#I suppose Brian has the comfort of knowing he has a presence in multiple universes

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Anonymous asked… What is your take on Bruce Banner's love interest? Whether we’re mutuals or not, feel free to ask me about Bruce!

Oh, this is a good question, and something I haven’t discussed in months. Thanks for asking it!

This version of Bruce is hopelessly in love with Betty Ross. He’ll always love her, even if they’re miles apart, and both of them have moved on and dismissed the hopes of seeing each other again. Even if Bruce were to meet someone else, his feelings for her would remain in perpetuity.

I’ve written some headcanons with someone (she's no longer on tumblr, sadly) where Bruce and Betty met in a library during their university years, and the whole dynamic was very much a friends-to-romance one. Their earlier interactions were essentially the "study buddies" kind, and I imagine it was the combination of their shared work and interests, and the comfortability in talking about that stuff, that snowballed into other conversations and ultimately, a romantic relationship. And it continued up until Bruce's accident.

This pairing has always been very special to me because, unlike the others, Betty was the first person to see a far more vulnerable side of Bruce. Bruce has always been an extremely closed-off and reticent person; he hates revealing too much about himself because he feels this information could be abused somehow; that somebody would take issue with what he was telling them, just like how Brian would react vehemently whenever he watched educational children’s television shows, or played with certain toys. Betty was the first person that Bruce felt comfortable enough to open up to, in multiple manners. Not only would he discuss Brian with her (granted, sometimes he didn’t say much, but even dropping a few tiny mentions of Brian was huge for him), but he also felt like he could simply be himself around her. He didn’t need to keep his guard up around Betty like he did around other people. He was still sky, awkward, and nerdy around Betty, but he could voice his opinions more confidently in her presence. And the adaptation I've been writing with; she’s a slightly more modern version of the character — soft and gentle, but she has a temper of her own and a tangible boldness in certain situations, and it can be a subtle juxtaposition to Bruce’s own personality at times. It’s quite lovely.  

There are other aspects of the relationship, here and there, that I also love. In "The Incredible Hulk" (2008), Betty could swear that she saw some aspect of Bruce in the Hulk, and Bruce refused to accept such a possibility at first, because he believed the Hulk was a sentient and autonomous being — a belief that had grown over the years, predominantly because of his immense guilt and an unconscious desire to reduce his sense of culpability. If the Hulk somehow wasn’t him, its destructive actions were no longer entirely his fault. But after the Chitauri invasion, at which point he was able to remember his actions as the Hulk, and self-assess his behaviour in that state, Bruce realized she was correct about everything. If it wasn’t for Betty and the statement she made, he may not have fully accepted the Hulk as a part of himself — as himself, and he would’ve been stuck in denial for years. Lots of his development can be attributed to Betty, even if they aren’t in touch anymore.

Not only this, but Bruce met Betty during a time where he hadn’t experienced all his hardships with Ross. He was nowhere near as world-weary, and while he didn’t trust people much back then, either, it was better than his tendencies nowadays. In that sense, Betty is one of his last few connections to the past, and a time when he was more hopeful and innocent.

But while Bruce can control his condition now, he hasn’t reconnected with Betty. She's been in the dark ever since the Harlem incident, save for glimpses of him on the news here and there.

Bruce does want to see Betty again. He would love to see her. But he’s made some personal discoveries related to his condition that convinced him he’s not a good fit for her, or anyone in general. He doesn’t see himself as completely human anymore, which has become even more of a tangible sentiment ever since his transformations became a typical and even daily occurrence. As a result, there are some philosophical quandaries that prevent him from resuming a romantic relationship with her, or with anyone else. Given his current development trajectory, he would be the Hulk almost constantly in later verses. It’s not an ideal scenario to create a potential relationship from — especially with Betty, because he’s unable to meet some of her needs when he's the Hulk. Additionally, he cannot guarantee Betty’s safety with Ross still around, because he doesn’t know if Ross is still looking for a way to capture him. He suspects there were times in the past when Ross backed off temporarily, like after the Chitauri invasion, because capturing the Hulk at that time would have caused a huge public outcry, but nowadays, he’s unsure where Ross’ intentions lie. He's unwilling to take the risk.

All this being said, Bruce doesn’t expect Betty to remain loyal to him, or vice versa, because he understands the necessity of moving on and not dwelling on the past. It would be melancholic if Bruce discovered that Betty had met someone new, yes (this was certainly the case with Leonard Samson), but ultimately, he would be happy for her, and he’d tell himself that his own feelings don’t matter if it means she’s content and safe. Of course, there is always the possibility that Banner could reach out with letters, or another kind of communication channel. And it's possible that if Ross was gone and the world was more settled, he would meet her in-person, even if he didn't intend to restart a romantic relationship. At that point, there’s nothing stopping them from sharing their work and collaborating professionally, too. This kind of interaction could eventually become the norm. But I don’t really see their relationship shifting to a romantic one again.

So I suppose in the end, I don’t see their relationship as having a cliché happy ending, in the sense that they end up together, are happily married, and are living in their own little cottage somewhere. I see it as a mature progression from young love, to a failed effort to make things work in a terrible situation, and then an acceptance of knowing, while their situation has improved, it’s still not going to work out. And they both have the courage to run with things and make the best of it. Betty would be understanding of Bruce’s situation, as she’s always been, and in concurrence, Bruce would be happy as well, because he knows Betty can have a romantic relationship with someone who completely presents as human. They can still work together too, which is a callback to how their relationship first began in the library. And it continues to build on all the trust and confidence they initially showed each other, and continued to show each other, over the years.

So it’s very bittersweet.

I’m also going to mention the pairing of Bruce and Natasha, because I need to assert that I do enjoy this ship! As a matter of fact, it’s something I’ve enjoyed for years and years. I was one of the wierdos who was shipping them soon after the release of The Avengers, earlier than most to the point where the tag was completely blank. I guess for me, there was something unique about their dynamic in The Avengers that stood out from Bruce’s other interactions. Natasha was ordered to approach the doctor in Kolkata, and at that point, she had seen the Hulk's capabilities in-person during her involvement in the Culver University incident. Her distrust of Bruce and his alter ego was justified, especially given her personal experiences with everything, and while it may (or may not) have lessened over the course of the film, Natasha clearly came to respect Bruce at the very least, and she understood the benefits of not only putting his intellect to good use, but the Hulk itself. During the final battle, Bruce had come on his own volition and was fully prepared to transform, but she still made the active effort to tell him the Hulk was valuable. Given her past experiences with the Hulk, this meant a lot coming from her. And it's clear this wasn't just a "tactical" choice on her part; if she didn't say anything, the outcome wouldn't have been any different. This was a nice way to end the film and create a foundation for their future development between them. If their relationship continued to open up, I could certainly see them developing feelings for each other.

But the next film... Eugh. I was gravely disappointed by the sudden schoolgirl-crush syndrome that Natasha was demonstrating, which was unrealistic in itself (I'll explain my reasoning in a bit), and the total handwaving of everything that led up to it, which ultimately did nothing but break Natasha’s character and make it difficult for most of the audience to accept what was happening. Because... What initially made Natasha go from having a reluctant admiration for him, to downright falling for him? We did not see the process, or the catalysts. They had jumped from Point A to Point Y, and we saw nothing of the points in between. So the whole thing immediately fell apart for me.

A common argument I see in defense of Natasha’s behaviour is, simply put, she’s in love, so it’s natural for her to act a little kooky. However, love doesn’t have the effect of completely negating deeply-ingrained character aspects, especially fundamental traits. And Natasha has many traits that are the complete antithesis of how she was behaving in that movie. It’s the same as seeing Christopher Nolan's Bruce Wayne, a normally close-mouthed and subtle character, gushing, nudging up to, and grinning like a little boy around Rachel Dawes. It doesn’t make sense... So why is it suddenly acceptable for Natasha?

In that sense, I could also presume that Natasha’s behaviour was Joss Whedon’s misogynistic projection of how he, himself, believes a woman in love should behave. There’s a real possibility, given how Natasha was characterized in earlier MCU films, versus how she was acting in this movie, that Whedon threw out her characterization in favour of playing out a fantasy; a stereotype. And unluckily for him, that stereotype (as the word itself implies) does not fit all people or characters. So it was noticeable, and not in a good way.

And honestly... I’m disappointed that this disaster has caused so many people to discount the ship as a whole, even though that film was simply one poor adaptation of it. People also tend to dismiss the pairing because they believe Bruce and Natasha are too different. But they both have trust issues. They both have experiences where they’ve been used for other peoples’ goals. Natasha has seen a very vulnerable and intimate side of Bruce that most people never have (that look he gave her before he transformed on the helicarrier, honestly, was completely unlike the self-composure he obsessively tried to convey in all their prior interactions)... And frankly, I'm sick of hearing about the “age gap” between them, because my aunt and uncle were twelve years apart, and they were happily married for decades. Not to mention, Bruce and Natasha have been through countless hardships, and they probably have a lot more common ground than many people with an “age gap”.

So if things were properly written? That would have been phenomenal, I think. The potential was certainly there in the first movie; it’s just a shame those foundations were ignored and not directly built on.

But that’s enough salt from me!

As for this Bruce in particular... I can see him having a relationship with Natasha in the earlier part of his timeline, before the Sokovia incident occurred. There would've been a lot of opportunities for their relationship to develop, especially because Bruce wasn't just working with the Avengers; he joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and was working on the same helicarrier as Natasha for around a year, too. He would've avoided her a lot, but I can easily see Natasha approaching him eventually, or them running into each other and trying to reconcile. Especially once Bruce remembers everything that happened during the helicarrier incident, and how scared Natasha was. He had offered Natasha a brief apology during the Chitauri invasion, but after those memories were dredged up, it would suddenly become insufficient.

But during or after the Sokovia incident, I doubt they would start a relationship with each other. This is simply because Natasha caused Bruce a lot of turmoil around this time, and afterwards. She betrayed his trust during the Sokovia battle by forcing him to transform, which also worsened an issue that Bruce was currently having with his condition. Her support of the Sokovia Accords didn't help either, because Bruce was vehemently against them from the very beginning, having seen Ross’ wish to exploit the Hulk’s abilities, and he feared this would continue on a much greater scale if the Accords were ratified, with hundreds (if not thousands) of identified superhumans now vulnerable. I hesitate to say Bruce will never trust Natasha again, but while he could probably reach a tentative comfortability around her, a romantic relationship might be asking too much. There’s simply too much negative history between them, a lot of which entails broken trust. And once Bruce’s trust in someone is broken, well, it’s monumentally difficult to restore.

[renaramblesaboutcomics]

Wednesday Roundup 8.30.2017

We have quite a varied bundle today and I’m pretty excited for a lot of these. We’re getting some interesting developments on some storylines, some beautiful conclusions to others, and we’ve got some... hm. as well. Of course, wasting just a touch of time here so lets just jump into it since I’m getting this Roundup in right on the wire ; ) 

Image’s Black Magick, DC’s Gotham City Garage, DC’s Harley Quinn and Batman, IDW’s Ghostbusters 101, Kodansha’s Princess Jellyfish, DC’s Wonder Woman

Image’s Black Magick (2015-present) #7 Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott

Oh my gosh do I love this book, do I love this aesthetic, do I just adore every thought and texture put into it. As much as I absolutely, positively adored Rucka and Scott working together on Wonder Woman, it’s a truly wonderful thing to have Black Magick aailable to read again. And what an issue we have.

Story: There’s obviously quite a bit going on in Black Magick at this point. Rowan’s job as a detective is getting testier since, being pulled in multiple directions has led her to be disconcerting for her partner and it’s beginning to come to a head, especially as his own personal life is getting more complicated by the minute. And it’s amazing how tense her procedural drama elements feel when the whole time one’s nerves are being wracked by whether or not she’s going to blow her cover as a real witch. At the same time she’s beginning to really embrace the heritage that she has been flippant with all this time at best, not training her magic abilities or honing her family’s passed down skills until now. And in this issue you can really see the literal fire lit within her at last now that her closest friends are being threatened by the actions of this mysterious witch hunting society.

Art: Nicola Scott’s art is positively gorgeous, of course, but what really stands out about Black Magick is the use of tones rather than colors except for important magical effects in each issue. It gives a truly other worldly feel to the comic and draws your eyes to the textures used from the leather of Rowan’s jacket to the flickering of flames which gives it such a unique experience compared even to black and white comics. I really appreciate and feel inspired by the bold choices being used here.

Characters & Dialogue: Rucka is fantastic for giving all of his characters very distinct ways of talking, so much so that I feel like without seeing who a word bubble is directed toward most times I can already hear who it’s coming from. And I felt that was probably most significant in the precinct and when Rowan and her partner were on their stakeout. I love how well he understands characters and how to really portray so much with just the right word choice for each character. It’s so fantastically appreciated. 

IDW’s Ghostbuster 101 (2016-2017) #6 (of 6) Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, Luis Antonio Delgado

I am so sad to see this amazing, hilarious crossover come to its end but the journey has been well worth it, and I’ve heard that Answer the Call’s team is going to be getting a book which means we’re bound more lovely, fun adventures with the girl team coming soon. And I have to admit, I simply love that everything came together just as well as it did. Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening have absolutely mastered this franchise in a way I don’t think anything else can truly compete with and I’m so grateful for their positive and honestly loving portrayal of the Ladybusters throughout this comic.

Story: We’re at the end, so obviously there was quite a lot to wrap up -- saving both dimensions, giving as many characters defining moments as possible, so on and so forth. And it felt just as large and bombastic as one would hope as the different styles of both sets of Ghostbusters really got to be explored, things were figured out, and we even got some hints about how the multiverse versions of different characters might have been. It’s a truly inspired effort, honestly. And I just loved the conclusion.

How the six issues as a whole have been, I have to admit this is entirely satisfying. I make it no secret that, to me, comics best length of a long story is four issues, with six always tending to have a lot of flab that we could all benefit from trimming up. But this is a rare occasion where I felt there was no fat. Even with a bit of a slow first issue, this series was pretty much defined by its shockingly large cast and paying off the years of faithful attentiveness paid by the fans of the comics through all these years. It wasn’t just an introduction for the Answer the Call Ghostbusters into the comic universe, it was a celebration of all the change the franchise has experienced for the past thirty years. And that’s just quite plainly unique and satisfying on both a story and on a meta level.

Art: Dan Schoening’s style has become so synonymous with Ghostbusters that I practically can’t imagine how they would look outside of that style. It’s so distinct and yet the charicatures feel so perfect for the characters’ portrayals within the movies. This is the height of stylized art for me. That being said, I did think it’s a bit off putting how  that signature style wasn’t always in full effect for the Answer the Call cast. As cartoony and expressive as the regular Ghostbusters are, the Ladybusters did tend to have that more realistic style Schoening sometimes has for side characters in the regular Ghostbusters books. I do think that it changed as he got more comfortable with the characters over the issues, particularly with Holtzmann, but there was a lot of give and take for the first few issues. This issue though was near perfection, and I loved the distinction between the entire lineup and how you could immediately identify who everyone was by glance. 

Characters & Dialogue: Like I said, Burnham just owns this franchise as far as I’m concerned and as far as my love for it all goes. He has a distinct and unique voice not just for the original cast but for every character who has ever been involved with the franchise and he carries that distinct presence with every new character added, every old character reinvented, and every new franchise add on that needs to be folded into the IDW comics. Quite frankly, I love it, and the sheer amount of love for these characters and all of their potentials is what makes me continue to read the IDW comics after years and years of following them. 

DC’s Gotham City Garage (2017-present) #2 Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Brian Ching

Well, I did give the comic a good try, and I don’t necessarily think there’s all that much wrong with it. In fact I could see it becoming a fan favorite rather quickly online in the same vein as a lot of other Digital First endeavors have here on tumblr. But for me, issue #2 just comes to prove that while the components exist for what DC has seen work for them in the past there, there’s not really a clear presentation here that would give me any more confidence in the narrative than, say, Ame-Comi Girls which found too much direction after squandering around a bit to advertise the figurine line. So I don’t think I’ll be following Gotham City Garage longer. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say a good amount of that is because I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why it’s centered around Gotham. I mean. They’re in the middle of a desert. Without resources. Gotham has never since its inception not been a city with a giant harbor that gets poisoned every three minutes. The main characters outside of Selina and Harley have nothing to do with Gotham. The main villain is Lex Luthor. Why. What. Who. Whatever.

Story: I stand by the fact that the story for this comic has really fallen flat for me since the first issue. There are just a lot of gaps of logic that it feels like I’m just supposed to fill in myself or ignore until it’s addressed later. And while I’m a huge fan of starting a story with the action and world building through example and casual nuance, there is also way too much happening in far too small of a space that the medium of a short digital comic can really provide. In fact, if I hadn’t known about the statue line, the culture surrounding Mad Max the Road Warrior and Mad Max Fury Road, and the tremendous success DC has had with DC Bombshells, I don’t know for sure if I could confidently tie together everything that’s even happening right now that I do get. And the fact that the most familiar characters in the franchise are acting so outside of the characterizations most audiences would be familiar with isn’t very helpful in arguing against that analysis. If you’re not already a fan of these characters, two issues in there hasn’t been anyone really established save maybe Kara Gordon herself. And if you’re a fan of these characters, the changes in allies, the relationships on display, and just the general atmosphere is so different that you probably won’t be very engaged in figuring out why your favorite isn’t behaving the way you love them to. 

Art: The art’s pretty good, but it’s running into a lot of the problems that most of these Digital First comics I’ve been reviewing have a problem with and that is the rushed feeling to the art, with this comic in particular it comes through most in the background art I feel, especially coloring. 

Characters & Dialogue: Like I said before, I’m not sure who these characterizations are supposed to appeal to, but I’m fairly confident in saying that at least for these two first issues we don’t have a lot to work with because it’s just too many all at once, which isn’t learning from what made things like DC Bombshells and even, to an extent, Injustice work -- that being the slow introduction building our relationships with characters and their parts in the world before moving forward to giant team ups and so on and so forth. 

DC’s Harley Quinn and Batman (2017) #2 (of 6)  Ty Templeton, Rick Burchett

I am like. On a whole new plane of self consciousness and worry about this comic now that I connected the dots that this probably came about because of the direct to dvd feature cartoon Batman and Harley Quinn which recently came out and, yes, I’m aware of how pathetically obvious that loos in hindsight. But like. Just for clarification I almost used the picture for this review being one of the shots of Harley walking around in her underwear to be like “Rick Burchett doesn’t draw double ass” which I think sums up my feelings on the animated feature pretty well. 

Story: While I am concerned about how much influence the animated movie is going to ultimately haveon this comic’s storyline, I have to admit that there’s a very basic love in me instilled from childhood to just have my heartstrings automatically pulled by the concentration on the relationship between Harvey and Ivy. They’re genuinely one of my favorite relationships in all the the DCAU let alone Gotham, and it’s just so full of complexity and intrigue. But most importantly, we see an abuse victim like Harley moving into a relationship -- regardless of whether or not you see it as romantic or not oo-- where her emotions are validated and received openly by a partner. Not only that, but her intellect and unique perspective is valued by Ivy unlike with the Joker, which makes this issue a complete stark comparison to the previous issue. 

As for Ivy’s henchman..... I don’t know. Guess we’ll see where that goes. It’s kinda offputting for now because I’m not used to Ivy playing well with anyone but Harley, though I’m certain itl’l be a plot point. 

And man do I hope that’s Ivy’s mind controlling cereal from Batman: Gotham Adventures because that callback alone would make this series immediately worth it. 

Art: I mentioned with the first issue both how I’m a fan of Rick Burchett’s art and also how I try to be pretty lenient with Digital First comics because I know the time scale for these are massively shrunk from what artists in the industry have grown accustomed to. 

I think those defenses fall a little flat now that it’s apparent that unlike some other series, this isn’t a weekly updated comic, and the page count is still rather short considering the medium, so my excuses sort of dry out here. There’s a lot of off model art, bland gradient backgrounds, and the such. But at the same time... $0.99 comics on the regular is something you basically can’t find from any of the other mainstream comic companies. 

It’s by no means terrible, but it’s definitely ushed. And the colors are very uninspired, even tones throughout with no attention to lighting or difference that would result from lighting scene to scene. 

All that said, it gets a huge positive thumbsup from me for the simple reason that Rick Burchett remembered what so many forget -- Harley and Ivy have different body types and Harley’s the taller and more lean of the two. It’s glorious to see that played out in a hug. 

Characters & Dialogue: Considering my rather large apprehensions I had and still have with this series, it’s honestly rather enjoyable to see that the voices of the characters comes through so clearly -- arguably more clear than in the previous issue. Harley and Ivy really steal the show throughout the issue, but the short moments between Bruce and Dick are pretty fun too. Ty Templeton obviously has a lot of experience writing for the DCAU version of Batman at this point, but it’s always such a comfort to see my favorite version of the character handled by people who really seem to understand the things that make Batman admirable to begin with, including the occasional sense of humor like we get when Bruce needles Dick slightly by taking the opportunity from him to make a pun. I hope this consistency continues throughout!

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2015-present) #22 Brandon Montclair, Natacha Bustos, Tamra Bonvillain

I don’t think there has been a more surprisingly lovely Marvel comic in the last few years than the always amazing, all-ages Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. I’ve been asked plenty of times to rec comics specifically for younger kids who want to follow superheroes, and the continuing pleasure I’ve gotten from being able to answer with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is truly something else.

Story: We seem to be closing up on the space adventures (and out of the territory of being forced to deal with Secret Empire as a crossover so ha take that editorial) with Lunella confronting the epitome of her own loneliness and fear of alienation through the form of the Girl-Moon. At the same time, Robo-Lunella and Doombot cause havoc for poor Mr. and Mrs. Lafayette who just want to take their daughter to an eye doctor’s appointment. What’s getting more and more emphasized, mostly in Lunella’s absence, is that her parents are increasingly worried about the distance and lack of relatability they have with their own daughter which sadly is beginning to come to a head not only outside of Lunella’s periphery but while she’s completely off planet. And their concern with her genius as well as her part time shenanigans as a superhero are driving especially her mother to lose patience. Hopefully, after “one last adventure” Lunella and Devil will come home and straighten things out. 

It still astounds me just how much emotional maturity and clarity this comic has while still being simple enough that a very young reader could read and enjoy it. It’s also amazing how inventive this comic is, with adventures that would come straight out of the Silver Age but without the on the nose camp sensibilities or feeling entirely out of tone with modern comics. It’s just a good comic embracing the absurdity of what only good comics can do. 

Art: I’m obviously still a huge fan and just love the art style for this comic, but one thing I really want to emphasize on this issue in particular is just how amazing and awe inspiring the choices in color were throughout, especially in space. Everything was jaw droppingly gorgeous and I just wish I had a third of the talent for picking color palettes.

Characters & Dialogue: Lunella’s still a great protagonist, but I was surprised that this issue really didn’t focus on her development as much as I would have thought it could. I actually felt the characters who received the most development even with far less page time were her parents, whose frustrations and concerns were clearly demonstrated and highly sympathetic. It’s just so good to see a story from a child’s perspective understand the nuances and difficulties of a parent-child relationship without being all perfect or all awful.

Kodansha’s Princess Jellyfish (2008-2017) Chapter 84 Akiko Higashimura

All good things must come to an end, and nothing is more true to that saying this week than Akiko Higashimura’s nine year long epic about strange nerdy girls, sexual identity, and overcoming the cruelty of politics and poverty, Princess Jellyfish. I have been reading this manga for years, adored the twelve episode anime based on it, and am a little stunned and beyond words right now that we are actually at an end for what has become one of my favorite manga.

So here I go, giving my final review and a fond farewell to Princess Jellyfish.

Story: The hardest thing to explain about Princess Jellyfish has to be the story itself because, well, it’s sort of beyond explanation. Sure it’s a slice-of-life, sure it’s a Coming of Age narrative, sure it’s a story about the nuances of trauma and damage and how to overcome them all unique to the strengths of each individual character. But as structured as genre usually is in manga, at least that which gets transcribed and popularized here in the USA, I’ve never felt like any category accurately described Princess Jellyfish as a whole. 

Halfway through the first arc, we watch it transition into a drama set with the fashion world as its backdrop, there’s political intrigue throughout, the question of gender gets constructed, deconstructed, and reconstructed again with this finale ultimately deciding once and for all to prove to the women of the Nunnery that their love and appreciation of Kuranosuke has no gender itself, and that people they have loved and cherished all along have been kept at arm’s length by their own stony attempts at self-preservation. Not the other way around. 

Ultimately I personally have a difficult time pegging this to a genre, even romance, because at the end of the day, it’s not romantic love that really saves everyone, though there is that. By the end of this last chapter, the love that saves all of them is the love of themselves that they inspired each other to find. Kuranosuke and Tsukimi most of all have come to love all parts of themselves and each other without really putting it to words before this last issue, and that’s what makes the ending so powerful as all the threads, all the plots, everything comes colliding together for a conclusion with Kuranosuke reuniting with his mother, Tsukimi learning that her mother truly meant she had been a princess all along and she didn’t need to change, to the Amamizukan’s being themselves for a fashion show and realizing they can brave a crowd. 

Everything is beautiful and lovely, and I’m so grateful for it. 

Art: I think when most people imagine manga or anime, there is a very specific aesthetic that has become somewhat standard for the medium. Which is somewhat sad in a sense because it really undermines how much style and variation there actually can be, and the simple, sweet, and almost solid looking style of Princess Jellyfish is one of the first examples that really comes to my mind. It’s very distinct and very much a product of Higashimura’s work more than anything else. 

These later chapters, especially this finale, have a much more vibrant use of tones than previous chapters, which do give more depth to the images and add to the art’s complexity more, but it’s still so soft and not distracting that the real star is again just that distinguishable style. 

Characters & Dialogue: I want to focus on the true magic of the entire manga but especially this conclusion: Tsukimi and Kuranosuke. For as much as I find it difficult to label Princess Jellyfish as a comic, I don’t share those difficulties with how I feel about the lead characters. Tsukimi and Kuranosuke are amazing, round, complex, and deeply flawed people who tuly improved each other over the span of 84 chapters. In different ways, they needed to learn confidence and love for parts of themselves that they had never been able to love before, and as they did so, they drew strength from one another that helped a friendship and love deepen between the two of them that is so unique and so unlike almost any other kind of romance I’ve seen before. I truly believe not only that Kuranosuke loves Tsukimi, but that he truly means it when he says that he just wants to be with her, that platonically, romantically -- he needs her because she helped him learn to be a better, more confident, more caring person. 

And Tsukimi, I am so proud of her. I feel like I’ve watched her actually grow into a person in ways few characters can. We conquer depression, anxiety, trauma, loss, social duress, and self-loathing in ways that I can’t say I’ve seen tackled so deftly by others before. And all the while, Tsukimi maintained her signature weirdness and enjoyability all the way. 

I just love this story and love these characters. And I’m so grateful that I had the pleasure of reading Princess Jellyfish for myself. 

Image’s Saga (2012-present) #46 Fiona Staples, Brian K. Vaughn

Every time a new issue of Saga is released, an angel gets its wings. Or a devil grows its horns. Really, who knows who the real faults lie with in the confusing grays of war. If you can’t tell, I adore Saga on a deeply personal level and I feel like so few comics have ever held up to its standards of imaginativity, difficult subject matter, and just all around fantastic character building. Probably none because Saga is one of a kind and it is truly just owned by Fiona Staples’ art as much as it is Brian K. Vaughn’s seemingly boundless creativity.

Story: This issue is incredibly heavy, arguably the heaviest of any issue of Saga to date and considering the kinds of things that are touched on by this comic? That’s an honest to god accomplishment. But sometimes, you’re just unexpectedly given a speech on the difficulties of being realistic about black-and-white views of the world like being pro-life vs pro-choice by a naked six titted coyote alien and it’s one of the most visceral and understanding presentations of the argument you’ve seen in media that both firmly takes a side without demonizing the viewpoint of the opposition. And that’s just the A side of the tape. B side we’ve got Robot and Petrichor wavering between saving one another, hating one another, drinking with one another, and plain and simple tapping that like there’s no tomorrow. All while talking about issues of trans gender acceptance, gender fluidity, suicidal thoughts, mourning the deaths of loved ones, and all without faltering on the facts that Robot’s a pompous ass and Petrichor is needlessly antagonistic and looking for excuses to throw down. 

Art: What’s there to say. The art is the story. Fiona Staples is easily one of the greatest talents in the industry, every panel she draws breathes a whole new life into the comic, and her unique character designs and ability to make the most outlandish concepts for anatomy and just life in general are beyond compare. There is just so much attention to detail and so many little emotional choices folded into every pen stroke I just love it. 

Characters & Dialogue: I cannot believe I didn’t see Robot and Petrichor’s kiss coming. I have no idea why I didn’t. But I’m not only sincerely amazed by it but I am more than ready to see where this gets them. Other... than probably dead because this is Saga after all. It’s less safe than Game of Thrones. In any case, everyone’s amazing and I especially love how  Marko’s flaws are becoming more pronounced and just apparent in general in the narrative. He’s not always the voice of reason and he’s not always right and while Alana’s impulsiveness and crudeness generally makes her mistakes more pronounced, the weight of Marko’s own shortcomings and the way so much of his own will has driven them toward many of the places they’ve been throughout the plot is becoming more apparent. I think that’s important, and just as important is beginning to see how young Hazel matures and grows into the jaded worldview of narrator Hazel, as she’s already seen so much and gone through so much that she can’t even remember the eyes of her best friend anymore after his death. 

Like I said, super heavy issue. 

DC’s Wonder Woman (2017-present) #29 Shea Fontana, Inaki Miranda, Romulo Fajardo Jr.

We are continuing with “Heart of the Amazon” and Shea Fontana’s leading role as the new writer of Wonder Woman after Greg Rucka’s stellar run. And while there’s no doubt that we are dealing with a different beast tonally and story wise, the spirit of Wonder Woman is as strong as ever and continues to exceed my expectations for this creative team switch.

Story: Diana’s protectiveness of her friends -- her only real family off of Themyscira -- continues to be emphasized in this arc and it really highlights something that that I feel like was my main reason for always being apprehensive about too much focus on the Steve Trevor romance in previous incarnations of Wonder Woman, and that’s that too often he is focused on to the detriment to her relationships with female friends, female villains, family, goddesses, and so on. But Fontana waited to bring Steve in on this storyline for just that reason, I feel, and because of that wait, their love and romance doesn’t take away from the platonic and other relationships which mean just as much to Diana, to the point that she’s willing to walk right into what is obviously a trap for them. Fontana gets it, she really gets where Diana’s heart lies and it’s what makes me look forward to reading these issues. 

That said, I am hoping that after this storyline we get some more fantastical Wondy stories from Fontana because I’m curious about her take not only on Themyscira but on Diana’s relationship with the deities in general. Especially after the conclusion of “The Lies”. 

Art: I think honestly that art is going to be my biggest point of contention on this run. In all fairness, they’re following up some of the best artists in comics right now, but at the same time it feels like we’re getting a very rushed version of this artist’s work. Probably not helped by the incredibly tight schedule we have right now of a bimonthly comic release. That said, other than nitpicks from me personally, I appreciate that the artist understands how to draw Diana toned (even if a bit too thin), with a more matured face, and most importantly of all tall as heck. 

Characters & Dialogue: Everyone has a distinct voice and a really honestly pretty in depth perspective on everything that’s happening right now. We are visibly seeing Diana’s opinions and concerns being morphed on the page, and likewise the reactions of Steve and Etta feel timely and consistent with the actions of the moment. I really appreciate what a solid read Fontana seems to have on everyone so far and am happy to see it keep up consistently. 

Now for my picks of the week. And if you can’t tell that I’m cheating this time around and picking multiple comics... uhhh well, that’s what’s happening. Because I am just absolutely floored by so many great comics this week and it really came down on the wire for me so I decided to settle for explaining why three issues in particular this week really captured my heart and mind. 

First up, Black Magick is a unique experience all on its own already and its continuation has filled me with joy for an old obsession I haven’t had since probably middle school -- that being witches and covens. I love them. From Practical Magic to Hocus Pocus I love witches, I love magic, and I love when their stories are handled intelligently, maturely, and with a really empowering view of the witches in question, which Rowan definitely is. And beyond that, it’s also a procedural drama which is also a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine given how many of those I watched and still watch. It’s just a good mixture of both in a way that only Greg Rucka could tell so captivatingly and with a distinct artistic direction only Nicola Scott could manage so convincingly. 

Next, I jut can’t ignore how amazing Saga is. I feel like it’s unfair almost to put it against other comics every week it comes out because I enjoy this comic on such a visceral and complicated level that I hardly know where to begin. And it’s amazing to me just how predictive and progressive Vaughn manages to be with issues of the day, especially in as relevant of times as there is now. It’s a beautiful comic, a well told comic, and most of all it’s an important comic. And it, along with Black Magick just prove that Image lately has been absolutely firing on all cylinders, I have to say. 

Finally, we had two comics I really enjoyed coming to an end this past week and while there’s no doubt I’ve poured my love for Ghostbusters 101 in many posts, it is difficult to express how happy and sad I am to have read the final chapter of Princess Jellyfish. Not only is this a bit of a nostalgic comic for me, having been something I’ve read for many years now, but it’s just such a pleasant read. I tear up for these characters, for their triumphs and their failures, for their relationships and their screw ups more than I have almost any “slice of life” manga I’ve ever read before and it’s owed entirely to how beautiful the characters are, how unique the view on the fringes of society are, and just how lovingly the story shows that all people, no matter their background no matter their issues, deserve to be princesses. 

And those are my picks of the week, and just my opinions in general. Do you agree with me? Disagree? Think I missed out on picking out a new release? I would love if you let me know!

And finally, another necessary plug: 

I am in a bit of a financial crunch for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which being the medical bills I’m paying for my dog, Eve, who experienced a catastrophic dog fight and underwent surgery recently.

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