#Now can we circle back to that weird thing Evil Wolverine said?

[completeoveranalysis]

[11]

Oh now THIS is gorgeous

Kurogane alone in darkness, framed in trappings of his own room in the world he fought so hard to return too, moon shining brightly overhead, and all he can do is sit awake and think about Sakura in Acid Tokyo specifically. Just incredible all around.

OOOH IT GETS BETTER

The memories split into shards of glass, like they’ve done quite a few times throughout the series. Kurogane remembers a lot of her earlier moments, like Piffle, and Outo, and Jade. But then the lower the page gets the more we transition into Fai doing the same thing, but standing alone above the water, looking down at it in silence. We can see the moon reflected back at him, and we can also see his own reflection looking back. And GOD what a gut punch that could be on its own - a mirror of himself, just like the twin he’s finally put to rest, just like the Sakura he fought so hard to save but failed. And we can see the memories he recalls too - but he’s thinking of times further into their journey, specifically Acid Tokyo and Infinity, and the moments he shared with her where they were their closest. Sakura’s determination, Fai swearing his loyalty to her, and Sakura’s final words of comfort to him as she died the first time due to his curse.

Eventually he DOES look up at the sky - perhaps done dwelling on the moments that hurt him the most, or perhaps galvanised in his own determination to save her even more than before. 

Meanwhile the shards of memory all turn to ones between Sakura and Syaoran, which makes me think Lava Lamp must be on the next page - even though, like, these moments weren’t specifically with HIM in them, I suppose he did second hand live them all the same. Outo and Hanshin and Piffle - oh and Infinity! That one WAS him. 

Lava Lamp’s head must be a mess after all this. 

OOP YEAH THERE HE IS, ALONE ON THE ROOF. WITH HIS BACK TO THE MOON ENTIRELY. And this page is entirely memories of moments between Sakura and Syaoran (Outo, Koryo, Hanshin, Jade, Shara, etc) - specifically not Lava Lamp, though he definitely appears to have felt the moments in the same way. Even though THIS Sakura has turned him down, and left him for the other Sakura. The other Sakura who, specifically, lived through NONE of these moments, and won’t remember any of them at all, and he knows this now, so he must be thinking uniquely of Clone Sakura in this moment. 

Clone Sakura who quite deliberately is not Real Sakura, but based on these memories I’d LOVE to untangle Lava Lamp’s thoughts about who he has feelings for, and how much of them are based on something they didn’t do and moments neither of them shared.

See also: Evil Wolverine is now also claiming that Real Sakura was accidentally incinerated in chapter 1 and doesn't even exist anymore BUT SURELY NOT, RIGHT??? SURELY SOMEONE WOULD HAVE HAD A VISION OF THAT????????

I'm conflicted so I'm pretending he didn't say anything

OOP AND THEN WE CIRCLE ALL THE WAY BACK TO CLOW, AND THE BEGINNING OF THEIR STORY - OR

SPECIFICALLY

REAL SAKURA’S MOMENTS WITH CLONE SYAORAN, WHILE REAL SYAORAN WATCHED, WHICH CLONE SAKURA DOESN’T REMEMBER, AND MAY NEVER REMEMBER, AND MAY OR MAY NOT BE SOUL DEAD, AND REAL SAKURA MAY OR MAY NOT BE DOUBLE DEAD, BUT....?

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: COMPLICATED

[moondustis]

ribs

pairing: lee jeno + reader genre: fluff word count: 1,5k summary: in the middle of all the teenage angst you and jeno had gotten closer than ever. 

you like to think there are things in life one must experience in order to become the person they are mean to be. like a heartbreak, for example or the departure of a loved one. you also like to think that there are people you are supposed to meet in order to really become complete. that’s how you feel about meeting jeno.

it happens on a sunny summer day. you are pushing yourself back and forth on the swing, a caprisun on you hand and a smile on your face. everything feels really peaceful, like a nice day in the park should feel for a 8 year old. until jeno comes to disturb your peace and pushes you off the swing, making you spill juice all over your favorite yellow dress.

that day he calls you egoist for not letting other people use the swing and you call him mean and ugly for pushing you.

back then you didn’t think jeno was someone you were meant to have in your life, of course. you dreaded meeting him with your whole heart and everything about the boy made your little body boil with anger. but the universe had funny ways of working and in the end the evil boy turned out to be the son of a great friend of your mother and both women seemed to want nothing more than for you and jeno to be the best of friends. you were forced to attend regular playdates with him every sunday and no matter how much you cried and tried to fake being sick, you would always end up in the lee’’s household with a frown on your face and jeno pulling at your pigtails.

 it takes a while but at the age of 12 you and jeno seem to finally put an end to your childish feud and become attached to the hip, surprising everyone that had the opportunity to spend more than five minutes with you two and your nonstop bickering.

the friendship blows on your shared interest of an x-men animation that was played on tv every afternoon. you were at jeno’s house, being left there by you mother that had an important meeting to attend and couldn’t just leave her daughter alone without supervision. it had started as usual, you saying something mean and jeno biting back with something even meaner, he always had a smart mouth to him. but by the time your mother came back to pick you up, you were both peacefully sitting on the couch, eyes glued on the television, while the x-men were on random mission, and excitedly commenting on how cool it was.

it became your thing for a good year. all you two would talk about was mutants and even ended up dressing as wolverine and rogue for halloween. but like most things at that age, it was forgotten when you found a new obsession. but even then, jeno stood by your side. a comfortable presence in your life and by the time you were both seventeen you had experienced everything a person could imagine together.

you experienced his awkward puberty and attempt to be a skater boy. he had experienced your first period and your quick but very weird obsession with a certain boyband. you told him about your first kiss immediately after it happened and he stole alcohol from his parents, so you two could get drunk for the first time on his basement (and proceed to have the worst hangover ever).

in the middle of all the teenage angst you and jeno had gotten closer than ever and like a cliche adolescent romcon, you ended up falling head over heels for your best friend. one day jeno was there being his gross teenage self and the next you were thinking about kissing his lips under the moonlight and holding his hand. but you never dared to tell him about your feelings. too embarrassed and scared of what they could do to your friendship. you had watched him date other people and would hear about his romantic escapades more often than you would like. but none of that would ever hurt as much as being like you were right now, in his bed with him so close to you and your heart so full of hidden feelings that you felt like it would burst out of your chest.

you two were cuddling in his bed, like you had been doing since middle school after class. he felt warm against your skin and you could feel his chest move with every word he said. it was comfortable, something so natural that you couldn’t imagine not doing it.

he was talking about college and his plans for the future, how he wanted to move to a big city and work on his dreams. the pain of thinking that you could end up not being a part of that future was minuscule compared to how your whole body ached for his happiness, for him to be able to do everything he wanted.

“do you think we’ll stop being friends if we attend different universities?” you muttered and at the same time it was just a stupid thought, because your bond with jeno was too strong to break, it made sense. you and him had never been apart from each other, since the capri sun incident he had been a constant in your life and it scared you to think what distance could do to that. 

“of course not, stupid.” jeno replied, gentle as always. “we have phones for a reason. we already text most of the time, i doubt that would change.”

you can’t help but sigh in relief. glad that where you were always too emotional and guided by your heart, jeno was rational and tried to make sense of things.

 you both settle in a comfortable silence after that and jeno’s hand find their way to your waist, rubbing soothing circles on it as if he can sense your troubles. the entire house is asleep and the only sounds you can hear are the wind outside and the clock signalling it’s midnight. 

“don’t you think this weird?” he says, getting you out of your thoughts and when you give him a confused look he continues. “us sharing a bed and cuddling?” 

“of course not! we have been doing it for ages.” you reply. it’s a half lie, of course. you have fallen asleep in his arms imagining that you were actually lovers many times. 

“yeah, but we are almost adults now. it should be weird.” always the voice of reason.

it should, you think, and sometimes it is. but hell if you would let a piece of your friendship end. “it doesn’t mean anything. we just enjoy each other’s companies, that’s all.” you reason, doing your best to avoid his eyes.

“but what if…” he starts saying and knowing jeno the way you do, you can tell he’s gathering his strength to say something. “what if i wanted it to mean something.”

for a moment you think your mind is playing tricks on you. you think you are actually sleeping, that this is just another one of your silly dreams where jeno says the words you want to hear the most. but it’s not a dream and the way jeno looks at you, when you finally stop trying to avoid his eyes, makes your heart twist inside of your chest.

“please say something.” he pleads. you didn’t even notice you had stayed inside your thoughts for so long, just staring at him. his voice sounds slightly sad, like he’s sure you don’t want the same thing as him. it’s funny, you think, how he knows you so well but has no clue about this one thing that is about to change everything.

you had always been better with actions, having a hard times putting your heart on your words and never being able to say the right things. jeno knows this better than anyone, so you know he understands the moment you move closer to him to press your lips softly against his.

it’s a short kiss, just a brush of lips, but it’s enough to leave the both of you with stupid smiles on your face. he moves his hands until they’re holding yours tightly, as if he’s saying he will never let go. “i’m sorry i never said anything.” you don’t mind. “i was too scared that it would ruin everything and that you would hate me.” impossible. you don’t think you could ever hate him.

“it’s okay, i was scared too.” you say and he lets out a silly laugh. of all the times you had imagined this moment going, it never went like this. it usually involved a lot of tears and arguments, sometimes heated kisses. but it had never been this comfortable, with jeno’s hand holding yours and his smile making you feel like you’re floating.

when he kisses you again you let go of everything else. tomorrow will still come and you’re still scared of what it’ll bring with it. but jeno is by your side and, as always, that’s enough.

[bilgisticallykosher]

Reminder that I’m totally down to give specific warnings or descriptions or help people navigate through the video if anyone needs.

Warnings (aside from the obvious): Long post, lots of caps lock, long rambling with a large degree of incoherence. I titled this “me screaming at the new video” in docs. I was real accurate.  It took me over 2 hours to watch this thing because I kept pausing to not shut up. This is 5 pages in docs.

Okay, JUST looking at the cover, I-  are those tentacles? IS this a new side? Octoside? I can already hear all the names were going to give him. Oliver, Octavio, October wait no that’s already a Sanders shorts. Okay, intrusive thoughts, that's… Roman’s already a supplier of those. Fandom agrees, “Don’t think about your naked Aunt Patty.” So, maybe Depression? Anger? Or, is it Roman still, after all? Because I see the word Creativity there. Or tentaclereativity. So it’s still Roman, but I’m convinced that his opposite is Virgil, although I’m also sure that they implied Pride in the Halloween episode. Something about “proud of it” and then they said “let’s table that discussion for another time.”

Ugh, Roman’s been doing so wonderful on his own. He’s just been owning up to insecurities, and it’s been great. This is going to be highly related to him. Although, Patton looks like the one trying to block him out? Roman’s concerned, Logan’s miffed, Virgil is angry, and oh my god is that a MOUSTACHE OKAY I’M WATCHING. 

Content warning, oh my gosh, they were not kidding. Does that seriously say death and blood and gore? I’m just getting more hype. I mean, intrusive thoughts, I’m sure nothing will permanently, physically happen to them.  (Goodbye Fresh.) 

Dark circles under Thomas’s eyes, implication of sleep deprivation, or something with Virgil?

“The human connection will make me feel more like a person,” I came here to have a good time and honestly I’m feeling so attacked right now. Credits! Great job everyone! I know everyone worked real hard on this. 

Okay, Thomas in his robe, very reminiscent of Excepting Anxiety. Blasé attitude, too. Hmm, trouble sleeping (tires), overstating ‘everything going wrong,’ definitely seems like Virgil’s territory. 

Woah there he is. He’s, he’s really angry? And Patton’s voice is strained. What is happening, does Patton know……whatever, or WHOever? Yeah, he’s shifty eyed. He knows. Virgil definitely knows, and it’s not him. Oh man oh man. Oh, confirmed, they’re in on trying to avoid the conversation. GREAT TEAM WORK, PAT! Doing great, buddy. 

Roman’s rhymes are amazing. Definitely misery, though. Alright, so Thomas is having thoughts that make Virgil act up, and either he’s telling Patton, or Patton knows because of emotions. 

Roman’s so much better at summoning than Logan. And Logan knows?! Ooh, sore spot for them here. Patton oh noooo. That’s easy for you to say? 

I love the idea that, 1, Logan Falsehood’d as a reaction and an example on purpose, and 2, that he’s got a limit of one per day. 

ALRIGHT! I’ve got it. They don’t want Roman to know because he’s going to, intentionally or not, expand on whatever the thoughts are. He’s Creativity and dreams, it’s what he does and he’s not going to be able to help it, intrusive thoughts, this IS Roman-centric! Poor boy. (Kraken, sushi. Those tentacles mean something. Also the tentacle represents the C, I understand the title image now.) Yeah, they don’t want him inadvertently going into daydream mode. 

I have never seen this movie. These are freaking top-notch jokes, though. WOAH, THOMAS. Not good. Really not good. I’m still hype. Oh, is that the sort of death mention that

Television: [has hands]

Me: [strangled squeaking noise] 

Okay, I’m having, okay. Okay. Okay. I’m fine. I just. I need. Okay. I’m fine. Need a moment. Freaking out, in, a good way? I just. Really unexpected, even though I saw the hands. Oh my gosh. Can the others see him????? Because they’re looking at Roman they should see him. I didn’t know I could make that noise, but apparently I can. And I can hold it. And make it slowly go higher pitched. Okay. Okay. I’m fine now. Maybe. Okay. Hypening.

OH THEY CAN okay, oh dissonant voice. What sort of overdramatic staff is this dork NO ROMAN. 

THE DUKE?! WHAT!!! Getting heavy Warfstache vibes, btw, and why does he have a grey streak? Virgil and Logan are unconcerned about Roman, so I guess he’s fine. 

Is this a song? What is his outfit, omg. His mustache is fabulous. His eyes are kinda ringed.  in purple? 

What is happening, oh my god. Oh here’s the religious commentary, I guess. This is fine, I’m okay with this. But he’s playing Adam AND Eve himself. Dramatic dork confirmed. Oooh, you lack imagination. He IS Roman’s opposite, dang. I was so sure it was Virgil. Also YES green’s my favorite color! 

Hahaaaa! Tiny little aunt Patty naked post-it! Patton’s so distressed, Virgil ANGERY. A to Z is incredible. I missed some lyrics there; I’ll catch it when I watch it with captions the next five times. I mean, uh, no, I’d never… ten times. Nice blood spatter! What is he doing to them! What’s with the size thing? Is that a thing he can do? Or creative (heh) liberty due to song? 

SNAKE how’d I not guess that from Adam and Chava SNAKE IT’S SNAKE!

I don’t get the hand image. What is that? So far kind of the same sort of vibe from Deceit and Duke- oooh, both Ds. The whole, own up to who you are, stop lying to yourself. 

“You’ve got a fiend in me!” “Squeak!”

Oh, oh no, he’s really not quite like Deceit. He’s saying that these things make Thomas evil. Definitely not a Deceit thing to do. 

EDITING PRAISE! YOU GUYS. You guys are incredible, you did such a good job. 

“I’m your Creativity!” Officially calling those things fart trumpets. 

Oh, is he actually Creativity? Okay I’ll roll with it. Oh my gosh it’s only ten minutes into it and I can’t shut up. Virgil is so uncomfortable. 

Never bring [Jeffery Dahmer] up again got a GREAT face from Duke. Oh man. Is that true about him trying to repress those thoughts?

WHITE BEAR that episode of Black Mirror might make more sense now. 

Impressive hair blowing from Virgil, that’s the hair blowing equivalent of what Dr. Horrible did with his fingers in Brand New Day. 

Patton called Roman handsome, and I knew that second most handsome prince bit in the last episode was something he’d say, not just him trying to be all lawyer-y! (Ooh, foreboding music…)

Honestly, Logan was, if anything, even more chill about lying in CLBG, and Deceit in general (his scales are quite smooth). By comparison, he’s going off on the Duke. OOH, I KNEW THAT ABOUT THE WORD DORK! 

Ohhh my gosh the costumes are opposites! I, almost realized that, about color theory, and then forgot about the sash. And those shoulder pads are massive, Duke! Did you steal Roman’s puppet chin to make those? 

Joan! Haha, I love it, definitely something they would do. Interesting, you can hear an overlay of Joan’s voice, and Duke’s voice. Why can’t the Duke do it as well as anyone else? What did Virgil realize during the twin explanation? Hey, Cayin and Hevel, more Genesis. 

Did he mention friends and family? Oh my gosh, self-immolation is terrible, I looked it up. Like, uh, suicide for a public purpose, or to make a point? 

Laugh! Dork laugh! There’s the implication of them knowing each other. 

Oh, okay, okay. So, Virgil’s anxious, because in and of itself, whatever it was that he was thinking/obsessing over was bad. His anxiety is, well, cognitive distortions. That’s why everyone’s all bothered. Yeah, point to Logan on that oh my god, what is that camera angle, I love it.

Duke is JP confirmed. Ripped off nipples. JP from Wade’s (lordminion777) circle of friends, salty boys. That’s still their official name, right? Anyway, he’s JP.

Oh, I saw dripping off of that hand. That sequence is getting longer every time. 

Who are those, I don’t recognize them? “I’m about to smash the Hulk” you guys I think I love the Duke a little bit a lot. 

Patton, no, that’s- Patton! “That’s what repression is?” Ooh, tense Virgil moment with Logan. Yet, also touching? 

“Well THAT can’t be where the bar is.” !!!

Weird Duke blink during religion talk. It’s so funny looking at this though a Jewish perspective. It’s similar, but just a little off. And we don’t do the 7 deadly sins thing. 

Figuratively! 

Wait it’s coming from Virgil?! Uh, uh, anxious about being a bad person, subconsciously projecting it onto Thomas?

Patton too?! Oh, wait, yeah, this comes back to repression that makes sense. Oh my gosh, Logan. ! Can the Duke do the Deceit silence thing oh no, no he can’t. Close. Teeth are an improvement I think. 

Hey isn’t there an incorrect quote about Virgil drinking shampoo? 

Remus?! Oh my gosh are you KIDDING me? A new side, PLUS his name? Oh, oh that’s so clever, Roman. Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus. So clever! And definitely butt trumpets, from earlier, because AVPM’s Lupin had butt trumpets. 

Oh, direct shot and reaction at Virgil not hiding anything. And okay, I’ve changed my mind like 10 times, but I think I get it now. Haha, Logan! It was like a pop quiz! And Thomas cursed!

The scream darkened the room, that was awesome. But nobody cared. Ah, secretly a Patton and Virgil arc! 

Oh my god, Patton had a look of realization when Virgil was listing off things, is he going to tell him to not skip the callback?!

[Sad poopy noises.] Logan’s on fire today! Yes! 

Oh, he’s gone? Ha, nope! Oh it got worse, haha!

Patton, control, it’s happening! Oh, wait no. 

Virgil really used to fear him? And, oh, what were those exchanged looks during “just like old times”? Logan and Patton, and maybe Roman figured it out? Does Virgil know that? 

Roman! 

Nerdy Wolverine. Ahh, cool! Dukey problem! Oooh return of “I don’t like him.”

What, brother?! So that’s an actual thing now? But okay, alright, I guess Logan’s thing from before. NOPE EVERYTHING’S FINE NEVER COMING BACK. Romaaaaan.

Dark sides? “Others.” Oh, Thomas for sure doesn’t know. Oh dear. OH MUSIC it’s swelling oh my gosh, he’s going to tell, he’s going to tell.  Gasp! He told, and oh, so sad, and oh no he’s just sinking out?! My poor baby little precious oh I immediately see why Patton had a problem with coddling him.

Oh, oh Thomas is so confuddled. There’s going to be so many angst fics. I will read them all. 

Alright, actually a hilarious ad.  Way to incorporate intrusive thoughts into it! END CARD holy- REMUS! Oh the deodorant. And again. Nice knife, he’s going to- yep, deodorant. Oh he’s done, but he’ll have another- yep. What the heck is it, actually? 

THERE’S A SNAKE IN MY BUTT! PFF that’s going to be some fics also. Officially: I love Remus. 

Final thoughts; I’m in love, I was so wrong about “they wouldn’t throw a new side or plot relevance at us with all these warnings,” everyone freaking outdid themselves, this must have happened so soon after Selfishness vs. Selflessness, I love him, I really dug a lot of that humor, my taste in music is way worse than anything Remus threw at us (ask me about that), WHAT WERE THE THOUGHTS with the dripping hand bit, S v. S part 2 is definitely the next one, and I freaking love this video. 

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 27 August 2018

Quick Bits:

A Walk Through Hell #4 focuses largely on flashbacks to the case the agents were working before whatever’s currently happening happened and...I’m not really sure of anything that’s going on. I think that’s kind of the point, unsure as to how everything is supposed to connect and what any of it all adds up to. Great art from Goran Sudžuka and Ive Svorcina, though.

| Published by AfterShock

Beyonders #1 is off to a great start. Between this and The Lost City Explorers, it seems like AfterShock right now has pseudoarchaeology stitched up and it’s wonderful. Paul Jenkins, Wesley St. Claire, and Marshall Dillon kick this one off with a wee bit more crunch, though there’s a very interesting upheaval this issue that will make you wonder what’s going on.

| Published by AfterShock

Blackwood #4 brings this series to an end and it is dark. Very dark. Evan Dorkin, Veronica & Andy Fish have crafted a wonderful horror story here, with some interesting twists, and one hell of an ending.

| Published by Dark Horse

Bone Parish #2 takes a deep dive in to some of the foundational moments of the Winters clan, even as they begin to deal with the fallout of one of their dealers dying from an overdose. This is great stuff. The art from Jonas Scharf and Alex Guimarães is incredible. Great detail and atmosphere, perfectly bringing to life the premise and characters from Cullen Bunn.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Brothers Dracul #5 circles back around to the beginning of the story, as we reach the end of this interesting retelling and interpretation of the intersection of both the historical and legendary story of Vlad the Impaler, from Cullen Bunn, Mirko Colak, Maria Santaolalla, and Simon Bowland. There’s an interesting twist here that certainly paints Vlad’s action in a different light, and I hope we see it followed up upon in a second series.

| Published by AfterShock

Cyber Force #5 is a nice change of pace as Bryan Hill, Matt Hawkins, Atilio Rojo, and Troy Peteri introduce us to another old familiar face. This incarnation of the team definitely is taking its time to be brought together, but when the storytelling is as entertaining and the artwork is as gorgeous as this, it doesn’t really matter. To note, though, this is not the kind of decompression that feels empty or padded, it’s just fleshing out characters and their lives more than what we’ve seen before.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Daredevil Annual #1 presents a standalone story of Misty Knight’s days as a detective and her first meeting with Daredevil. It’s good. It feels a bit more like a pilot for a Misty Knight series than necessarily a Daredevil tale, but, as I said, it’s good. The art from Marcio Takara and Marcelo Maiolo is nice. I really like Takara’s style which gives me hints of Phil Hester, Jim Mahfood, and Tomm Coker.

| Published by Marvel

Dungeons & Dragons: Evil at Baldur’s Gate #5 is another fun one, with a focus this issue on Boo. I’ve really enjoyed this series, with Jim Zub giving the party a bit of a breather between larger adventures and giving a great look at them as individual characters. Great art, too, including this issue from Francesco Mortarino and Jordi Escuin.

| Published by IDW

Edge of Spider-Geddon #2 gives us a view into another alternate Spiderverse, circling back around to SP//dr, and giving us a new twist on the power and responsibility rubric and VEN#m. It’s nice to see Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson play with more technological horror, with some incredible artwork from Alberto Alburquerque and Tríona Farrell.

| Published by Marvel

Euthanauts #2 is a thing of beauty. Nick Robles and Eva De La Cruz are seriously delivering some of the best art in comics right now with this series. The page layouts, character designs, use of colour, and incorporation of lettering choices from Aditya Bidikar, just elevate the storytelling immensely. Not even to mention how Tini Howard is making the weird science seamless in the dialogue. This is great.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Exiles #7 concludes the Old West-ish arc with cowboy T’Challa. Drop dead gorgeous artwork from guest artist Rod Reis. His depiction of the ultimate villain here shows some nice influence from Bill Sienkiewicz.

| Published by Marvel

Extermination #2 brings the fight to the school, even as the team (and the reader, although it’s not a bad thing) is still confused as to what is really going on. I love this, the tension that Ed Brisson, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia are building is palpable, and the hints of kid!Cable’s actions are chilling. Also, the art is just phenomenal. 

| Published by Marvel

Harbinger Wars 2 #4 is kind of the end to this, but the ramifications and fallout are all supposed to appear in the Aftermath issue. That being said, Matt Kindt, Tomás Giorello, Renato Guedes, Diego Rodriguez, and Dave Sharpe go all out for the spectacle in this final confrontation between Livewire and X-O Manowar. It is still kind of insane how Capshaw could possibly consider what GATE and OMEN have done as being “good”, especially in light of Palmer going absolutely batshit insane, but it does lead to interesting set-up for future conflicts.

| Published by Valiant

Hillbilly: Red-Eyed Witchery From Beyond #1 begins the next adventure of the black-eyed tramp. I get a bit of a Beowulf vibe from Eric Powell’s set-up and I’m interested to see where it goes. This series sees Powell passing on the artistic duties to Simone Di Meo, Brennan Wagner, and Warren Montgomery and it’s an interesting visual shift from the washes of Powell’s own work in the original series. I quite like Di Meo’s style, which reminds me a bit of James Harren and Troy Nixey.

| Published by Albatross Funnybooks

House Amok #1 is something I’m not sure I can describe. It’s kind of a family drama, but if that family were all collectively sharing a hallucinatory experience or delusion. It’s a very interesting concept that’s only partially revealed by Christopher Sebela, Shawn McManus, Lee Loughridge, and Aditya Baker, but it leads to a very compelling start here. Gorgeous artwork from McManus and Loughridge.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Hunt for Wolverine: Dead Ends #1, like all four of the Hunt for Wolverine mini-series, is kind of a bit of treading water. I cannot say it or any of the previous series are bad, taken on their own separated from this “event”, they’re usually quite good, but as a whole it’s kind of disappointing. It’s a search for Wolverine that kind of comes up empty, acting as a prequel to the return of Wolverine, despite already having returned in Marvel Legacy and hopped across numerous different titles, before apparently being used for evil, as per throwaway bits in the fourth issues of those previously mentioned minis that didn’t necessarily connect with the plots of those minis. It feels a bit scattered and unnecessary, unfortunately, especially when it comes to comparing notes, coming up with the organization we already knew was behind it, and a bit of hand-waving mystery and grandstanding that still tells us a whole lot of nothing. It’s sound and fury. All of which is a bit of a shame because I otherwise generally enjoy the work of Charles Soule and Ramon Rosanas.

| Published by Marvel

Isola #5... Just look at the artwork. Karl Kerschl and Msassyk just keep delivering page after page after page of beauty.

| Published by Image

Jessica Jones #2 reaffirms that this is one of the best things that Marvel is currently publishing, with the next two chapters in this story. Kelly Thompson’s dialogue, narration, and banter throughout this issue is spot on, propulsive, and funny as hell when it needs to be, but what elevates it is that this isn’t your typical talking heads approach. The characters are doing stuff, like hunting sea monsters, instead of sitting at a desk or whatever. It’s a refreshing change that overall just makes this all the better. Not to mention Mattia De Iulis’ stunning artwork. It’s slick and polished with a line style that somewhat reminds me of Paul Gulacy and a bit of Rick Mays, and an approach to shadow and colour similar to Frazer Irving. This is a great series that really shouldn’t be missed.

| Published by Marvel

Judge Dredd: Under Siege #4 wraps up this entertaining series from Mark Russell, Max Dunbar, Jose Luis Rio, and Shawn Lee. I really like Dunbar’s take on Dredd and the Russell’s idea of people creating their own law in the absence of law is an interesting philosophical counterpoint to the idea of man naturally sliding towards a state of chaos. Even the mutants striving for society is an interesting challenge to the typical idea of things falling apart.

| Published by IDW

New Mutants: Dead Souls #6 concludes the series with Illyana putting the pieces together for what actually has been going on, it isn’t a pretty picture. This has been a great series from Matthew Rosenberg, Adam Gorham, Michael Garland, and Clayton Cowles and the revelations this issue are heavy. The implications for the X-universe is huge and I want more.

| Published by Marvel

The New World #2 essentially reveals itself as a romance comic, amidst the ultraviolence and social engineering. Didn’t really see that coming, but it’s an interesting move. Trippy art from Tradd Moore, Heather Moore, and Ludwig Olimba.

| Published by Image

Paradise Court #2 continues to be an entertaining horror comic from Joe Brusha, Babisu Kourtis, Leonardo Paciarotti, and Taylor Esposito. This gives us the part of the story where our protagonist is experiencing the horror and everyone else is telling her she’s just imagining it, but it’s still well told and well illustrated.

| Published by Zenescope

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #1 is about as perfect a crossover of two properties as you can get. Morty trying to get into D&D because he thinks it will get him laid is the perfect in to the world of the game and the cartoon, perfectly blending the two for fans of both without alienating or diminishing either. Jim Zub, Patrick Rothfuss, Troy Little, Leonardo Ito, and Robbie Robbins are faithful to both and in doing so deliver a wonderful beginning to this story, that also educates along the way.

| Published by IDW & Oni Press

Runaways #12 is easily one of the best issues in what has already been an exemplary series. Rainbow Rowell, Kris Anka, Matthew Wilson, and Joe Carmagna focus here on forgiveness, acceptance, and second chances, with some truly beautiful character work between Gert & Victor and Nico & Karolina. If you don’t have a giant grin on your face by the end of the issue, I question your humanity.

| Published by Marvel

Submerged #2 is still weird, very weird, but there’s some really good bits in here demonstrating some of the emotional manipulation that family members sometimes employ. Beautiful, ethereal artwork from Lisa Sterle and Stelladia.

| Published by Vault

Venom: First Host #1 is somewhat strange to see in light of where Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman have taken the character, but this limited series from Mike Costa, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Dono Sánchez-Almara, and Clayton Cowles serves as both an interesting addendum to the symbiote’s history and as a continuation (and likely capstone) to the previous creative team’s run. It’s pretty decent.

| Published by Marvel

Web of Venom: Ve’Nam #1 is a one shot fleshing out the backstory of Rex Strickland and the SHIELD experiment that bonded the early symbiotes to soldiers set loose during the Vietnam War. It’s an entertaining tale with some nice guest stars and sweet art by Donny Cates, Juanan Ramírez, Felipe Sobreiro, and Clayton Cowles. I particularly like the scratchy, faded look in the art to make it look a bit “old”.

| Published by Marvel

X-23 #3 is great. Mariko Tamaki has nailed the characters and the art from Juann Cabal and Nolan Woodard is incredible. The page designs alone elevate the storytelling immensely.

| Published by Marvel

The X-Files: Case Files - Hoot Goes There? #2 concludes the second of this new approach of a series of mini-series and it’s...weird? Funny, but weird. Definitely taking a page out of some of the more outlandish episodes of the series, where you question whether or not what you saw happened actually happened. Still, it’s entertaining, which is all that really matters. Fun from Joe and Keith Lansdale, Silvia Califano, Valentina Pinto, and Shawn Lee.

| Published by IDW

X-Men Blue #34 looks like it largely serves as a capstone to Cullen Bunn’s work with Magneto over the past four years or so, as he winds down his run here and continues to tidy the characters up a bit before he’s done and hands the reins off to the next band of storytellers. It feels like there’s a lot more here that he would have like to have told, but what we get here is still excellent. The hints at the next stage for Magneto and mutantkind are intriguing. Great art from Marcus To and Matt Milla. 

| Published by Marvel

X-O Manowar #18 gives an interesting transition from this flashback of Aric’s pre-Shanhara life to his return to Earth, focusing on how ideas, people, and culture keeps changing. Matt Kindt delivers a pretty chilling reaction to it. All with some nice artwork from Trevor Hairsine, Brian Thies, and Diego Rodriguez. 

| Published by Valiant

Other Highlights: Deadpool: Assassin #6, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #255, KINO #9, Marvel Two-in-One #9, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Shattered Grid #1, Modern Fantasy #3, Moon Knight #198, Ms. Marvel #33, Red Sonja #20, Rick & Morty #41, StarCraft: Scavengers #2, Star Wars: Lando - Double or Nothing #4, Star Wars: Poe Dameron Annual #2, Star Wars Adventures #13, TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Hit the Road #5, Wayward #28, X-Men: Grand Design - Second Genesis #2

Recommended Collections: 2021 - Volume 1, 30 Days of Night, Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack - Volume 1, Black Cloud - Volume 2: No Return, DuckTales Classics - Volume 1, Eugenic, Factory, Femme Magnifique, I Hate Fairyland - Volume 4, James Bond: Hammerhead, Judas, Killer Instinct, Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses - Volume 2

d. emerson eddy is not the very model of a modern major general. Nor a scientist salarian for that matter.

[moondustis]

palace/curse

pairing: min yoongi + reader genre: fluff word count: 1,5k summary: “in the middle of all the teenage angst you and yoongi had gotten closer than ever and like a cliche adolescent romcon, you ended up falling head over heels for your best friend. one day yoongi was there being his gross teenage self and the next you were thinking about kissing his lips under the moonlight and holding his hand.” inspired by the song ribs by lorde.

you like to think there are things in life one must experience in order to become the person they are mean to be. like a heartbreak, for example or the departure of a loved one. you also like to think that there are people you are supposed to meet in order to really become complete. that’s how you feel about meeting min yoongi.

it happens on a sunny summer day. you are pushing yourself back and forth on the swing, a caprisun on you hand and a smile on your face. everything feels really peaceful, like a nice day in the park should feel for a 8 year old. until yoongi comes to disturb your peace and pushes you off the swing, making you spill juice all over your favorite yellow dress.

that day he calls you egoist for not letting other people use the swing and you call him mean and ugly for pushing you. back then you didn’t think yoongi was someone you were meant to have in your life, of course. you dreaded meeting min yoongi with your whole heart and everything about the boy made your little body boil with anger. but the universe had funny ways of working and in the end the evil boy turned out to be the son of a great friend of your mother and both women seemed to want nothing more than for you and yoongi to be the best of friends. you were forced to attend regular playdates with yoongi every sunday and no matter how much you cried and tried to fake being sick, you would always end up in the min’s household with a frown on your face and yoongi pulling at your pigtails. it takes a while but at the age of 12 you and yoongi seem to finally put an end to your childish feud and become attached to the hip, surprising everyone that had the opportunity to spend more than five minutes with you two and your nonstop bickering.

the friendship blows on your shared interest of an x-men animation that was played on tv every afternoon. you were at yoongi’s house, being left there by you mother that had an important meeting to attend and couldn’t just leave her daughter alone without supervision. it had started as usual, you saying something mean and yoongi biting back with something even meaner, he always had a smart mouth to him. but by the time your mother came back to pick you up, you were both peacefully sitting on the couch, eyes glued on the television, while the x-men were on random mission, and excitedly commenting on how cool it was. it became your thing for a good year. all you two would talk about was mutants and even ended up dressing as wolverine and rogue for halloween. but like most thing at that age, it was forgotten when you found a new obsession. but even then, yoongi stood by your side. a comfortable presence in your life and by the time you were both seventeen you had experienced everything a person could imagine together. you experienced his awkward puberty and attempt to be a skater boy. he had experienced your first period and your quick but very weird obsession with a certain boyband. you told him about your first kiss immediately after it happened and he stole alcohol from his parents, so you two could get drunk for the first time on his basement (and proceed to have the worst hangover ever).

in the middle of all the teenage angst you and yoongi had gotten closer than ever and like a cliche adolescent romcon, you ended up falling head over heels for your best friend. one day yoongi was there being his gross teenage self and the next you were thinking about kissing his lips under the moonlight and holding his hand.

but you never dared to tell him about your feelings. too embarrassed and scared of what they could do to your friendship. you had watched him date other people and would hear about his romantic escapades more often than you would like. but none of that would ever hurt as much as being like you were right now, in his bed with him so close to you and your heart so full of hidden feelings that you felt like it would burst out of your chest. you two were cuddling in his bed, like you had been doing since middle school after class. he felt warm against your skin and you could feel his chest move with every word he said. it was comfortable, something so natural that you couldn’t imagine not doing it.

he was talking about college and his plans for the future, how he wanted to move to a big city and work on his dreams. the pain of thinking that you could end up not being a part of that future was minuscule compared to how your whole body ached for his happiness, for him to be able to do everything he wanted. “do you think we’ll stop being friends if we attend different universities?” you muttered and at the same time it was just a stupid thought, because your bond with yoongi was too strong to break, it made sense. you and yoongi had never been apart from each other, since the capri sun incident he had been a constant in your life and it scared you to think what distance could do to that. “of course not, stupid.” yoongi replied, gentle as always. “we have phones for a reason. we already text most of the time, i doubt that would change.” you can’t help but sigh in relief. glad that where you were always too emotional and guided by your heart, yoongi was rational and tried to make sense of things. you both settle in a comfortable silence after that and yoongi’s hand find their way to your waist, rubbing soothing circles on it as if he can sense your troubles. the entire house is asleep and the only sounds you can hear are the wind outside and the clock signalling it’s midnight.

“don’t you think this weird?” he says, getting you out of your thoughts and when you give him a confused look he continues. “us sharing a bed and cuddling?” “of course not! we have been doing it for ages.” you reply. it’s a half lie, of course. you have fallen asleep in his arms imagining that you were actually lovers many times.

“yeah, but we are almost adults now. it should be weird.” always the voice of reason. it should, you think, and sometimes it is. but hell if you would let a piece of your friendship end. “it doesn’t mean anything. we just enjoy each other’s companies, that’s all.” you reason, doing your best to avoid his eyes. “but what if…” he starts saying and knowing yoongi the way you do, you can tell he’s gathering his strength to say something. “what if i wanted it to mean something.”

for a moment you think your mind is playing tricks on you. you think you are actually sleeping, that this is just another one of your silly dreams where yoongi says the words you want to hear the most. but it’s not a dream and the way yoongi looks at you, when finally stop trying to avoid his eyes, makes your heart twist inside of your chest.

“please say something.” he pleads. you didn’t even notice you had stayed inside your thoughts for so long, just staring at him. his voice sounds slightly sad, like he’s sure you don’t want the same thing as him. it’s funny, you think, how he knows you so well but has no clue about this one thing that is about to change everything.

you had always been better with actions, having a hard times putting your heart on your words and never being able to say the right things. yoongi knows this better than anyone, so you know he understands the moment you move closer to him to press your lips softly against his.

it’s a short kiss, just a brush of lips, but it’s enough to leave the both of you with stupid smiles on your face. he moves his hands until they’re holding yours tightly, as if he’s saying he will never let go. “i’m sorry i never said anything.” you don’t mind. “i was too scared that it would ruin everything and that you would hate me.” impossible. you don’t think you could ever hate yoongi.

“it’s okay, i was scared too.” you say and he lets out a silly laugh. of all the times you had imagined this moment going, it never went like this. it usually involved a lot of tears and arguments, sometimes heated kisses. but it had never been this comfortable, with yoongi’s hand holding yours and his smile making you feel like you’re floating.

when he kisses you again you let go of everything else. tomorrow will still come and you’re still scared of what it’ll bring with it. but yoongi is by your side and, as always, that’s enough.