’m definitely down for fanfiction, but there’s precious little with Superman I’m into - when I occasionally think of Superman fanfic I hope “cool, maybe there’s finally some cool cosmic adventure stuff in here given the comics so rarely go there, or some really insightful character observations of the kind writers too sparsely touch on!” and then it ends up being 7000 pages on a powerless high-school aged Clark’s torrid affair with Jason Todd behind Congorilla’s back or something. But keeping my eyes open, there’ve definitely been some over the years that worked for me:

* Superboy: A great little moment of growth for a young Clark Kent in a short animated comic by @jordangibson.

* All In A Day’s Work: Good chance you saw this floating around on Tumblr awhile back, this is another really great little short comic by Tom Gimlin and Marcellis Wentz, on the weight of the job.

* Superman’s Story: Opposite Number: An excellent short piece by @spectralspices based on an idea he was nice enough to bounce off me, as Superman goes up against a pair of challenges unusual even for him - one comedic, one very much not.

* Pop-Drama: Superman: I don’t know how much this really qualifies as fanfic in the traditional sense - it’s a broad story proposal by @andrewhickeywriter on an ‘end point’ for Superman - but it’s damn fun and satisfying. There’s also a follow-up article where he elaborates on a major plot point.

* Superman Lives: Another short comic, this time by Joe Otis Costello and Des Taylor, where the Superman of 1938 is beamed in a fight with Brainiac into the world of 2014, and Lois Lane naturally gets the exclusive interview with the returned hero, the story being presented in magazine format. The characterizations may or may not work for you - parts do for me, others not - but it’s an interesting exercise nonetheless, and Des Taylor’s work is absolutely gorgeous.

* @ck1blogs: Clark Kent’s reasonably infamous Twitter account. He is not good at the internet, or humans.

* @filmcriticsuperman: Less well-known than its cousin ck1, which is a shame; unlike most “Film Critic X” feeds, it’s actually…well, really good, courtesy of @charlotteofoz. It maintains the voice throughout and perfectly, and while half the feed is indeed movie reviews - always through the filter of Superman - the other half is just Superman talking about his day, and while it was coming out it was probably the best ongoing Superman material of the last several years. If starting at the beginning of the feed to get a feel for it seems too ominous, worth it though it may be, a good sample would be the more traditional short story she did connected to it, a Superman Halloween spooktacular by the name of Yellowfire.

* Kosmograd Blues: A short story by The Quantum Thief and Invisible Planets author Hannu Rajaniemi focused on a Russian Superman analog, it’s a beautifully written, somber story of a superman who’s long since lost what made his own life worthwhile, but knows he still has a job to do. This was to be one part of a series of superhero short stories set in a larger world he had built - he wrote a little more about the details of it once - but to my knowledge this was all that ever came out of it.

* Kahlil: An ongoing webcomic by Kumail Rizvi in which the last son of Krypton landed in Karachi; it’s been awhile since I last checked in on it, but I recall it being very good, with some spectacular artwork making the few moments thus far of super-ness really pop.

* Superman vs. The Universe: A spiritual cousin to Joe Keatinge’s Strange Visitor, this is the story of an all-powerful Superman at the end of time looking back on his existence as he prepares for his last duty; the prose is stilted in places, but there are enough great ideas and emotional moments in here to make it more than worth your time.

* Repairing The World: I’ll admit some bias up front since the author’s a friend of mine, but starlightify’s DCU series of fanfics - largely centered around Superman and Batman - are a lot of fun, very funny and heartfelt. Some good samplers with Superman would be Salutation and Canidae.

* Silver Age Superman: I’ve never gotten my hands on this semi-legendary bootleg 1990 comic by Ed Pinsent and Mark Robinson, but the likes of Al Ewing and phenomenal comics critic Colin Smith have both declared this comic - starring by my understanding perhaps the most alienated version of its title character ever - among their absolute favorite Superman stories, and their word is more than good enough for me; if you see it out in the wild, I’d absolutely say pick it up. And grab a copy for me, would ya?

* Luthor’s Gift/Starwinds Howl: Bizarre as it is to list any Superman work of Elliot S! Maggin’s as fanfiction when he’s one of the characters’ most beloved writers, I suppose that is what these two stories count as given that they’ve only ever been published online and maybe in a fanzine or two to my knowledge rather than with DC’s official sanction, and they’re absolutely of a piece with his novels Last Son of Krypton and Miracle Monday. The latter is his take on how Krypto arrived on Earth; the former shows how Superman finally left Earth around the end of the 21st century the way he often hinted at in his other works.

* Tales of Smallville: Near as I can tell, I’m the only person on the face of the Earth - other than maybe Elliot Maggin, who endorsed these stories himself - who’s aware that on the site supermanthrutheages, Samuel Hawkins posted a series of 4 Superboy stories; him revealing himself to the world, his first big adventure with the Legion of Superheroes, a memorable dinner with a guest, and Martha Kent on her deathbed. On these stories, I know two things. 1. Posterity will unquestionably not validate him. It’s a handful of Silver/Bronze-Age Superboy fanfics on an out-of-the-way fansite, no one will remember them. And 2. He is a Morrison/Ennis/Maggin-tier Superman writer. If I have ever written anything in my life on Superman that you’ve agreed on, for the love of god at least read Martha’s Story, it might honestly be my favorite Superman story other than All-Star.

So along with those recommendations, I do have to throw a request on top: I vaguely recall having once read a short story somewhere online years ago about a Superman-type hero found in a field as an infant by farmers - one’s an alcoholic and one sleeps around, but they clean up their acts for the sake of the kid. He grows up to become a superhero and occasionally fights a Lex Luthorish scientist with an appropriately alliterative name who accuses him of impeding societal progress. Eventually, the hero flies off into space once everyone he knows dies, returning occasionally to Earth as he feels drawn back, to defend it, or rule it, or just wander it in obscurity; his longest and last stay is when he falls in love with a woman who he meets at a restaurant, when she’s the first in all those thousands of years to make apple pie as good as his mother’s. Eventually, he lives to the end of the universe, where he finds himself rocketing back through time and de-aging, crash-landing in a field and completing the time-loop. If anyone could point me in a direction towards it, it’d be very much appreciated; I don’t even recall if it’s any good, but I’ve been trying to find it for years and it’s the principle of the thing at this point.

[nofomoartworld]

Gerard Way’s ‘Doom Patrol’ Comic Continues to Amaze

Panel selection from Doom Patrol #4. Illustrated by Nick Derington, colors by Tamra Bonvillain. Screencap via the author

Each week, The Creators Project seeks out the best and brightest from the comics industry.

Kelly Thompson is the writer of an astonishing four comics currently on shelves: Jem and the Holograms, The Misfits, Mega Princess, and Hawkeye for Marvel. This week, she speaks to The Creators Project about some of her favorite new comics and what she thinks of the industry as a whole. “I buy far more books every week than I can possibly stay on top of,” Thompson explains, “so I am always falling behind. As much as reading comics inspires me and is important to creating great comics, there's also some truth that if I'm busy reading comics I'm not busy enough writing them. It's a tough balance!” She’s particularly excited for “the re-publishing of the book Loose Ends #1 by Jason Latour, Chris Brunner, and Rico Renzi... I also bought and read Saga #42, which is remains one of the most amazing books around. The consistency in the storytelling, the emotional investment it’s managed, not to mention the insanely creative world building is second to none. Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan are the ultimate dream team. Wonder Woman #15. I haven't actually read it yet this week, but it's top of my pile when I get back to my ‘stack.’”

When asked about the state of current comics, Kelly Thompson says she’s conflicted. “On the one hand I think there are more great, interesting, smart, and innovative books out there than ever before,” says Thompson. “We've got an absolute embarrassment of riches, especially on the creator-owned front. On the other hand, apparently you maybe can have too much of a good thing? I think market saturation is making it harder than ever for some of those great books—creator owned and licensed —to be sustainable. The comic market remains a pretty niche industry and X number of people only have X number of dollars to spend and when there's so much out there, something’s got to give. Which makes it more important than ever to work toward expanding the industry and diversifying. Change is painful but it's vital in order to have growth.”

Reviewed this week: the impeccable Doom Patrol, a fast and fun G. I. Joe comic, beautiful manga artwork, and snow-covered Hellboy.

Doom Patrol #4

Cover for Doom Patrol #4. Illustrated by Nick Derington. Photo courtesy DC Comics/Young Animal.

The wonderfully strange comic reboot about misfit heroes on the periphery of the DC Universe returns with issue #4, written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Nick Derington. This issue focuses on an interstellar jailbreak, the surprise loss of a limb, and a convention of negative spirits. Way continues to tell a pleasantly complex story, and Nick Derington’s artwork has reached its apex in this issue. His linework, panel layout and composition, and effortless style (matched with Tamra Bonvillain’s colors) are some of the best in the business right now, and couldn't have found a better fit than Doom Patrol. As a bonus, this issue features a few extra pages of illustrations by pop culture artist Brandon Bird (of the Jerry Orbach Memorial Art Car fame) entitled “Bane’s Coloring Corner.” The pages feature coloring book-style illustrations of Bane giving life affirming lessons to the reader/colorer. It’s a perfect ending to one of the best comics of the month, and an absolute must-read.

G.I. Joe #2

Cover for G.I. Joe #2. Illustrated by Aaron Conley. Photo courtesy IDW Comics.

Written by Aubrey Sitterson (who spoke with us about his favorite new comics a few weeks back) and illustrated by Giannis Milonogiannis, the new G.I. Joe series for IDW is pure nostalgia and playfulness. Sitterson writes his Joes with big, bold personalities, and Milonogiannis draws them in a way so action-oriented they may as well have 16 points of articulation. This issue sees the team splitting up between an evil biker gang in Mongolia and a group of anarchists using dangerous symbology in Athens, Greece. There isn’t much angst, and this isn’t a “darker take” on G.I. Joe. Instead, it’s all action, all intrigue, and will absolutely scratch that Saturday morning cartoon itch.

Manga of the Week: Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth Side: P4 #23

Cover for Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth Side: P4 #23. Illustrated by Mizunomoto. Image courtesy Kodansha Comics

Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth Side: P4 #23 is the latest chapter in a manga based on the Persona series of role-playing video games. The story of Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth, essentially, follows groups of characters from various Persona games as they’re trapped in a maze full of monsters. This issue sees them battling against a giant clock-monster, and even though the plot could be plenty confusing for the uninitiated, the artwork is perfect for the genre. It’s fast-paced, frenetic, and completely captures a nice video game aesthetic. If the story sounds interesting, readers should go and read back volumes. But if there are readers out there who want to soak in some incredible action illustration, this issue #23 is highly recommended.

Hellboy Winter Special 2017

Cover for Hellboy Winter Special 2017. Illustrated by Sebastian Fiumara and Dave Stewart. Photo courtesy Dark Horse Comics

This year’s Hellboy Winter Special features three short tales all set at varying times in the Hellboy universe. The first takes place in 1891 and concerns a freak snowstorm and the odd artifact that may have caused it; the second takes place in the 1960s and features a possessed Santa Claus; and the third is set in 1979 and features a chilling witch story. All three, though short, are perfect little tales, tightly-wound and clicking along like clockwork. The artists for each perfectly match the story and writing style, and the end result is a comic that offers up tons of fan service to die-hards, and is still a blast to read for newcomers.

Panel selection from Hellboy Winter Special 2017. Illustrated by Sebastian Fiumara. Screencap via the author

What were your favorite pulls of the week? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter: @CreatorsProject

Related:

Giant Monsters Smash the Marvel Universe in This Week’s Best Comics

Mr. Freeze has No Chill in This Week’s Comic Roundup

The 'U.S.Avengers' Are the American Heroes We Deserve

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