#Immortal Iron Fists (2017)

[bookoftheironfist]

Hey! I’ve noticed that since Danny’s not been the Iron Fist his company’s been getting a bit more attention, especially in Gang War, and I was wondering what the deal is with Rand Corp lately? It seems to be quite Tech focused recently, however the last important thing I remember happening with it was in Immortal Iron Fist a few years back when Danny was making it into a Non-Profit. I vaguely remember that still being the deal with it in the Power-Man/Iron Fist series from the early 2010s with Meachum being involved, but I don’t think I’ve read anything where it’s been too important since. Thought I’d see if I could get some answers from you as your Iron Fist knowledge far exceeds mine, and it’d be good to be in the know if it is going to be getting more attention in future comics. Keep up the great blog!🔥

Thank you!

The Rand Corp situation has been difficult to track, and I feel like it's fallen victim to the kind of continuity inconsistency that tends to result from the short runs/frequent creative team changes that Iron Fist has experienced...basically since the 90s. I really appreciate you asking this because it gave me an excuse to go back and take a closer look at the modern Rand Corp timeline which, simply put, is this:

In Immortal Iron Fist, Danny commits to donating away his fortune, which he never really wanted in the first place. At the end of that series he shuts down Rand Corp, sells his penthouse and moves in with Misty, and plans to funnel what's left of his money into his and Misty's kung fu school/youth support center, the Thunder Dojo.

As you mention, by Power Man and Iron Fist volume 2, Danny has transformed the bones of Rand Corp into the Rand Foundation, a humanitarian non-profit, which Joy Meachum steps in to help him run (I think it would have been fun for them to call it the Rand-Meachum Foundation, for old times' sake and full-circle-ness, but hey).

In Defenders (2011), with no explanation or fanfare, we learn that Rand Corp has transformed into Dongxi/Rand (presumably through a merger of some kind). Jeryn Hogarth is back on board, and the company still seems to be involved in transportation technology, including privatized space travel. There's already no mention of the Rand Foundation.

In Living Weapon, the dilapidated tower that formerly housed Rand Corp is taken over by Steel Serpent and the One and then fully destroyed when Danny, um, imbues it with the combined chi of the citizenry of K'un-Lun and transforms it into a giant mech to battle a god (man, I love Living Weapon). Brenda Swanson mentions Danny's charity work during her interview with him in the first issue, but he was also doing charity work long before he shut down Rand Corp. There's no specific mention of the non-profit, and not even any mention of Dongxi/Rand. Defenders (2011) ended (spoiler) with a reality rewrite. Was Donxgi/Rand erased, perhaps?

Power Man and Iron Fist volume 3 is centered around Luke and Danny re-starting Heroes for Hire. No mention is made of Rand Corp or the Rand Foundation.

In Iron Fist volume 5 Danny still has quite a bit of money; he pays a million dollars in cash to a fight club and says the set-up for Shou-Lao in his apartment cost millions, not to mention his security for the Book of the Iron Fist. No explanation is given. There's no mention of Rand Corp or the Rand Foundation.

In Defenders (2017), Danny attends a high-society function on behalf of Rand Corp and personally buys Night Nurse a building. The company seems to be back. I was a bit baffled by this when the series was coming out, but at the time, I took it with a grain of salt because the whole comic felt slightly removed from the normal 616 continuity. Now, however, it fits perfectly into the general confusion surrounding this topic.

Immortal Iron Fists seems to be the most recent official turning point. Rand Corp is definitively stated as being "back up and running" following its destruction in Living Weapon. Danny rides around in a fancy limo. He mentions that a lot of his time is being taken up "running the company" and refers to himself as a "multi-billionaire". No mention of the Rand Foundation. No context or explanation for why he decided to revive Rand Corp. Even Danny's character bio on the title page says that he still "presides over his deceased father's billion-dollar company". It almost feels like a retcon, but Danny has never, ever ridden around in a limo before, so I'm not even sure how to categorize it.

Heart of the Dragon and Iron Fist volume 6 both include vague, fleeting references to Rand Corp, but nothing conclusive. Phantom Limb has nothing at all.

And then we have Gang War, which is written as though Rand Corp has just been around this whole time, doing R&D on cool fight suits for Danny to give to Luke.

The casualness of it all is what leads me to suspect that it was just a big continuity bumble on the part of the various creative teams, rather than an intentional shift in the status quo. I'm not saying that big changes to Danny's world haven't been made with no set-up or explanation before (cough), but I would think that if he were actively bringing the company back as a money-making, tech-creating entity, after being so emphatic about shutting it down, we would have least have had a scene at some point in the past few years of him saying, "You know what? I think I want to revive Rand Corp because...etc." And we haven't. Thus, I'm diagnosing this as a situation where the Rand Foundation non-profit was probably forgotten following PMIF volume 2, which led to the events of the end of Immortal being forgotten, which led to creative teams going "Oh yeah, Danny Rand. He's a rich guy who owns a company, right?" and then just having Rand Corp and Danny's fortune still be a thing because they forgot that they, quite significantly, stopped being one a while ago. Which is a big, frustrating shame, because his decision to dump his father's company and get rid of his money was, I feel, a really important and compelling moment in Danny's journey. As we look towards Danny's future, I'll be curious to see what role Rand Corp might play in this new chapter of his life.

Thanks for the great question!

[meruz]

I just got marvel unlimited and am lost on what to read. Do you have any recs?

I really believe the best way to get into cape comics is to follow your heart and just consume content abt whatever character/concept interests you regardless of whether its good or right or canon. THAT being said if you have a particular character/(s) youre interested in I can probably point u in the right direction? lmk! More generally tho these are recs I kind of just hand out to everyone if they show even vague interest in comics LOL:

New Mutants (1983)

Alias (2001)

New X-Men (2001)

Ms.Marvel (2014)

Hawkeye (2012)

Thor: God of Thunder (2012)

Spider-man and the X-Men (2014)

Daredevil (2014)

Vision (2015)

The Unbelievable Gwenpool (2016)

The Immortal Iron Fists (2017)

House of X/Powers of X (2019)

Can you tell I became a marvel reader in the 2010s LOLL. a lot of these are kind of easy intro and/or self-contained reads there's older runs I don't feel as connected to but still remember positively also. Bendis and Brubaker's Daredevil, the OG Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont, Immortal Iron Fist and The Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four and Avengers. I also really like Bendis' New Avengers and Uncanny X-Men (vol 3) + All New X-Men even though they have their issues.

[bagofbonesmp3]

Marvel Comics Elitist Bracket!

The Dark Phoenix Saga vs. Days of Future Past

Daredevil: Born Again vs. Daredevil (2011)

Elektra: Assassin vs. Elektra & Wolverine: The Redeemer

Fantastic Four: 1234 vs. Sub-Mariner: The Depths

Journey Into Mystery (2011) vs. Loki: Agent of Asgard

Captain America: The Winter Soldier vs. Truth: Red, White and Black

Logan (2008) vs. Daken: Dark Wolverine

Vision (2017) vs. Black Bolt (2018)

Storm (2014) vs. The Mighty Thor (2015)

Spider-Man: With Great Power... vs. Thor: For Asgard (2010)

Elektra (2014) vs. Winter Soldier (2010)

The Immortal Iron Fist vs. Hawkeye (2012)

Sentry (2000) vs. Miracleman (1984)

Black Widow: Name of the Rose vs. X-23 (2010)

Moon Knight (2014) vs. Moon Knight (2016)

Kraven's Last Hunt vs. Silver Surfer (2014)

OOO saw someone make a DC elitist comic poll, would you guys like it if i did one with marvel

[big-gay-apocalypse]

wait a minute danny, let’s not rule out the kissing thing just yet

// Immortal Iron Fists (2017)

[renaroo]

I honestly adored everything about Pei and miss her so much. Bring back Pei and fail-at-daddying!Danny, Marvel! It was golden!

[secretlystephaniebrown]

I've mostly been reading DC and was interested in reading more Marvel stuff. Do you have any recs? I've only encountered Marvel stuff through the MCU or X-Men Evolution.

I'm less into Marvel than DC (in terms of current-runs at least) but here are some Marvel runs that I've loved over the years!

Ultimate Spider-Man (2001) by Brian Michael Bendis

Alias (2002) by Brian Michael Bendis

Captain America: Truth - Red, White & Black (2003) by Robert Morales

Runaways (2003) by Brian K. Vaughan

Captain America (2004) by Ed Brubaker

She-Hulk (2004) by Dan Slott

Black Panther (2005) by Reginald Hudlin

Young Avengers (2005) by Allan Heinberg

The Incredible Hercules (2008) by Greg Pak

Daredevil (2012) by Mark Waid

Deadpool (2012) by Brian Posehn

Hawkeye (2012) by Matt Fraction

Black Widow (2014) by Nathan Edmondson

Ms. Marvel (2014) by G. Willow Wilson

Silk (2015) by Robbie Thompson

All-New Wolverine (2016) by Tom Taylor

Black Panther (2016) by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Immortal Iron Fists (2017) by Kaare Andrews

Black Widow (2020) by Kelly Thompson

Silk (2021) by Maurene Goo

Silk (2022) by Emily Kim (listen I just love Cindy Moon)

Okay I need to run to work, but I hope this is a good starting point for you! <3

[renaramblesaboutcomics]

Wednesday Roundup 11.10.2017

It’s that time of a week again where I prove to be nothing if not a complete glutton for punishment, which apparently includes having way too many trades preordered on the same week by magical coincidence. It’s like the old saying, when it rain it pours. And sometimes it’s just ridiculous. 

But we’re seeing the closing a few storylines, the beginning of a few, and just a general large array of comics at our disposal, including more of the Marvel Primers. So I say we just dig right into it. 

Marvel’s All-New Wolverine, Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, DC’s Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Marvel’s Captain America, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel’s Immortal Iron Fists, DC’s New Super-Man, Image’s Rat Queens, DC’s Red Hood and the Outlaws, Marvel’s Runaways, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe

Marvel’s All-New Wolverine (2015-present) #25 Tom Taylor, Juann Cabal, Nolan Woodard

Will I ever run out of good things to say about All-New Wolverine? No? Good. I wouldn’t want to be dishonest and that would be the only way I’d have negative things to say about my love for this series.

Story: So believe it or not, the relationship between Daken and Laura is something I have desperately wanted to see more of. In the Daken/X-23 crossover they had a few years ago, I really felt like we got somewhere with their relationship, and the bits and pieces since then have really helped my attitude only grow stronger on the subject. So seeing Taylor hint at it growing more in the last arc, and knowing it would be delivered on in this arc has me SO excited about what is to come. 

You know. When Daken is around for more than an awesome bar fight that... leads to his dismembered arm being hung from a bridge. THAT old plot device. I’m a little sad to see that Gabby is being left behind (especially since her outfits never cease being adorable and hilarious) but knowing that we’re dealing with Mutant Bigots this time around somewhat made me appreciate that decision. I worry way too much about Gabby to take that at face value.

And then that cliffhanger hits like a freight train and it’s like WHAAAAT. But no like what. Oh my god. Is this real? I know we have to wait a month but. uh. Kudos, Tom Taylor. I am not often surprised by characters seemingly returning from the dead anymore. To say this was not expected is VASTLY underplaying my shock.

Art: There have been a lot of great artists on this title and I don’t think Juann Cabal is an exception to that rule. He has solid character art, lots of good control of backgrounds and paneling, and got pretty inventive with combining flashbacks with Laura’s current travels and actions. And the bar scene with Daken was just fantastic all around like, a simple but highly effective action sequence and I’m really excited to see what action he’ll draw Laura herself in as we carry on. 

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows (2016-present) #12 Ryan Stegman, Brian Level, Jesus Aburtov

We wrap up another storyline of what has quickly become my favorite Spidey series of the ‘10s and it comes with highest of highs and lowest of lows. And lots and lots of adorable hugs.

Story: I was concerned that with the pacing we had had for this storyline up to this point that there would be a lot of things that would have to be knitted together a bit too tight or not at all, and that definitely seemed to be the case. We flew through this issue with revelations hitting in waves. Ms. January was the villain all along, Normie is suddenly a perfectly normal kid who was just misled, the symbiote is removed from MJ using sonic waves, Annie saves her parents, and just overall there was a lot that happened within this single comic. It all made emotional sense, and the hug between Annie and Normie at the end, bringing their family feud at last to an end, felt completely right. 

I liked small callouts like having Liz be the parent Normie needed, the X-Men coming to help the Parker family, and the amazing banter between MJ and Peter, but I think because there was so much fit into this last issue there felt like a bit of continuity bending to make logical sense where the emotions didn’t quite carry us. Like Normie’s... complete change in character. And Ms. January’s apparent obsession/love of Harry and need to avenge him. These things make sense if they fed into each other -- Ms. January’s influence inspiring Normie to cut his mother out of his life even more than she had been already and then feeding him more and more hatred toward Spider-Man by saying that it was his fault. But that doesn’t make so much sense with what we read in the issues before, specifically the issue where Normie took up arms to protect his company and revealed his backstory through his own internal monologue and flashbacks. 

So while this confrontation has been 12 issues in the build up, the resolution mostly came... only from this issue. Maybe the last two issues, too, if we’re being generous. 

The epilogue confuses me. It feels like Renew Your Vows is trying to wrap itself up and yet I know from solicits that it’s not, but we are justifying a timeskip to eight years in the future so that artists have an excuse to draw a teenage girl in a tighter costume --  I MEAN BECAUSE THEY WANT TO TELL MORE TEEN ORIENTED STORIES OBVIOUSLY. But I worry that this change is going to make what has been a unique take on the Parker-Watson family and turn it into Sider-Girl Lite, which is unfair to everyone all around. Also were they... not operating for those eight years? Why is the new costume a big deal for her eighteenth birthday? How much sense would it make for them to just... suddenly find a way to stop Annie from going out as a superhero with them when the whole point of the past 12 issues is that they couldn’t. 

What about Dr. Connors and his son? What about Annie’s additional precognitive powers? Did she end up going to the Xavier institute? 

I feel like I was asked to bite off a bit too much in this issue, and as much as I enjoyed it and enjoyed this series, I feel this is a rare storyline where I actually would have preferred an extra issue to set all of this up.

Art: The art is beautiful. Soft and textured but also sweeping and animatic like you would want for any good Spidey story. And considering that there has been a fair rotation of art teams on this book since the first issue, I really appreciate how much they worked toward giving the book a consistent style of its own. It was neat and helped even artist style changes feel coherent still and I’m really interested to see if this dedication to that continues, especially since the epilogue appeared to have a different feel to it. 

It’ll be interesting to see next month either way. 

DC’s Batgirl and the Birds of Prey (2016-present) #15 Julie Benson, Shawna Benson, Roge Antonio, Marcelo Maiolo

Well, I’m sure for 99% of you this is an unexpected addition to the roster. For those unaware, I have put the first volume of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey on blast on my personal blog @renaroo for having some things I consider to be insufferable in regards to the handling of Barbara and specifically the consistent villainization of Oracle. Which you know, I’m about sick of. 

So why am I picking up BoP now? Simple: Cass is going to start appearing regularly beginning with this particular storyline and I will support her here since for finances I’ve had to move ‘Tec to trade wait. 

and oh boy. This is. Something.

Story: So there’s this old episode of the animated Justice League series where an Amazon OC standing in for Donna Troy unleashed a plague on Earth that only affected men and it was putting all men in comas and the such and it left the only two women of a seven-person Justice League because of course there were only two women to deal with it and save the world... well half of it. It was broad strokes of feminism as written by men which included Diana being the strawwoman feminist who couldn’t understand if losing men (including her friends???) would doom society and Hawkgirl being the relatable cool egalitarian alien bird woman to be all “guuurrrrrlllll you need to respect men more”. It’s like. The episode i remember the most from my childhood and I hate it with the burning passion of a thousand suns. 

Apparently I’m not the only one who remembers it however because that... that is the plot of this storyline. I don’t know why they couldn’t just bring back the ebola plague from Batman: Contagion which was a legitimately good storyline I like but we’re doing the... gender specific plague. 

Are they going to address trans men and women? How is this disease preying specifically on men? Is it magical in origin and that why it follows no rules? Why is Lois here? Is Wonder Woman here just because of that Justice League episode? 

I don’t know. 

I appreciate that we didn’t waste a whole lot of time with Batwoman’s squad duking it out with Babsgirl’s squad over whether or not antiheroes who.... one of which she’s worked with before and... another of which she knows for a fact is... engaged to her cousin. But whatever. Also Steph in her post-Belfry uniform is... going along with this okay. I’m picking too much but there’s a lot of what in those four pages.

I do appreciate that the dialogue seemed to match everyone’s character very well, and Oliver and Dinah were hysterical and lovable together. .... But damn is it difficult to wrap my head around Babs’ character anymore. Like literally falling to her knees and tearing up begging Poison Ivy (who she was friends with in the previous BoP???? which is sitll canon bc they bring it up???) to help because “people she loves” are affected by the disease like. It’s the antithesis of the Babs I knew and was familiar with and admired in the day but. I guess that’s the Babs we have now. And I’m just... supposed to roll with it I guess. 

Also enjoyed Helena being a teacher again, that was awesome. Even if her calling up Dick instead of Babs was... still difficult to process but whatever. 

Art: It’s good! Really consistent, the lineart was sometimes a little softer than I prefer, but there were varied bodytypes and lots of good action sequences handled concisely enough that it didn’t feel like panel space was wasted. I really enjoyed it overall.

Marvel’s Captain America - Marvel Legacy Primer Page Robbie Thompson, Valerio Schiti

I have been pretty vocal in my disdain for how Marvel has handled Cap for the last two years and I join pretty much everyone in a chorus of “how can you misunderstand something so bad” but at the same time I’m... just tired. And it’s hard to even be excited at the fact that the reign of Spencer is over because it feels like the enjoyment and interest I’ve felt for Cap for all this time is simply used up. which is why a primer like this is really something that I needed. I needed to see a reminder that Cap punches Nazis and Hydra and Marvel -- or at least some people at Marvel remember that still. I don’t want that history gone, cosmic cubed or otherwise. And given Waid and Samnee’s interviews it seems they’re going to push for just that. 

Here’s hoping they accomplish it because even these three pages of Cap acting like Cap again was enough to make me smile at least a little. 

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy - Marvel Legacy Primer Page Robbie Thompson, Marcus To

If I was going for snark and snark alone here I would begin and end this with “why is Scott Lang here” because no really why is Scott Lang with the Guardians of the Galaxy. And it’s something I shouldn’t be asking because I really have still -- even in liking the movies as much as I do -- not found myself any more persuaded to read into the space opera stuff over at Marvel. It’s just not something I want in my life right now. 

Marcus To’s art is very nice, though, and usually worth it on its own. Even if I’m beginning to notice a touch of samefaceness in the art style At least it’s a very pretty face. 

Marvel’s Immortal Iron Fists (2017) #6 (of 6) Kaare Andrews, Afu Chan, Shelly Ghen

Immortal Iron Fists has come to an end and I’m both saddened and yet incredibly enthusiastic about how everything turned out!

Story: So I feel like it should not have taken the better part of 5 issues for me learn that Pei and her friends are sixteen and not... middle schoolers despite how they were drawn and how they acted as way way younger than that. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that... it’s not that they’re drawn or written younger, it’s that it’s that unusual to find an American comic that actually shows teenagers appropriately and that helped me gain a whole new respect for a series that I was already very much enjoying.

Everyone coming together and remembering Pei for the impact we have seen her make in their lives, Pei fully realizing her power as Iron Fist, and the general fun of a huge climactic battle that was a three way fight between Pei, demons, and the Mother of All Dragons is probably one of the most bombastic that can be asked for. And I love that Brenda made a comeback after her truly terrible exit from the finale of Immortal Iron Fist under Andrews, but at the same time don’t... really care for how it wasn’t set until last issue. 

All the positives of this story almost make me overlook the unnecessary, though appreciably subverted, kiss of life Pei gives her guy friend and I love that Danny, man serial dater that he is, is flumexed by this turn of events. 

Everything is fun and delightful and I really really appreciate how dedicated this comic was from beginning to end to be Pei’s story and not letting that focus escape it the entirety of the six issues. 

Also Brenda flying off on the Mother of All Dragons at the end and being like stfu Danny you ruined a good thing was hysterical and I loved it.

Art: There was definitely more production in this finale There seemed to be a lot more variation in coloring and textures, and even the characters seemed to keep almost perfectly on model the entire time. The one distraction of note, though, was that Pei... developed more into a traditional teenager look by the end... by which I mean.... boobs are now a thing and I’m not sure if it was just that she wore thicker clothes throughout the story or if it was because much like myself, the art team realized last issue for the first time that Pei was a sixteen year old and not... twelve. Anyway. It was a little distracting, but the increase in panel variation and high number of action sequences definitely made the story far more fulfilling in my view. 

DC’s New Super-Man (2016-present) Vol. 2: Coming to America Gene Luen Yang, Billy Tan, Viktor Bogdanovic

After what felt like a long wait, we join Kenan and the rest of the Justice League of China once more on a bombastic quest as written by Gene Luen Yang. And much like last time, the results are rather unexpected and honestly kind of remarkable.

Story: Going off of my experiences with Yang’s work, I really feel like his passion in storytelling lies in finding the balance between the question of identity and how identity is formed by the cultures that nurtured us and how it is formed by the influences of the cultures around us. I think that was the main focus of American Born Chinese but it really is beginning to shine through Kenan’s adventures here as the New Super-Man and how much of the titular’s character is being drawn from the two huge influences he is feeling -- the pressures and dangers of the Chinese government and culture, and the admiration and sometimes oppressive shadows of the American culture that he is both attempting to copy as Super-Man and attempting to circumvent by finding the focus of his powers in Chinese philosophies and values. 

And I think that’s where his supporting cast -- Wonder-Woman and Bat-Man and now also Avery Ho’s take on the Flash -- are really coming into play. While Kenan is being torn back and forth by his responsibilities and his bombastic self-absorption both in his internal conflict and his external conflict of learning the truth of his parents, we are getting a broader exposure to what being a superhero in China means as opposed to the normalcy we’ve come to expect from Western comics. 

Bat-Man is just as influenced by his family as Batman, but the pressures are more in the focus on building his exceptionalism and in differing from his sister on whether to stay within a system that robs children of their childhoods and individuals of their sense of self, or to find purpose within that system and excel based upon the traits which only he can bring. 

Wonder-Woman, like Wonder Woman, is derived from myth and legend but instead of a Western legacy, it is purely Chinese and her alienation and stand offish nature initially toward the rest of her team only makes that much more sense given what has brought her to her current state. She is a myth, a legend herself, but she is nearly forgotten by the current times -- Kenan even has to be told the story of her origins by Bat-Man -- and her finding the will to fit into a China that is so influenced by external cultures and influences are a struggle we’re only now beginning to appreciate. 

And finally, with Flash, a Chinese-American, we’re going to receive yet another wild perspective, and considering Kenan’s already developing friendship with Avery I imagine that this is a perspective that will only receive more focus in stories to come. And I perceive that Yang’s inclinations to reference the struggles of culture and self-identity are going to be explored further here.

All around i greatly enjoyed this volume and am looking forward to the continuation now that Kenan has finally learned the truth about his family. There are a lot of interesting new angles to explore and I hope we do just that.

Art: The art is really reminiscent of Greg Capullo’s run on Batman, but has a whole lot more color and variety breathed into it which I personally really appreciate. The colors do a good job of presenting the differences in everyone’s base personalities and also makes the action sequences easier to follow even as the action itself becomes increasingly complex. The page layouts were fairly reserved considering the DC standard lately, but I personally appreciated it because it kept the focus on the storytelling and in doing so enhanced the nuances therein. 

Great work all around, and yet another enjoyable volume. 

Image’s Rat Queens (2013-present) Vol. 4: High Fantasies Kurtis J. Wiebe, Owen Gieni, Ryan Ferrier

I only recently jumped on the barge for Rat Queens and I’ve been more than happy with the results of caving to the advice of many friends. Because what is better than female-full cast of hilarious and dramatic DnD like adventures with more swearing than a naval ship? I gotta say, not much!

Story: So compared to the previous volumes, I actually found High Fantasies to feel like it had a lot less at stake. Although part of that may just be that I was somewhat anticipating a Betty-centric volume finally to elevate her out of being the shroom eating comic relief and bring more of the assassination attempts and her outlaw past into the forefront. And that’s clearly a problem of my own expectations and not necessarily the story’s fault itself. That said, the focus on Vol. 4 being on a gender bent loser version of the Rat Queens was pretty funny but also not something I would have thought carried enough weight to pivot as the main plot, but that would be just me. 

I do appreciate Braga being in a larger role this time around, and really I wish we could see more less human creatures on the roster in general. It was also a huge heartwarming feeling to have Hannah more comfortable around her Queens and even showing some horns now and then in public. It feels like a huge progression of her character, even as she spends a fair amount of time earning the girls’ ire and.... walking in on naked mayors. As you do.

Basically Vol. 4 isn’t as character centric as the previous volumes have been, but it is a great adventure that feels like a good ol’ fashion DnD campaign with the friends you love at the helm and for fantasy nerds like me that’s more than enough to bring me back into the story.

Art: The art is always spectacular with Rat Queens, but I did find  that this volume -- mostly as a result of not going to as many unestablished and important/original locations, did have a significant lack f inventive background use. That’s not always a slam on art, really the art was very good, and I actually am just... happy to not have Upchurch as the artist, honestly. That alone is worth three and a half gold stars. Though the whole controversy there is still my largest apprehension with the series at this point. 

DC’s Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016-present) Vol. 2: Who is Artemis? Scott Lobdell, Dexter Soy, Kenneth Rocafort

Okay who authorized this? Who made this comic exist and who made it be actually good?? Because I didn’t and I feel offended at the amount of emotions that were forced upon me in this single volume of a comic written by Scott friggin’ Lobdell of all people. You couldn’t have told me a month ago that I would be enjoying anything that was remotely connected to Scott Lobdell and expect me not to laugh hard enough I’d bring myself to tears. 

And yet here we are.

Story: Having learned a bit from how lackluster the attempts of balancing the concentration of the narrative was for his previous incarnations of the Outlaws, Lobdell somehow learned how to, y’know, write an ensemble narrative that is still heavily Jason Todd’s perspective, but does not lose any opportunities to expand on or even concentrate on the stories and character development of Bizarro and Artemis. oth of which are shockingly well handled and shockingly controlled, well paced, and interwoven into each other’s stories. 

Like legitimately, did someone nab the Lobdell who wrote decent 90s Marvel comics and put him on this project? Because that feels like the kind of bizarre logic that would seem acceptable at this point.

Now, of course, it’s not perfect. Far from it. But at the end of the day we got an intriguing ongoing story, a team building exercise, Jason’s internal struggle personified both through his inner monologue and flashbacks, but also moments like his sparing of Bizarro whic not only didn’t have overly wordy exposition bringing attention to it, but was strong enough and meaningfully enough that from it alone we could see what Jason couldn’t: he is not as lost, he is not as amoral, and he’s not as cold as he has tried desperately to prove himself to be.

I actually found the take on Artemis and the Bana Mighdall pretty interesting in this retelling, and I like that we have a rogue Amazon as a new enemy for the team. 

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m super excited to see what will come after this. 

Art: There was a range of artists, which is fine, the industry standard of pushing out these comics with the turnaround that they do does cause some disconnect, but for the most part an artist stayed for at least the completionof their storyline and then she was. And overall the trade still fel tconsistent, with some artists just standing out more than other. 

Marvel’s Runaways (2017-present) #2 Rainbow Rowell, Kris Anka, Matthew Wilson

The new run of Runaways absolutely blew me away last month by shooting any and all expectations I had right through the skylight and beyond, so a good premise with beloved characters and a set in conflict really leads to a question of how do the pieces fall in order?

Story: I absolutely adore how Gert being the heart and glue of the family is being so blatantly emphasized throughout this (and that Old Lace is back). I also love that... honestly the trauma and lingering horrors Chase and Nico have survived in particular are being treated as real and damning in the eyes of someone who knew them only two years ago already. But most of all I love the emotional balance. Gert’s anger and disappointment are justified, but her crudeness and accusatory nature are also clearly shown as being wrong and too subjective. The important thing to her, and thus to the group, is to come together again. And I love that it is her prime motivation through and through. 

That all being said, after such a bombastic first issue, it was a little difficult to have the momentum come to a halt so quickly. I don’t want to be taken wrong, I love issues where comics take their time and really meditate on the characters, their reactions to evens former and to come, and really develop relationships and the such. But it does feel a little unnatural to have that only two issues in when the previous issue was SO incredibly packed. 

I’m still fascinated with where we can go from here and very excited to see that Victor, Xavin, and Klara might not be destined to eternal obsecurity like I assumed when the book was first announced. 

Art: Honestly I’m still amazed at just how fantastic the art really is in this comci. .It’s SO good and the designs for all the characters are simply gorgeous. Though probably the best thing about all of it is the great coloring we see done here. Top notch. 

Marvel’s Spider-Man - Marvel Legacy Primer Page Robbie Thompson, Valerio Schiti

I think I know less about what Marvel plans to do with Miles these days than Marvel knows what to do with Miles, which is horrifying because I just set that bar about as low as it could possibly have gone. But we.... have Rio Morales back which is the big reason I stopped keeping up with Miles to begin with so yay? I don’t know. 

I feel like this primer is actually aimed at fans like me who got off the wagon back when the Ultimate title lost most of its steam both from killing off too many of Miles’ personal supporting cast and becoming too much about tertiary cast’s origins and then Peter Parker returning to life and stuff’s weird. This feels like a big neon sign that says “Things are back! The origin’s the same! Do not look behind the curtain!” It makes me curious but also apprehensive at the same time. 

also can we get robbie thompson to write miles’ book and bendis let someone else write some books already jfc this was such a relief. 

IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe (2016-present) Vol. 2 Nick Pitarra, John Lees, Brahm Revel, Ryan Ferrier, Adam Gorham, Sophie Campbell, Bobby Curnow, Pablo Tunica

So unlike the rest of the reviews, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe doesn’t really fit my review format since it’s more like a collection of vignettes across the TMNT universe that feed into the main book and each story is written and drawn by a different team, so it wouldn’t have that same cohesion. 

As the giant Ninja Turtle fan that I am and probably always will be, I can’t get enough of the mythos and the characters in TMNT, so having a book that has a solid, even meditative point of just exploring smaller stories and little character developments that wouldn’t fit in the very tight and controlled narrative of the main title is something of a perfect godsend to me. I love it in concept and in execution.

One thing I worry about, however, is that there definitely seems to be a lot of stories here that feel necessary to keeping up with the main series. Such as the story of how Alopex and Angel ran into the Toad Baron and escaped -- that was a pretty crucial piece of information for the Eternals storyline a few issues back in the main book. So it feels like more and more, because of how tight and concentrated the main book is, they’re using books like Universe to fill in everything else, including buildup to larger more important narratives. And while that’s fine and even something I enjoy, it’s a move that will really push people to start being more choosy with their books. It’s much like keeping up with Transformers right now, and that tends to lead to some mixed bags. But I suppose we’ll trust and see.

At the end of the day, I have to pick the comics that really stuck with me the most. And while I was a little disappointed by a few titles this week, there was a pretty intense competition between the ones that genuinely caught me and made me really feel while reading them. And I think by that measurement I have to give the Pick of the Week this time around to the conclusion of Immortal Iron Fists. I was so worried about how this story could wrap everything up and it’s with mother flipping dragons that’s how. I love it. I love Pei and I love her being officially adopted by Danny who is TOTAL ridiculous dad now. This is the kind of Immortal Iron Fist I am happy to support. 

As far as trades go... wow I for some reason was not anticipating getting slammed as much as I did, but I really didn’t feel like any of the books let me down. They were all pretty amazing and I felt like I also managed to incidentally cover the entire span of comic book genres and types in a matter of two days, which let’s admit it, pretty impressive. I feel like the new releases this week are honestly a harder competition than the single issues but twist my arm, surprising no one nearly as much as I’m surprising myself here, I have to pick Red Hood and the Outlaws for managing to be a comic that... is unexpectedly good and unexpectedly sincere and unexpectedly emotionally motivating in ways that I wish... more comics... were? I just. have a real hard time complimenting Lobdell after tearing his books a new one for..... six years straight now.  But... thank you? for writing well? And making me feel things? For Jason Todd, Bizarro, and Artemis? Am I doing this right?

And those are the comics for this week! Did you happen to agree with me? Disagree? Think I missed out on picking up a comic that was good? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

But before I let you go, I have to (yes have to) plug once more:

I have exactly a month to pack up everything I own and move halfway across the country again which is not helping those financial crunches I mentioned before either.

As such, I really would appreciate if you enjoy my content or are interested in helping me out, please check out either my Patreon or PayPal. Every bit helps and I couldn’t thank you enough for enjoying and supporting my content.

You could also support me by going to my main blog, @renaroo, where I’ll soon be listing prices and more for art and writing commissions.

RenaRoo Ko-Fi

RenaRoo Patreon

RenaRoo PayPal

[dilfdoctordoom]

Hi! :) do you have any good comic recs that are Marvel based (I usually read DC)

Been on a bit of a Marvel binge for the past year, so I absolutely can! All of these are gonna be available online, too.

Fantastic Four by Mark Waid

Fantastic Four by Johnathan Hickman (Would recommend reading Waid's run first; it's a much better introductory story to the group)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2008)

Gwenpool

Ms Marvel (2014)

Spider-Man (2018), but only from #75 onwards

Champions (2020)

I think any Daredevil run can be enjoyed, but I'd recommend the 1998 and 2011 runs to new readers

Hawkeye (2012)

Immortal Iron Fist

Captain America (2005)

Ironheart

Gamora

If you're looking to kinda jump right into a character, there's Marvel Masterworks -- these are very heavy though

Young Avengers (2005)

Alias

Winter Soldier (2012)

Moon Knight (2016)

Black Cat (2019) & Black Cat (2020)

Immortal Hulk (2018)

Loki: Agent of Asgard

Angela: Asgard's Assassin

Angela: Queen of Hel

Mighty Avengers

The Ultimates (2016)

Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Amazing Spider-Man by JMS

Guardians of the Galaxy (2020)

Nova (2007)

Nova (2013)

Nova (2017)

[undertheinfluencerd]

Daredevil Fans Should Be Glad He Didn’t Join The MCU Civil War

Marvel Comics’ massive 2006 event Civil War from well-established writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven spanning across several Marvel titles, became a high stakes battle over government oversight as a vast majority of the Marvel Universe’s superhuman community are caught in the action. Unlike 2016’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) adaptation, the Civil War of the comics is an expansive universe-wide crossover that goes well beyond the Avengers and includes the likes of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the street level catalog of superheroes. With grounded heroes involved, it’s only natural that Hell’s Kitchen defender Daredevil would make his way to the battle between Captain America and Iron Man. Though the Man Without Fear would ultimately side with Captain America’s Anti Registration Team of outlaw superheroes, Civil War‘s variation of Daredevil is not the fan-favorite iteration that most readers have become familiar with.

Related: Avengers: How Daredevil Earned His Place Among Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

Following a public outing by notorious New York City crime boss Wilson Fisk / The Kingpin, Daredevil’s civilian alter-ego of Matt Murdock has been incarcerated at Ryker’s Island. During this period at Marvel Comics, independent writer Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Uncanny X-Men) had taken up writing duties for the main Daredevil title, which followed Matt’s time in prison during the Civil War event. In an effort to help mislead the public, Daredevil’s ally and fellow vigilante Danny Rand a.k.a. the Immortal Iron Fist had taken up the Daredevil mantle. While Matt endured his prison sentence, it was Danny representing Daredevil during the legendary feud over civil liberties. However, if Civil War readers were not picking up Brubaker’s Daredevil title on a monthly basis, fans would miss out on the drastic measures taken by Rand to help clear Matt’s name. Rather than retain his own identity, the natural blonde Danny had bleached his hair a reddish-brown to fully embrace his newfound dual role. This decision initially left several comic fans and even major characters such as Tony Stark out of the loop on the true identity of the man under the Daredevil cowl.

Had fans received their wish, there’s no guarantee that Daredevil’s lead actor Charlie Cox would return as Matt Murdock for the Civil War film, given the hero’s situation in the original comic storyline. Netflix’s Iron Fist starring Game of Thrones actor Finn Jones was released in the spring of 2017 to much fan criticism and ultimately became the black sheep of the Marvel / Netflix experiment. If Captain America Civil War were to follow its source material in a closer manner, it may have been Jones’ Rand in the Daredevil costume sharing scenes with Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.

Marvel’s Civil War may be a landmark for reigniting Marvel’s staple crossover events, but it’s inadequate at delivering a story unaccompanied by a messy continuity, of which Daredevil was a major component.

Next: Shang-Chi Is The Perfect MCU Movie To Reintroduce Iron Fist

[malice-kingdom]

Oh thanks @bookoftheironfist <3

1- How were you first introduced to Iron Fist?

Well I’m pretty sure the first time I heard about the character it was in the game Avengers Alliance that I use to play on Facebook. (I had never read a comic and knew next to nothing about it until I saw the first Avengers movie) I had no clue who he was but I remember liking him in the game. At the time I was pretty much reading comics at random cause I could not figure out the continuity (still can’t tbh). but I remember he was in New avengers from 2012 and I also ended up reading The Living Weapon around that time. I honestly can’t say how it happened but he quickly became one of my favorite heroes.

2- What is your favorite Iron Fist comic and/or adaptation?

Hard question but I will alway have a soft spot for any Iron Fist and Luke Cage team up. Power Man and Iron Fist from 2016 is one of my all time favorite comic. I also really enjoy immortal Iron Fist. Oh and the Defenders comic from 2017 I also really like. I definitely haven’t read everything Iron Fist related though so all of this is up to change. And I like the Netflix show and wish the character wasn’t kind of dropped in the mcu… (selling my soul as we speak to get a Heroes for Hire tv show one day)

3- Who is/are your favorite character(s)?

Well Danny of course. To be fair I enjoy most side characters from his comics and the tv show (Misty <3 , Coleen, Orson Randall and Pei just to name a few) but the reason I connected with the Iron fist universe in the first place is because of Danny and his story. I just enjoy his little goofy personality a lot.

4- What do you enjoy most about Iron Fist? What made you a fan?

Kind of already answered a bit that one cause Danny is what I enjoy the most but I also really like the mythology of the character even if I’ll admit I often get confused about where the canon is at…:D I also like Danny’s relationship with Luke A LOT if that was not obvious. And I love the little throuple dynamic they got going on with Jess.

5 - Anything else you'd like to share!

Thank you for tagging me !! I have however no clue who I could tag next so I’ll skip that part sorry ^^’

Iron Fist's 50th Anniversary: A Fan Survey

Hello!

I've been running this blog for six (whoa...) years now and have been blogging about Iron Fist in general for longer than that. Throughout this time, I have been fortunate to get to know some wonderful fellow fans of the character. On the occasion of this amazing IF milestone, I thought it would be a fun opportunity to reach out directly to the fandom on Tumblr and get to know everyone a little bit better. With this in mind, I've put together a short series of questions, which anyone and everyone is welcome to answer in a reblog/reply to this post. You can answer all of the questions or just one, in as much detail as you'd like. No pressure, no stress, and no deadline; I'd like to see how long and far this circulates.

I would love to know:

How were you first introduced to Iron Fist?

What is your favorite Iron Fist comic and/or adaptation?

Who is/are your favorite character(s)?

What do you enjoy most about Iron Fist? What made you a fan?

Anything else you'd like to share!

Please tag anyone you think might enjoy answering this. Alternately, I'd appreciate if you would consider reblogging this, so that it can get to as many people as possible.

Thank you, and enjoy!

[godzillareturn2014]

Zack Snyder’s Justice League Review

So I finally saw Justice League the Snyder cut version on HBO Max and it’s fantastic. I actually did my review on the Justice League movie back in 2017 on YouTube and gave it a 4 out of 5 nuclear bombs. However, while I still find the 2017 Justice League entertaining, it wasn’t really that memorable and I do learn the sad truth the film been having troubled production due to Zack Snyder have lost one of his daughters died from suicide which caused Joss Whedon to take over and the film ended up being a critical and box office disappointment. Anyway, the story of this film took place after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. After Superman had sacrificed himself to save the world from Doomsday, Batman and Wonder Woman decided save the world on their own as well as setting out to find other superheroes so that way they can set up a team. The superheroes that Batman and Wonder Woman are searching for are The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. So when an evil threat named Steppenwolf who serves Darkseid has come to take over the world along with his demon armies, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg must team up together to fight Steppenwolf and save the world once and for all. I find the story of this film to be sorta similar but much different and better. Although there are a few parts in this film that did dragged on. Unlike the 2017 version, this one much darker and more violence. Plus they do say a lot of bad words this version. The special effects in this film are much better than the 2017 version. The good news is that there is no CGI mouth on Superman’s face in this film. I can obviously tell that Cyborg, Steppenwolf, Steppenwolf’s armies, and Darkseid are all in motion capture. The designs of Steppenwolf in this film is better looking than the 2017 version. I actually do enjoy the designs of the cities, the batmobile, the bat airship, the weapons and costume designs of Batman’s suit, Wonder Woman’s suit, Flash’s suit, Aquaman’s suit, and Superman’s suit. The action scenes are definitely the best part of the film. I had a blast seeing Flash running very fast with lightning, Wonder Woman fighting and stopping those British criminals from robbing a bank, the amazon warriors fighting Steppenwolf, the battle between the Justice League against Steppenwolf and his demon armies, and in this version had lots of blood and killing. Ben Affleck as always did a splendid job playing Batman. Batman of course is a dark superhero of Gotham City and in this film is the lead member and founders of the Justice League that lead his team to do what they have to do. I really like the part where he used his weapons and gadgets to fight his enemies. Gal Gadot still did a magnificent job playing Wonder Woman who is an immortal princess Amazonian warrior that is the co-founder and a member of the Justice League. Like in her own film, she has the ability to fight her enemies with her sword, shield, whip, and fist. Then there are other members of the Justice League like the Flash played by Ezra Miller, Aquaman played by Jason Momoa, and Cyborg played by Ray Fisher all did an awesome job. The Flash who is a superhero that can move at superhuman speeds due to his ability to tap into Speed Force and plus I also think he’s funny. Aquaman I think definitely steals the show in this film who a superhero that lives in Atlantis and is good at swimming, breathe underwater, communicate with the underwater animals, and fight someone with his trident. Cyborg is half man half robot who used to be a college athlete student that got into a car accident which turns him into a human robot hero that has the ability to fly, turn his arms into cannons, and manipulate technology. Plus we get to see more of his backstory in this film. Returning from Man of Steel and Batman v Superman is Lois Lane played by Amy Adams, Martha Kent played by Diane Lane, and Alfred played by Jeremy Irons. Lois Lane the girlfriend of Superman is now an undaunted and compassionate award winning journalist in the Daily Planet in this film. Martha Kent the adopted mother of Superman didn’t really do a lot in this film. Alfred the butler of Batman who is now one of the Justice League’s close allies that always wanted to help out. Superman played by Henry Cavill is still awesome and in this film he wears a black suit. Wonder Woman’s mother Queen Hippolyta played by Connie Nielson have some of the more screen time in this film than the 2017 version. Also appearing in this film is Mera played by Amber Heard, Silas Stone played by Joe Morton, Commissioner Gordon played by J. K. Simmons and Vulko played by Willem Dafoe are also allies with the Justice League as well. Now for the villains Steppenwolf played by Ciaran Hinds and Darkseid played by Ray Porter. Steppenwolf in this film is much better than Steppenwolf in the 2017 version who of course is the evil villain who only wanted power and take over the world and in this version serves Darkseid. Darkseid is one of Superman’s enemies that is a tyrannical New God from Apokolips and Steppenwolf’s nephew and master. By the way there is another superhero in this film which I will not tell you who it is. Zack Snyder I think did a great job directing this movie especially he made it more graphic and intense. He actually did a better job than Joss Whedon. I mean Joss Whedon did a wonderful job directing the first two Avengers movie, not so much for Justice League. The music composed by Junkie XL sounds very exciting, hardcore, and it feels like a superhero movie. It is way better than Danny Elfman version. All the music from the 2017 Justice League movie are not played in this version but I’m fine with that. So overall, this is an excellent DC superhero movie. I do agree with a lot of people that this is cannon to the DC Extended Universe. This is the version that we should have had in the first place. I love this DC movie more than the 2017 Justice League movie, Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, and Birds of Prey and in my opinion is one of the best DC movie in this Extended Universe along with Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam. I am hoping that the DC Extended Universe can still get better. I also hope that we can get a Green Lantern reboot. If you’re a fan of DC, this is a must see. So I give this movie 4.5 out of 5 nuclear bombs.

[blasphemous-fool]

Tag game:

Tag nine people you’d like to catch up with or get to know better!

Tagged by : @atomicnerd

Favorite color : Purple? Blue? Green? Something on the cool side (but I also like red)

Currently reading : The Immortal Iron Fists 2017

Last song : good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo

Last Movie : Escape Room: Contest of Champions

Last series : Star vs The Forces of Evil

Coffee or Tea : Tea all the way baybeeee

Currently working on : hahahahhahahahahhaahhaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahahhaahahhaahhahahahahhahahahhahahaah we don’t talk abt that

Tagging : @theultimatespidey-petey @withdenim @sunflowerspade @peterparkerprotectionposse @hrryosborn @theopolis @staff @cheezygoddess @floggger

[big-gay-apocalypse]

Danny… no

// Immortal Iron Fists (2017)

[a-lonesome-darth-vader]

Comparing Canon to Fanfiction #4: Anger

Canonically, an intense, perpetual rage lies beneath Vader's cold and stoic exterior. However, he rarely loses his temper to the same degree as his younger self.

Vader wields his anger like a knife one seathes away after finishing a job, whereas Anakin's anger was more akin to a volcanic eruption.

Vader also has his moments, but you can count those rare instances on the fingers of both your hands.

Revenge of the Sith

Darth Vader #5 (2017-2018)

Star Wars #75

Doctor Aphra #40

The Empire Strikes Back

Darth Vader #2 (2020)

Vader Immortal - There's another Padme-related scene where he loses his composure.

In fanfics, it's much easier for characters to set Vader off; especially when they call him by his old name.

"'Anakin--,' Obi-Wan, started, with genuine and familiar exasperation, before stopping himself cold. He realized the magnitude of the line he’d crossed—again-- but the damage was done. Vader’s good arm shot out, faster than Sabine could follow, and his fist collided with Obi-Wan’s cheek.

'How dare you?' Vader hissed, furiously. 'How—what would make you presume—to keep using that name, after—'" - Black Mirror [Fanfic recommendation of the day - Vader at his most unhinged!]

Ironically, canon!Vader has never exploded at people for calling him "Anakin." The Dark Lord remained calm when Jocasta, Ahsoka, and Luke brought it up - or dropping hints about his former identity (Tarkin and Thrawn) in conversations.

He'd rather pretend his previous name does not affect him whatsoever.

__

Previous Post: "Kenobi"

[ljones41]

Five Favorite Episodes of "IRON FIST" Season One (2017)

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season One of "IRON FIST", the Marvel Netflix adaptation of the Marvel Comics hero. Created by Scott Buck, the series starred Finn Jones as Danny Rand aka Iron Fist:

FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF "IRON FIST" SEASON ONE (2017)

1. (1.06) "Immortal Emerges from Cave" - Danny Rand aka Iron Fist and Ward Meachum, the son of his late father's partner, Harold Meachum; search the Rand Enterprises warehouses for clues as to the operations of the criminal organization known as the Hand. Meanwhile, Danny receives an invitation from one of the Hand's leaders, Madame Gao, to fight three operatives for the freedom of one of their hostages.

2. (1.13) "Dragon Plays with Fire" - With the Hand no longer around to monitor him, Harold Meachum takes control of Rand Enterprises. Danny learns of Harold's role in the deaths of his parents and both he and Ward are forced to confront the former CEO in this season finale.

3. (1.11) "Lead Horse Back to Stable" - Danny refuses to return to K'un-Lun, the mystical city where he became the Iron Fist, despite the urgent demands of his friend, Davos. Former Hand acolyte and dojo owner Colleen Wing tries to convince Danny that she knew nothing about the Hand's activities. Harold and his daughter Joy Meachum plot to prevent the Hand from taking over Rand Enterprises.

4. (1.01) "Snow Gives Way" - In the series' premiere, Danny returns home to New York City after spending fifteen years at K'un-Lun. Because he was presumed dead, along with his parents, Danny has difficulty convincing Ward and Joy of his true identity and the fact that he controls 51% of Rand Enterprises.

5. (1.10) "Black Tiger Steals Heart" - An injured Danny finds himself at the Hand dojo where Colleen had been trained and meets her former mentor/trainer, Bakuto. Meanwhile, Harold kills a board member in order to pave the way for Joy to convince the others to reinstate her, Ward and Danny back on the company's board.

[renaramblesaboutcomics]

Wednesday Roundup 25.9.2017

Okay, so I had another huge comic week, and looking forward this might be the last time that really happens for a while since at least three of these issues are here due to previous delays. and I’m trying pretty desperately to cut down on comics I’m subscribed to now. Which just emphasizes the fact that this week made it SO much more difficult to declare that because there was so much good.

... There was also some hilarious outrage on my part, too, so if you’re here for that you will not be disappointed.

Image’s Black Magick, DC’s Detective Comics, DC’s Harley Quinn and Batman, Marvel’s Immortal Iron Fists, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, DC’s Nightwing, Image’s Saga, IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dark Horse’s Zodiac Starfore: Cries of the Fire Prince

Image’s Black Magick (2015-present) #8 Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott

Have I mentioned lately how Nicola Scott may be the most gifted artist in the industry in a while? Not since last month? Well we are definitely well past due time!

Story: Things are ramping up as the Hammer’s members increase their numbers and keep close watch on Rowan while Rowan settles things with her partner only to be manipulated once again by the terrifying forces of these unknown entities with that creepy AF girl with the stitched up mouth. That is a lot of stuff being unpacked in one issue and yet the moving parts never feel like they’re incongruent or taking away from each other. Seeing Rowan’s familiar watching the Hammer members, seeing Rowan struggle to be more open with her partner, and then seeing her old demons (literally) beginning to come to her work and haunt her there (literally and figuratively) all feels like it moves perfectly together.

I just really wish we didn’t have to do a “gay scare” which is a bit disappointing from Rucka, honestly. Haha get it Rowan was worried that her partner was onto her for being a witch and he just was mad because he thought she wasn’t coming out to him and it’s just all a good laugh. Or at least I would be laughing if either Alex or Rowan were confirmed queer women and so it isn’t just that he’s well meaning but oblivious while... literally taking away the possibility of representation. 

Maybe this will be corrected later in that very way! Who knows, I’ll be relieved if it is, but until then it feels like an unnecessary marring of what is otherwise a great story I’ve been enjoying.

Art:  I mean... just look at it! Nicola Scott is... arguably the best artist in comics right now. Her work is phenomenal and nothing presents that fact more than just how expertly she manages the medium in almost any way and how it adapts based on the type of story she’s writing. It’s very special for an artist’s style to work as well in a bombastic, colorful superhero comic then turn around and hit the perfect contrast of noir and witchcraft narratives. And all of her characters are distinct and especially her variety of noses, it’s simply gorgeous.

Nicola Scott very well may be the best artist in the business right now and any comic company that doesn’t snatch her up for major titles is foolish, honestly.  

DC’s Detective Comics (2016-present) #965 James Tynion IV, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas

Well, it’s weird to say but if there was any issue for me to read before I took a short break from ‘Tec I am so glad it was this one. Which has all the makings of a backhanded compliment but we’ll see where I take it. Probably will seem like a backhanded compliment but I’m going to try to swing it toward positive.

Story: So I’ve been pretty sure I was going to drop ‘Tec for the upcoming storyline and then jump on again later for the next one, similar to how I did for the Monster Men crossover event, but I was really curious about Tim’s return and more specifically about the context of Tynion bringing Tim back which made me pretty excited for this comic. I love Tim Drake of old and reading this issue reinforced the fact that this current Tim Drake is the Tim of the 90s that I fell in love with -- the dork who loved Batman and Robin so much he put his life at risk to save the legacy of his heroes. And while this issue culminated mostly in a “slideshow” of Tim’s retconned retconned history bringing us back to the Tim origins from “A Lonely Place of Dying”, it actually felt really loving and refreshing to see the character I grew to love so much back in action. 

I don’t care one bit about this Evil Future or Mister Oz or literally anything else going on right now. In fact I find that whole crossover tedious enough I dropped Superman a while back but I really did feel like I needed this reminder that we’re supposed to be reading this Rebirth Tim as the Tim we knew and cared about in the past. And that made this issue on its own worthwhile to me. 

Art: Eddy Barrows is an excellent artist, through and through. The coloring’s fantastic, the art itself dynamic. Even with a familiar storyline and setup that we’ve all read before, he manages to find ways to make it read as unique and new through subversive angles and set ups. I really enjoyed his take on everything from Tim’s past. But even great artists sometimes fail the Batmanequin challenge. Which is, can anyone tell who the Batboys are apart from each other when they’re all the same age. The answer is no. His Tim looks identical to his Bruce to his Jason to his Dick and most of the time to his Damian and we’ve really got to change that at some point or else there will be a singularity of Batboys and we will all be sucked into an artistic blackhole and not in the fun way.

DC’s Harley Quinn and Batman (2017) #4 Ty Templeton, Rick Burchett

After this issue there’s only one issue left and in all honesty.... it’s about time we had some real emotional direction actually driving this comic because I’ve been asking for the last few issues “where is any of this going”. And since I all but refuse to watch the animated movie sharing a similar name, it’s that much more confusing for me trying to figure out what exactly this is all culminating in. 

Story: Like I said, we’re finally getting some real tension in this issue as we have Harley confronting Ivy, it becoming more and more obvious that Ivy has a genuine problem with rejecting her own humanity for the sake of becoming as much of a plant as possible, and we also get that emotional catharsis of Ivy at least somewhat confessing that Harley is the only person she cares about. And it’s obviously a deep and intimate form of caring. She’s pained by the potential of Harley’s rejection and offended at the assumption that Harley would think of herself as anything less than her partner. But this comic, like all of comic canon, just refuses to give us THE WORDS. I’m so tired of partner being emphasized instead of girlfriend. I’m tired of cared being acceptable substitution for love. And I’m REALLY tired of Harley and Ivy only being portrayed as sexy and into each other in a way that’s meant to be attractive to guys. I’m not a guy. I’m a woman who likes other women. And I would like for this relationship, if it’s to be real on any level, be treated respectfully and given canonicity. Maybe we’ll get that next issue. I’m hoping, but since next issue is the last I’m not exactly expecting much. 

Dick and Bruce are... still fun? I guess. It’s not really their story and I’m not sure why Batman’s even in the title at this point. His addition to this story culminates in a “not really”

Art: I gave Rick Burchett’s first two issues a hard time, especially compared to the guest artist for last issue, but this issue really had him stepping up his game and reminding us all why he’s been working with these characters and especially this style for the past twenty or more years. He really nails it... though it still has that edge of lacking refinement that we might see in something other than a digital first comic, the colors are really enhanced, the character and background art more detailed and controlled, and just overall this was a very pleasant looking and well laid out issue. Great work all around

Marvel’s Immortal Iron Fists (2017) #5 (of 6) Kaare Andrews, Afu Chan, Shelly Chen

We’re beginning to near an ending for this miniseries and I am growing an ominous, horrible feeling that I am desperately hoping is completely off base and unfounded outside of my constant apprehension of trusting comics too much. But we’ll get into that.

Story: As we left off last time, it was the culmination of all the storylines that we had seen building up in Immortal Iron Fists before then, Pei and her friends, the popularity drama that was the school dance, Danny’s feelings of responsibility and pride, the ten scrolls of Mara, and the strangely backward advice of the babysitter that Pei had been receiving throughout. And it all came down to a climactic battle with Danny and Pei finally at long last fighting side by side, both as the Immortal Iron Fist.

But suddenly there can only be.... one? And to save the world and inherit her responsibility as the Immortal Iron Fist, Pei had to choose whether or not she would take the dragon’s heart straight from Danny himself and use his chi to defeat Mara and his legion of demons. Which, of course, Pei refused and chose instead to sacrifice her own chi so that Danny could save the world.

This apparently erased Pei from reality and everyone’s memories in one solid swipe and sent her... to hell?? Where Brenda, who was in the storyline that brought Pei into the comics but has not been a factor through all of this miniseries, is a zombie champion fighter who saves Pei and her classmate that’s been in the coma because Mara was planning to use his body for his resurrection and also the popular girl, Danny’s girlfriend for an issue, an the babysitter are all daughters of Mara who are responsible for all this chaos. 

And I genuinely feel like there’s been a lot of missed opportunities in the previous four issues that would have allowed this to be set up more. And that’s what is leading to the worries I mentioned in the opening. As far as I’ve seen, in Defenders or the solicits for Immortal Iron Fist, Pei has not been allowed to make much of an impact outside of Andrews’ runs. And.... I would really hate that a series that has sold e SO hard on Pei and on a new spin on Danny Rand to be a series that gives Marvel an easy out to erase those very things. 

We have one issue left to go so I suppose we’ll have to wait and see in that regard.

Art: It’s still good art, still all-ages, but I’m starting to grow the opinion thanks to @secretlystephaniebrown and mine’s insightful talks that comis with cute art and lots of slapstick are pretty much utilizing a certain style to undermine dramatic writing or consequences in fear of being genuine. Or, in terms, bathos. And I really hope that’s not the intentions here because the relationship between Danny and Pei are genuinely sweet and good and if that’s the intention I really hate that comics don’t have the confidence to be dramatic fully in heart. 

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2015-present) #23 Brandon Montclare, Natacha Bustos, Tamra Bonvillain

I’m worried about my favorite adorable team of superheroes. How can there be a Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur if there is no Devil Dinosaur? But also... is this the inevitable end? Are there not more adventures to come of our favorite world class genius and dinosaur? According to solicits there’s more for Lunella but is there more for the friendship that warmed our hearts? Are any of us truly ready to say goodbye?

Story: Legitimately I have no idea what’s going to happen next with this comic because it seems like Lunella is sidekick hunting for the next couple of issues, so the real question is how ready did this issue make us to move on from the loving friendship between a girl from Yancey Street and her bumbling dinosaur? Honestly, compared to the majority of the tight and loving writing of this series, it doesn’t feel like this conclusion was something we were very well prepared for. Sure, Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur are something we know of vaguely from other comics, but the anticlimax of the goodbye, and just how obvious it was that neither Lunella nor Devil were ready for it made the profound loneliness of this move feel so dissatisfying. Especially when Lunella returns to a doombot empty base instead of going home and emphasizes the strangeness even more. 

I’m hopeful that this is set up, but I’m always on high alert for books like this that could easily be canceled by Marvel and worried about ending on a note I really wouldn’t want it to.

Art: As always, the art for this book is gorgeous and the coloring is fascinating and eye popping. The cooler hues this time around really helped with the more subdued and sadder tone of the comic which made the actions toward the end not only more disconcerting but plainly just more heartbreaking. It was an excellent choice and incredibly subtle but effective. This is a creative team that truly understands their crafts more than the vast majority of people in the industry today, and that’s saying something since quality is not exactly in short supply in recent years. 

DC’s Nightwing (2016-present) Vol. 3: Nightwing Must Die Tim Seeley, Javier Fernandez, Chris Sotomayor

So I don’t.... really have any surprises in the works for those of you who follow my main blog at @renaroo who got to witness me liveblogging my experience reading this comic yesterday, but I’ll just put it definitively on the record here: Uh. Not a good effort here, guys. And this is officially the last thing written by Tim Seeley this gal is going to be picking up. Which I’m getting really tired of saying about writers who handle either one of my main two DC dudes -- Dick or Terry. Can we just... have anyone... care a little more? A bit?

Story: Okay so there’s about three plots going on at the same time during this comic and I’m going to address them in the three and then talk about the One Issue That Doesn’t Fit after. So four parts: The Robin Story, The Baby Story, and The Batman Story, and then The Good One. The way the plot is laid out you could argue that these three are interwoven enough to deserve going in a linear basis but I would argue no not really. Please take note that the title of this storyline according to the trade cover is “Nightwing Must Die”, a callback to the climax of Morrison’s run on the original Batman and Robin (2009-2011) series titled “Batman and Robin Must Die”. No, I’m not nerdy and observant, this thing is determined to hit you over the head with this allusion at every turn. 

The Robin Story: Damian who has basically been forcefully emancipated from Bruce and sent to live across the country with the Teen Titans rather than ... idk just be sent to Gotham Academy which is a boarding school anyway, is pissed because internet forums have declared that the original Robin -- aka Dick -- is the best Robin and Damian sucks. Why Damian suddenly cares about 4Chan is beyond me but here we are. Now, despite there being an overly long and obnoxious storyline in Batman and Robin (2011-2015) called “War of the Robins” where Damian already went through this and beat up all his predecessors sans Dick because they have an actual relationship, or the entirety of “Robin: Son of Batman”, or the huge storyline “Robin Wars” where there were 30 Robins including Duke Thomas all over Gotham and something I didn’t pay attention to about the Court of Owls and Lincoln March -- this is a useless subplot that makes no sense for the characters or relationship that has already been established by Damian and Dick here. That’s what I’m saying. 

Because this story isn’t interested in getting Damian right or doing him any service. This is dedicated to Dick in... about the worst way. And the weak motivation for getting Damian in Blüdhaven in order to reinact the events of “Batman and Robin Must Die” are so contrived that there’s really this feeling of “we need Damian in Blüdhaven come up with an excuse later” instead of it being something organic. For example: Damian is quick to bring up his concerns that Dick staying in Blüdhaven and starting a new life with Shawn is because he’s trying to become Batman of his “own franchise” and that he’s abandoning the rest of the family. This is really disconnected from the motivation of “who’s the best Robin” and would make more sense on a character level if Damian went to Blüdhaven of his own volition because of that concern to begin with. He feels pushed out of the family, and with Tim’s death he’s upset and surprised by Dick’s seeming abandonment of everyone else. Including him. The Robin with THE most abandonment issues this side of Jason Todd. Why not bring up something along the lines of “you haven’t been home since the funeral”. That would contrast the themes of family, Dick and Damian’s relationship, and Dick’s supposed worries about personal responsibility all at once. 

This isn’t how that was handled and I am suspicious as to why. because we had to have that awful, ugly -- for me personally inexcusable -- panel where Dick tells Damian that he knows no one can balance being a superhero and having a secondary identity because Bruce sucks at it SO BAD that he now has the “burden” of being a father to a bunch of Batkids which he follows up with “And the one I think suffers the most from this is you, Damian. His only real son.” 

So. You know. Fuck themes about nonconventional families and adoption I guess. Tim Seeley, go kick your own ass because you don’t even deserve the ass kicking from me.

It might seem like I’m being harsh but this one moment is SO hugely stupid and never brought up again or refuted later to the point that not only is it gross on a real world level, it actually REALLY weakens the theme of families and the such through the rest of the story specifically because there’s now this big ugly turd of a plot thread looming and never dealt with. 

Professor Pyg and Doctor Hurt are back from Dick and Damian’s time as Batman and Robin and theyve made a bunch of disgusting Dollatrons specifically of Damian and Dick, or Robintron and Deathwing. This actually matters a lot less to the story than you might actually think because Robintron and Deathwing don’t have a relationship outside of being made to believe they’re Robin and Nightwing and one ultimately kills the other once they remember this. It’s symbolic because the Robintron was in Dick’s original Robin suit and Deathwing was in the New52 Nightwing suit do you get it do you get it do you get what they’re trying to say here it’s clever. Anyway. 

The symbolism on a meta level is pretty on the nose “The New52 Dick killed the innocence of the old timey Golden Age Dick la da da” but in story we don’t really have Damian go through an arc or actually develop as a result of this matter and neither does Dick. Does Dick feel like his identity as Nightwing has killed his relationship with Damian? With his other family? With his idealistic self? It doesn’t... seem like it. Dick just kind of... punches Doctor Hurt after he decides that tragedy doesn’t define him... or something. It was from the hallucinations and like a whole issue later from Deathwing killing Robintron. And then Deathwing and Doctor Hurt kill each other by stabbing and falling rocks. Both ways in which villains have NEEEVVVEEERRRRR returned from the dead from before so I’m sure they’re gone forever.

So the Robin Storyline as a whole? it kinda comes to a conclusion with a genuinely nice two page spread where Dick and Damian talk about missing each other and missing their time as Batman and Robin. Dick even confesses something that would have brought all these storylines together rather nicely if it was done correctly: when Bruce came back to be Batman, Dick thought of staying as Batman, too in order to stay with Damian and train and raise him. But ultimately he thought, at the time, that he wasn’t old enough or ready enough to take that responsibility. 

Dick was not ready to be a father but now he looks back at himself and who he is now and is ready for another go, with Damian or with his own children in the future. ... EXCEPT that reading of how the themes would play out are completely undermined and broken beyond repair by having Dick say that UNBELIEVABLE comment about how Damian is the only REAL son to Bruce and that the “Batfamily” aren’t a unit like that. Therefore the Robin Storyline doesn’t really have a conclusion. 

Damian’s going to go back to San Francisco and still get pissed at /b/, there’s no family unit for anyone to reflect on, and.... the baby storyline:

The Baby Storyline: I could sum this up with one gif. I really could. I’m not going to but because I know this is only entertaining to hear me yell for an extent, have the gif anyway:

Now I’ll go into what actually bothered me about this storyline. Because this is tied to Dick’s relationship with Shawn and their pregnancy scare alone, and we see Dick freaking out at the possibility of the immense responsibility he may be stepping into, it actually genuinely had the potential to be a huge deal, a big game changer, something that actually would have developed both their characters and really questioned what they would be doing going forward with their lives. Would they both give up their costume lives? Would they move from Blüdhaven if they’re not defending the streets and it’s a terrible part of town? Would the baby have superheroes in its life from an early age?

It doesn’t matter because in what could probably be the weakest fake out ever, Shawn’s not pregnant she’s just... apparently not as regular as she once assumed. Which, hey, I hear that that happens fairly often for my fellow uterus havers and you know what? They’re young adults in their first serious relationship so I actually get the freakout from both of them. 

But it doesn’t end up meaning anything other than Dick screams at Damian a few times that they have to save his “girlfriend AND baby” and for some reason Damian just goes with it because Damian of course has never before in his life ever shown signs of jealousy and concerns about conditional love. 

The biggest problem beyond the fact that this plot’s resolution is a huge PSYCH spitting in everyone’s face is that... what... was the tie-in here? 

Was it JUST the drama of “PHEWWWW dodged that bullet, now let’s go give Sandy a makeover”? I guess so. 

Because if this was actually tied to the plots of the storyline it would have ended with at least one speech from Dick to Shawn, to his monologue, or to Damian that back when he returned to being Nightwing because he feared being too young and to unprepared to take responsibility for raising Damian, he had been wrong. He’s not ready because no one is, but he has a relationship with Damian that proves that he’s more than ready to be a father then and now. That he might not do it Bruce’s way because he didn’t like Bruce’s priorities, but he would find a way to balance all the aspects of his life and so can Shawn.

But that would require this story to... care about Shawn’s character more. 

I actually like Shawn? I want to see more of her and I think there’s a lot of potential there, but at the end of this story outside of genuinely good moments, like the time with her and Deathwing where she tries to soothe him, she’s... just a damsel to be rescued? Just a possible babymomma for tension?

If she was more than that, then the plot would have given her more to do once she joined Dick and Damian. Like even ONE scene of her and Damian playing off of each other in the aftermath would have done wonders, made her more than just an attachment for the advancement of Dick’s character, but we get more development for Deathwing and Robintron than for the potential love of Dick’s life.

Kidding. DC would never let Babs and Dick have actual meaningful romances outside of each other anymore. Just like DC will never let them have meaningful romances with each other!

So this was a trip into a cul de sac of disappointment. 

Also condoms condoms condoms condoms condoms boys and girls. Wrap it before you tap it. 

Or be a lesbian. But that’s my answer for everything.

#Shawn Tsang deserves better #Hollatchagirl

The Batman Story: Oh, Bruce. How your shadow lingers large over all things that have nothing to do with you. 

This is the “actual” plot. The one about Shawn being kidnapped and it all ending up being a plot by Professor Pyg and Doctor Hurt to relive the “Batman and Robin Must Die” storyline because....

Well. That’s the problem.

Doctor Hurt, as much as I really wasn’t a fan of that storyline under Morrison, served a very specific purpose. He was the antithesis to Dick when it came to Bruce’s legacy. Dick was his ward but also Bruce’s light and when he ascended to becoming Batman he took most of that with him and grew into the cape, so to speak. He embodied the detective work that Bruce taught him (finding the clues in the mantle that found the secret door), he embodied the friendship (taking his place as Batman on several superhero teams), and most importantly he embodied the head of the family. Alfred gave him advice, but Dick kept the Batfamily together as best he could, specifically by raising Damian as Bruce had raised him. And none of it was easy. 

Doctor Hurt worked as a villain to Dick’s Batman because he embodied the worst of Bruce’s darkness. The strange and forgotten stories of the past, the psychological horror, the devilish iconography. Those things that were Gritty McBadBat about Bruce were never things that Dick was going to embody as Batman. And that’s why Doctor Hurt and him battled, basically over the heart of Damian: Robin, the partner, the son, the future of the cowl. 

I didn’t like “Batman and Robin Must Die” because rather than have a huge statement about choosing the direction for Batman’s future by having Dick battle and defeat Doctor Hurt and his continuity drag, Morrison literally deus ex machina’d by having Bruce travel back through time and save Dick and Damian and basically take control immediately. It was such an anticlimax to both Dick and Damian’s arc even though Morrison tried to play it off as being the culmination of Dick and Damian and everyone else looking for Bruce plus Bruce’s “Return of Bruce Wayne” storyline. It’s messy and just feels like “whatever” at the end. 

I don’t like it here because .... Dick’s not Batman. He and Damian aren’t partners. Neither of those things have been factors for either of those characters for six years now and, I hate to break it to everyone here, but at least one of them was “dead” for at least three of those years anyway. 

Doctor Hurt is a Dick Grayson villain, but he is not a Nightwing villain. And the attempt to make him one here fell incredibly flat. 

Also why was Professor Pyg there? Does Professor Pyg now know Dick and Damian’s secret identities too? Was that throw away line about him building dollatrons for Hurt meant to tell us that no only Hurt knows the identities? How is that much better? Why does everyone know Dick’s identity and he doesn’t care? Why doesn’t Damian care that the random Robintron knows his full name and who his father is? Why doesn’t Dick? If only Hurt knows then how did Pyg brainwash Robintron and Deathwing? If Pyg didn’t why did Hurt need Pyg to brainwash them for this since he apparently already knows how?

This story basically sacrificed all logic within the story itself to tie-in Dick’s time as Batman, which he doesn’t want to go back to and isn’t  even tempted to go back to throughout the story, purely to justify having the Bat as part of the cover logo still. That’s it. 

The Good One: There’s a one shot at the very end of this volume, #21, that’s definitely filler in between storylines but is actually the best thing in this entire volume. Probably the best of this run of Nightwing I’ve read and... apparently will ever read since I’ve paid my penance and given Seeley’s turn a chance. It’s a classic team up between Dick and Wally with a pretty inventive villain named “Timebomb”. It’s funny, has a lot of heart, the coloring isn’t muted garbage, and it features some high stakes without losing its sense of fun. It’s a good issue. I would actually implore fans of Dick and Wally to pick it up. It does a great service to their friendship.

Art: The art is good, the entire “Nightwing Must Die” part was colored in this muted, pasty way that basically made all backgrounds feel like they weren’t a part of the scenes and made all humans look dead or undead as it were to the point that Dick and Damian -- both canonically characters of color and occasionally colored to match it -- have the same pallor of the rotting corpse faces sewn onto Robintron and Deathwing.

The exception is the blue used for Nightwing’s costume and gear and for Shawn’s hair because.... idk. I guess we’re supposed to guess that they’re important to the comic or something. 

No seriously, I love the art but they have to buy some more markers. I appreciate that you can only do so much when supplies are low but c’mon.

It’s a joke I know it’s a style choice I just don’t like the style.

But I emphasize again, the art is good. I just personally would go for the last issue’s coloring more than the main storyline’s. 

Image’s Saga (2012-present) #47 Fiona Staples, Brian K. Vaughn

The real question comes to be... will Saga ever have a truly bad issue? I doubt it. Like at this point I’m not really sure what a bad Saga issue would even look like, but I think there’s absolutely no doubt that mediocre issues or issues that were more build up for what is to come can exist. Again, I give backhanded compliments here but I mean them... in the best way possible? Never mind, these cold opens are hard.

Story: We don’t progress too awfully much in this issue. The Will is captured by a vengeful victim’s wife who means to torture him by making him suffer and forcing him to see the very people he loves die.... until money gets involved and suddenly like everyone else she wants to capture Hazel and company to make the big starbucks. But, strangely for Saga, for the first time in this series we really don’t.... go anywhere with this issue outside of what’s taking place with the Will’s torture. There’s no scenes exploring what’s going on with the other groups, there’s no narration from future Hazel, we’re left with the Will, his past we haven’t seen yet, and his current circumstances. 

Now this could make sense, the jumping around Will’s past is in place of jumping around the stars, and how could Hazel ever know what’s happening to the Will here, but it just all feels like a departure from the near omnipotence of Saga’s story before. And mostly it just feels like a setup for explaining how we get all the characters gathered for the next part of the story. And that’s.... not as cool as it could be. 

It’s definitely a weaker entry for Saga overall, but that’s like saying a TV show with 100 episodes may have some that aren’t perfect.

Art: Fiona Staples’ art continues to be the star of the series, but perhaps because of the restraints of the setup, this isn’t the most visually creative or wildest design ideas she’s had in this series. The reveal of the shrew woman’s face felt.... anticlimactic compared to some of the truly out there examples of aliens unlike anything I’ve ever imagined before and it made the pause for the joke “my husband was nearly as beautiful as me” feel like... “have you seen what some of the other alien species look like????”

Likewise the backgrounds of both the flashbacks and of the room Will’s tortured in are not as wild as we’ve seen before, but I have to say the creative idea of the floating prism in space kind of makes up for it because that was creative and visually awing. Again, much like the story itself, the art only suffers because in comparison to the rest of Saga I’m only kind of blown away and not totally blown away. 

IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-present) #74 Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Cory Smith, Ronda Pattison

Man we are just in the forest for transitions in storylines right now. Nothing is bad but nothing is standing out and I was expecting much the same with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles considering that we’re on Part II of the Trial of Kraang, but you know, it wouldn’t be TMNT if they weren’t continuing to surprise me.

Story: So this is a court drama because if there’s one thing that TMNT is dedicated to it is DOING ALL OF THE THINGS and apparently court drama hadn’t been checkmarked yet so here we are. And as someone who really genuinely likes the minutia of continuity and rules and regulations of different worlds and the way laws work in different universes, I found things fairly compelling. Not the least of which because of the smart use of characters and how they fit into their roles -- especially Donny and Professor Honeycutt both working as the prosecution. Don, after all, is the sci-fi heart of TMNT and him being in the thick of this as Kraang is the most “his” of their roster of villains makes perfect sense.

We mostly hit the same beats you’d expect from a court drama -- an unfavorable judge, slimy defense attorney making things hard for our prosecutors, the prosecutors pull a surprise key witness, and all in the background we have the unraveling of victims and friends trying to deal with the uncertainty of the situation while also.... fighting an interdimensional alien war. Hm. Okay so that last part is pure TMNT shenanigans but the drama of the story is really structured and punctual.

Which.... basically means that this issue is something like 80% dialogue with little tiny bits of action to give the other three turtles and their friends something to do while Don and Honeycutt hold down the fort. And if you’re prepared for that going in, you’ll probably find the case as interesting and the way facts are being retold and manipulated fascinating, but if you’re not then it’s probably going to be a bit of a slog compared to the ninja action you’re usually used to.

Art: TMNT’s art is always so shockingly good that it’s hard to comment on anymore. I really like how varied and interesting alien designs are with people not afraid to be gross by “human standards” when making things. And I like that the turtles manage to be simple so that they stand out in every setting without feeling out of place, and still have enough variation and ranges of emotions that there’s no confusing them with each other when the masks are off. It’s very good art and that should always be applauded. 

Dark Horse’s Zodiac Starforce: Cries of the Fire Prince (2017) #2 Kevin Panetta, Paulina Ganucheau, Sarah Stern

I have been on the edge of my seet for a few months now, waiting for news on when the next Zodiac Starforce was going to be coming out and, at long last, the answer came. It was today! And there was much rejoicing. From me. Because I’ve absolutely fallen for this team book.

Story: We learn more about the titular Fire Prince and honestly that’s where a lot of my apprehensions come into play. In the original comic series, the Starforce was comedic at times but its drama was never undercut by it. Relationships were taken seriously and the threat to the girls was certainly serious, particularly from their own goddess and from Cimmeria. So when the first half of this issue was spent with the Fire Prince and making his powers known but also having him laughably dance around and prove to be a bit of a sadsack and not even comparable to the last threat of Cimmeria -- having been imprisoned and shamed by her himself -- it was a little worrisome. The threat after a huge battle like last time shouldn’t really be followed up by something we’re directly told is lesser. And that fed right into the lesser fights too, with Savannah undercutting Alice’s threat by having to make a joke of why they were fighting and remind her of the fact that she even was a threat to the Starforce to begin with. I know I’m throwing this word around a lot lately but it feels like bathos -- like fearing the sincerity of the drama so going for a joke instead. And that wasn’t something I really remember happening in the previous volume.

That all said, the one thing always played straight and the risk that is never dampened is honestly the one that remains the most important overall, and that’s the relationships between the girls themselves. Lily and Savannah’s romance and Savannah’s obviously very supportive mother, Molly and Emma’s close friendship, everyone’s concern for Kim -- it’s all great stuff and taken seriously throughout which is why I still have a lot of hope and expectations for this series. It’s just so nice to see a book that’s so supportive and intent on emphasizing the importance of female relationships.

Art: The art for Zodiac Starforce is beautiful and popping, but it also has a very serious control of its style so as to not be cartoonish beyond the point of feeling the danger or concern for things within the story. Even so, there were a few things that felt off model this time around. It’s mostly nitpicking, but there was something different about the way Emma’s hair was drawn, specifically when she was Gemini, and there were a few times where Alice and her goons seemed to look very different from how I remembered them. but overall I can’t emphasize enough that it’s a beautiful book and really does capture the feeling of being a Western Magical Girl team story. 

There was a lot of good this week in a lot of different ways but when I think of what I enjoyed the most I have to absolutely give it to Black Magick. This book captures a unique style and tone of two things I sincerely love -- noir and witchcraft -- and is really doing something special with them in the modern age. And those are the kind of daring choices -- much like doing a mostly black-and-white comic when almost all comics stick to high definition coloring -- that really capture my attention and help any book stand out in a given week. So that absolutely must be my Pick of the Week, even with some of my harsher criticisms sent its way.

And, once more, 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. On top of that, I have exactly a month and a half to pack up everything I own and move halfway across the country again which is not helping those financial crunches I mentioned before either.

As such, I really would appreciate if you enjoy my content or are interested in helping me out, please check out either my Patreon or PayPal. Every bit helps and I couldn’t thank you enough for enjoying and supporting my content.

You could also support me by going to my main blog, @renaroo, where I’ll soon be listing prices and more for art and writing commissions.

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