#especially the direction he's going in IDW where he's traveling back to the past from a good future but not really having a clear reason wh

[futuristichedge]

Listening to the Sonic R soundtrack and "Back in Time" is SUCH a Silver song. It fits him so well

[crusherthedoctor]

Can we have some unpopular Sonic opinions?

I tried to cram in a lot, so I hope this satisfies you. :P I tried to stick to the ones that I haven't brought up quite as often, since by this point, we all know that I think IDW's storytelling is dire, SA2's story is overrated, X Eggman is an embarrassing portrayal (at least from season 2 onwards), Blaze shouldn't be handcuffed to Silver, Shadow's backstory had issues with or without the Black Arms, Neo Metal Sonic looks silly, etc. But anyway, here we go:

- Knuckles may be tricky to incorporate into plots that don't relate to Angel Island, but making him obsessed with his duties is no better than having him forget about Angel Island entirely.

- I like Marine, and never found her annoying. Oh, I understood what they were trying to do with her, but I honestly wasn't put off by her, and found her Aussie lingo more endearing if anything. Since her debut was during the period in my life where where I couldn't stand Sonic himself, I instead thought he was irritating (and hypocritical) for getting annoyed with her for doing shit he would often be guilty of.

- Silver is just as guilty of being shoehorned into games and plots as the Deadly Six are. Having more fans than the latter is irrelevant, since we're still talking about a character who constantly has to time travel in order to be present.

- Speaking of Silver, if he has to stick around, please do something different with him. They've pulled the doomed future routine multiple times now, and it's been boring every single time. I wasn't interested when it involved Iblis. I wasn't interested when it involved Knuckles drinking the edgy Kool Aid. I wasn't interested when it involved a council of dumbasses... give it a rest already.

- The Tails Doll can work as a mildly creepy thing, with maybe more to it than meets the eye when it's time for a boss fight or what have you. But the memes about him stealing your soul are just dumb, and I thought it was dumb even back in my teenage youth.

- “Eggman is supposed to be clownish!” Yeah, well he's also meant to be a genuine villain with a 300 IQ. These qualities don't have to be mutually exclusive.

- “Sonic is supposed to have attitude!” Yeah, well that's not the same thing as being an absolute cunt. Sonic was only ever meant to come off as having an edge compared to Mario. He was never meant to be a GTA-tier protagonist.

- Rouge is not a villain, and never was a villain. Literally the whole point of her role in SA2 was to reveal that she was working against Eggman and Shadow the whole time, albeit using sneakier tactics to do so. You'd think all those people who exult SA2's story would remember this, but apparently not. She barely even qualifies as an anti-hero, since aside from stealing the Master Emerald, she rarely does anything morally questionable otherwise. She's got a lot more good in her than people give her credit for.

- Captain Whisker is a better Eggman Nega than the actual Eggman Nega. And as far as robot characters in this franchise go, Johnny's design is pretty underrated.

- I don't like Iblis or Mephiles, but I DO like Solaris, and it annoys me that it was out of focus for most of the story due to all the time spent on its less interesting halves. Had they kept the backstory with the Duke and his experiments, and worked from there, I think they could have provided an interesting contrast with Chaos (since Solaris can also qualify as a monster with a sympathetic backstory) instead of recycling the surface level schtick.

- Black Doom may technically be just as bad as Mephiles, Nega, Scourge, Mimic, etc, since he's yet another villain with one-note characterization and fucked over Eggman. But because he never gained a disproportionate fandom, he doesn't annoy me to the same extent. It's easier to ignore him by comparison, and his Dr. Claw voice and face shaped like a lady's delicate part make him enjoyable to mock.

- Likewise, while Lyric is also on the same level as these other villains, it's easier to dismiss him because I was never invested in the Boom games anyway, and being an obvious alternate universe (compared to Sonic X or IDW, which retain the Modern designs and plot elements), it never had an effect on the main series. I also unironically like his design, and if nothing else, at least this snake didn't start a hypnotism fetish across the internet.

- Sally - and the rest of the Freedom Fighters for that matter - have had their importance in the franchise severely inflated. They may have been lucky to be the face of popular media (SatAM and Archie), but they're not these magnificent entities that the game characters are but a speck of dust in comparison to. Having a “legacy” doesn't make them more entitled to shit than any other character, old or new.

- Conceptually, the treasure hunting gameplay is one of the better alternate gameplay styles IMO. But it was let down in SA2 by its one track minded radar (the levels may have been big, but I don't think that would have been an issue on its own if the radar was better). If they brought it back and made it more like SA1's treasure hunting, I'd be all for it, although it would probably be better suited for a spinoff title.

- This goes for a lot of games, but when it comes to 2D, I prefer sprites over models. Not that the Rush models are bad (though the ones in Chronicles sure as fuck are), but the sprites in Mania and the Advance trilogy are just so charming and full of character.

- I actually like Marble Zone. Yeah, the level design is a bit blocky, but I love the concept of an underground temple prison, mixed with lava elements in a zone that otherwise isn't a traditional volcano level.

- I also like Sandopolis Zone. Again, completely understand why it's not the most popular zone around, but I've been a sucker for the Ancient Egyptian aesthetic since childhood (you can thank Crash 3 for that), and Act 1 is visually stunning.

- I prefer the JP soundtrack for Sonic CD over the US version overall... but I also prefer Sonic Boom over You Can Do Anything.

- SA2's soundtrack isn't bad by any means - I love Rouge's tracks, and The Last Scene is one of my favourite pieces of music - but as far as variety goes, it's a step down from SA1's soundtrack.

- If Sonic X-Treme had been released, it probably would have been unenjoyable and confusing. Whatever your thoughts on SA1, it was probably the better option between the two as far as Sonic's first legitimate translation into 3D goes.

- I have no qualms with Modern Sonic and the other Modern designs and characters, but I also fully acknowledge that changing gears from Adventure onwards - and doing it with a great amount of fanfare - was always going to create one of the biggest divides in the fandom, and fans shouldn't act surprised that this happened. The fact that they felt the need to hype up a new design and direction in the first place (compared to Mario, who has mostly been the same since the beginning, with only the occasional minor change with little fanfare) also indicates that they weren't confident enough in Sonic and his universe being the way it was, which often gets ignored by all the “SEGA have no confidence!!!” complaints you see with their recent games.

- Unleashed did not deserve the incredibly harsh reviews it received back in the day... but it doesn't deserve its current sacred cow status either. It had more effort put into it than '06 to be sure, and I can respect that, but much of it was misguided effort, and even if you like the Werehog, you have to admit that the idea came at the absolute worst time. The intro cutscene may be awesome, as is the Egg Dragoon fight, but 2% doesn't make up the entire game. Chip was also quite annoying, and I wasn't particularly sad when he pressed F in the chat at the end.

- On the other hand, while Colours definitely has its shortcomings, and people have every right to criticse those shortcomings, a lot of its most vocal detractors tend to have a stick up their arse about the game because people actually enjoyed it, and it had a gimmick that people actually liked. Yes, it may have been the first game to have those writers everyone hates, but then SA1 was the first game to give the characters alternate gameplay styles and have other villains upstage Eggman, so...

- Forces is absolutely not on the level of '06. It's nowhere close. A game being flawed does not make it the next '06, clickbait YouTubers. Or should I say, the game they want to retroactively apply '06's reception to, since they've been trying hard to magically retcon '06's own quality...

- To echo @beevean, ALL of the 3D stories have their issues. SA1 is probably the most well-rounded of them on the whole, but even that one isn't perfect.

- To echo another opinion, although I do love SA1, I'm not crazy over the idea of a remake, and would prefer them to just take Sonic's gameplay from SA1 and work from there. Because with a remake, you're stuck in a hard spot: Do you keep it the way it is bar the expected graphical upgrades, and risk accusations of not doing anything to actually improve the experience? Or do you try to address past criticisms, and risk the wrath of the fans who will inevitably go on a #NotMyAdventure crusade about it? What people fail to consider is that the Crash and Spyro remakes were accepted gracefully because their original iterations were still unanimously beloved for the most part, whereas SA1 - and especially SA2 - have always been divisive, and have only gotten moreso over the years.

- People take their preferences for the character's voice actors too seriously. I have my own favourites like anyone else, but I don't make a big deal out of it.

- And with fandom voice actors, they usually focus too much on doing a basic impression of their preferred official voice actor, and not enough on the acting. So you end up getting a lot of fan voices who sound like decent impressions of Ryan Drummond or Jason Griffith on the surface, but they sound utterly empty beyond that impression, because there's no oomph or depth to the actual emotions. They think about the actor rather than the character, when it should really be the other way around.

- The thing with Ian Flynn is that he is capable of telling a decent story, and he can portray some characters well. But he's proven time and time again that everything will go off the rails if he's given too much freedom (ironic, given how quick he is to point the finger at mandates when something goes wrong).

- Ian Flynn and Shiro Maekawa are not the only people in the world who are allowed to write for Sonic. I understand that one should be cautious when seeking out new writing talent, but for all the fandom's accusations of playing it safe, they sure aren't in a rush to experiment outside of their own comfort zone.

- And of course, the big one: You don't fix the franchise's current problems by crawling back to its previous problems. It's much more helpful and constructive to discuss the good and bad alike with each of the games. Less “THIS GOOD, MODERN BAD”, and more “This could work, but maybe without that part...”

[captainignatiuspigheart]

Another week, another near-sun tan. This week I’ve seen a friend in person (what the actual fuck?) and found a new direction for exercise. That sounds pretty good, right? It was extremely disconcerting to meet up with a person in real life – I’ve begun to feel a little like all my friends who have long assured me that they’ve met their best friends purely online – but three hours sitting in the local park in a government-approved triangle was lovely. I’ve been seeing others largely as things to be avoided as they blunder towards me, breathing heavily with no sense of physical distance. Apart from the postman and chin tilts to neighbours it’s the most human experience I’ve had of late. I also attended a properly fun Zoom birthday party too (thanks Mr Ben!), so clearly we’re getting used to these things.

Heading out in the direction of Dovecote Lane park eventually sent me that way on my bike too. I’ve found exercise really hard for the last couple of months. I’ve always relied on cycling to work (and the swim at the halfway point) for a few miles in each direction to keep me fit without feeling like I was doing exercise, and it’s been pretty good for keeping me fit and able to eat and drink what I like. Well fuck you very much lockdown, that’s been properly trashed. Cycling in an aimless circle round university park or Beeston has been quite cack, and while jogging on the spot clearly burns calories it’s too tedious. So I’ve started cycling out to Attenborough Nature Reserve. It’s not especially far, but I’ve rarely explored round there, so I’m enjoying heading off down a road with no clue where it goes. It’s not made me late for work… yet. Even when I didn’t sleep at all on Thursday night I got up and went for an explore before work. Must be good!

In between late night walks around Beeston, drinking too much and watching TV, we’ve continued our slow build of the LEGO Brick Bank. It’s quite lovely.

I’ve also finally returned to LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga on our Wii. I’m up to 30-something per cent and enjoying it enormously. I have discovered though that our TV really can’t handle proper dark contrast on a sunny day, so I’m dying a lot by falling off edges I can’t see. There have been a few levels where I’ve had to stand right in front of the TV (in sport mode), and just hoped I’d find the exit to a room. Still, I’ve got Indy and General Grievous to hop around and smash stuff, so I’m happy.

Oh yeah, and another bootleg Mando arrived this week – with shiny beskar armour! Baby Yoda will have his Mister Shiny Helmet. Nicely, he comes with a screwdriver accessory which I assume is supposed to be the tracking fob. There is something in me compelling me to acquire more of these guys… I’ve also just got the Armourer, but pics of her will have to wait till I’ve crafted a custom cloak. What is wrong with me…?

  Watching: Hollywood

OK, so this should have been in last week’s post, but I’d forgotten that we’d watched it. That’s no indication of how good it is, everything belongs to the neverwhen at the moment. Plus we caned through it in three nights. This is a very strange show, offering us an alternate Hollywood of the 1950s in which the reviled minorities of the day can actually get a foothold in the industry. The show nails the golden era vibe, from movie producer boardrooms to the grim/delightful gas station gigolos. Over the first couple of episodes the show draws together the flailing careers of half a dozen interesting and purposely diverse young Hollywood hopefuls and then sets them together in a movie, despite, or perhaps because of, their race, gender and sexuality – all things that would have killed their careers in real Hollywood. It’s a very pleasing show; the acting is great, from the keen Jack Castello moonlighting as an escort from the aforementioned gas station (it and its owner, Ernie West, are an absolute highlight), aspiring black actor Camille, Archie the black and gay screenwriter who finds himself in a relationship with Rock Hudson (also a delight, and terrible actor in a fantastic screentest montage), and the awesome double act of Hollywood execs Dick Samuels and Ellen Kincaid, plus the quite distressing sleazy and manipulative agent Henry, played with soiled glee by Jim Parsons. 

It’s really good fun, and a moving story – each success feels wonderful, and Hollywood getting behind this gang is immensely satisfying, as is the acceptance and coming out of various characters at all levels of the business. For me, it remained jarring however, for just how unreal the situation is compared to Hollywood of the ’50s – it never escaped its own unlikeliness. Most certainly worth a watch.

Doing: We Are What We Overcome – Live Specials

We’re continuing to livestream every other Monday on Facebook, this time on trying to be aware of our mental health states, as well as that of others. I feel like we’re getting better at this live babbling thing. It feels less awkward now. We’ll be streaming to Facebook next on Monday 1 June, and you can watch em all right here.

Reading: The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton

I’ve been through another couple of weeks of struggling to read properly, or at least as quickly as I enjoy. After discarding half a dozen books less than one chapter in, I finally prised open my book cupboard and pulled out the first pretty thing I could find. It was this! A pleasing and sharply written story of a boy traumatised into silence by an event in his childhood (which is only fully revealed toward the end, and works very nicely),  a lad who discovers he has two talents, drawing and lock picking…  We’re given two main story threads to skip between: his life as the lock artist led by a series of pagers offering jobs that he responds to, and how he got into all this trouble in the first place. They’re both peculiarly endearing, and that’s partly down to the charming internal monologue which carries through all of his interactions, since he does indeed remain mute throughout. He’s funny, and sweet, enough of an outsider through his selective mutism to have a cynical eye, and yet through his silence other people just trust him. Including proper big bad criminal types. It all ends rather badly, but we’re told that from the beginning. His lengthy infatuation and distance romance via comic book pages that he and his sort-of girlfriend exchange is genuinely delightful. This is fast-paced and fun, with a harsh shade of real darkness in both his past and future.

Reading: Transformers vol. 1: The World in Your Eyes

This was a hard read for me. I’m a huge fan of IDW’s previous Transformers continuity, which ran for an extraordinary thirteen years (a feat that I don’t think any other Western comic series, still less one based on a toy line, has achieved), taking us from the brutal finale of the Autobot-Decepticon war through to peace time, with wonderful characters, alternating humour with dark political wranglings. This new reboot has quite a lot to live up to… 

We’re taken millions of years back to Cybertron pre-war, introducing us to the sights through the eyes of newly forged Rubble, who’s being shown round by Bumblebee. Of course, it’s the worst possible time to show a new kid round, as the tensions between the establishment and Megatron’s “Ascenticons” are just now bleeding over into violence. It’s a lovely Cybertron, one we’ve only glimpsed before in flashbacks (or, memorably, time travel), and it’s a thriving world with vast architecture, travel and commerce. A successful world, which for what feels like the first time, has organic alien races living alongside the Transformers. It’s sad to think it’ll all be ripped apart soon…

It’s a very pretty comic, but is incredibly slow moving, even for the first chapter introducing a rebooted world. I suspect I’m finding it hard going from the well-established characters of the last continuity to seeing them all reshuffled and now filling different roles. It’s a cool era to set the story in though, and I think it’s got promise.

Building: LEGO Ninjago 70736 Attack of the Morro Dragon

I love Ninjago’s dragons and the insane aesthics the range has pursued down the years, giving us both traditionalish ninjas and dragons, but also Mad Max dieselpunk, enormous mechs, and more recently Tron-style arcade stuff. Bonkers. Oh, and also the stunning Ninjago City builds and the even wilder designs from The LEGO Ninjago Movie.

This set’s a little older, and like most of the Ninjago line I only pick them up when they’re quite severely discounted. Obviously it was the glow in the dark colours that appealed to me most of all, and those lovely wings. It’s a satisfying assembly, with a mini temple build, sky bikes (or something, I don’t really follow the stories), a couple of ninjas and three more of these evil ninjas with transparent legs and heads. Oh, and two ghosts. I’ve already put them somewhere but it’s the dragon I was interested in.

This is actually a smaller set than I thought it was, and comes together very quickly indeed. Despite being larger, and having more pieces than Master Wu’s dragon (a fantastic LEGO set), it’s a shorter build all round. The construction is like many of the others, a combination of big crunchy joints and the little Mixels ones for legs, wings and tail. I always enjoy the design of the dragon head itself, which gives the beastie a lot of character. The chin horn is oddly satisfying! All the glow in the dark pieces give the dragon its lovely roiling curves, but leave it sadly inflexible. It’s a dragon I’d love to coil around a building, but that’s gonna take a severe re-engineering of its body. It’s rather striking, and I imagine this one will remain constructed for quite a while, at least until I want to plunder its glowing parts.

And just because I liked it…

Watching: Never Have I Ever 

We watched this in a single night… I’m always thrilled to stumble across shows with under half-hour episode lengths at present. This is a pretty straightforward US highschool outsider tale, from the somewhat unusual perspective of an Indian-American family. That’s a pretty familiar trope in UK TV, and was very welcome in the even-more-familiar US high school setting. I’m not sure that there’s anything exceptional here, but it’s warmly told, with a number of fun and occasionally over the top performances, all solidly conforming to our expectations of a high school drama. I had some trouble figuring out how old the characters were supposed to be as it’s the usual casting combo of girls who must be in their twenties, but look about 14, and guys who are plainly in their mid-thirties. No wonder kids are so confused these days etc. As usual it’s the vibe between the BFFs that makes this fun to watch, particularly drama-queen Ramona Wong (wonderfully and worryingly odd in the lamentably cancelled Santa Clarita Diet). As filled with diversity and coming out stories as you could hope for, this is plenty of fun, if not especially memorable. Oh yeah, and it’s narrated by John McEnroe. Yes, the tennis player. 

Doing: MissImp’s Virtual Improv Drop-In – “Specific and True” with Terje Brevick

Continuing our mission to bring you improv from everywhere, this week’s episode features Norwegian improviser, Terje Brevick, with fun games and a good reminder of the value of details and honesty in improv.

Last Week – a really busy week! Featuring another mental health livestream, books: The Lock Artist & Transformers vol 1, TV: Hollywood & Never Have I Ever, LEGO: Morro dragon and MORE. Sleep now please. #books #tv #lego #stuff https://wp.me/pbprdx-8EZ Another week, another near-sun tan. This week I’ve seen a friend in person (what the actual fuck?) and found a new direction for exercise.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 23 July 2018

Quick Bits:

A Walk Through Hell #3 showcases several times just how good Goran Sudžuka is an artist. His character reactions and facial expressions are among the best in the industry, achieving so much with a brevity of line. Amazing work.

| Published by AfterShock

Amazing Spider-Man #2 continues to set up the new/old status quo for Peter and his supporting cast. I think, ultimately, I like this issue more than the first due to there not being all of the contrived loss this time around, instead working more to build the new in Peter’s life. Great art form Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, and Laura Martin.

| Published by Marvel

Bedtime Games #2 gets more into the meat of the story, transforming from a simple childhood excursion into more outright horror and supernatural territory. I love how Nick Keller and Conor Nolan are presenting the manipulation and manifestation of a kid’s dreams and nightmares, with his spiel meaning one thing to a child, whereas it would likely be interpreted entirely differently to adults. Great art from Nolan and Kelly Fitzpatrick.

| Published by Dark Horse

Blackwood #3 deals with the fallout of Dennis’ death as the faculty and students of Blackwood continue to try to piece together what’s put them in this mess. Great art from Veronica and Andy Fish.

| Published by Dark Horse

Bone Parish #1 is the incredible debut of this new crime/horror series from Cullen Bunn, Jonas Scharf, and Alex Guimaráes. It’s an interesting hook of voodoo and drugs, creating a product from the bones of the dead that causes you to apparently experience the memories of the dead. Bunn crafts some interesting characters here in the Winters family, and Scharf and Guimaráes’ is spot on darkness and mood bringing this world to life. This is a really good fix.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #1 returns with the beginning of a new mystery, with Robert Gill, José Villarrubia, and Diego Rodriguez taking over the art chores while Peter Milligan continues the story. I like the set up, with three legions ambushed and their standards stolen, clues being hinted at an inside job pointing at a possible plot against the Emperor, Nero, or just a means to greedy ends of former Legionaries now in Egypt.

| Published by Valiant

Descender #32 is a beautiful end to this series, bittersweet as all machine life is taken...somewhere, setting up part of the premise as the story will continue into the new Ascender series next year. Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen pretty much have a masterpiece on their hands here, gorgeous artwork and a heartwrenching story.

| Published by Image

Dungeons & Dragons: Evil at Baldur’s Gate #3 is worth it just for the modrons. This issue features some beautiful artwork from Harvey Tolibao and Juan Manuel Rodriquez, as Jim Zub focuses this issue on Delina and her quest to rid herself of her wild magic. This is probably my favourite of these character pieces so far, both for the art and for how it deals with growing Delina in a more positive direction, reconciling that a chaotic temperament isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Also, modrons.

| Published by IDW

Hack/Slash: Resurrection #9 is another fun issue guest-starring Vampirella as we discover more of Cassie’s family’s history. The mix of humour and horror is wonderful.

| Published by Image

Harbinger Wars 2 #3 features one of the moments we’ve been waiting for since Harbinger Renegade #5. Though I can’t say it ends in the fashion that we’d necessarily expect or have hoped for, but there’s still a level of satisfaction. Also, the art from Tomás Giorello, Renato Guedes, and Diego Rodriguez is incredible. The design for the Livewire-augmented Bloodshot is just amazing.

| Published by Valiant

Hit-Girl #6 is worth it for Eduardo Risso and Patricia Mulvihill’s artwork alone, perfectly fitting the gritty and violent world that Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. created with Kick-Ass. Jeff Lemire is still an odd fit for this world, as irreverence and violence like this aren’t usually within his standard themes and narrative characteristics, (even when you consider Animal Man or Moon Knight), but he’s doing a great job here. Amidst the violence, there’s a tie to family and some very nice utilization of hallucinations and fever dreams that add depth to the story.

| Published by Image

Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #3 rushes towards a conclusion as the X-women take on Viper’s femme fatales. I like the story, especially as Jim Zub has been delving into the characters’ past with Logan, mining Domino’s fling of sex and violence here. Can’t say I really like Thony Silas’ art, though. While many of the characters are indistinguishable again apart from their clothes, it feels like the art has been rushed. I liked Silas’ art in Royals, so I’m not sure what happened here.

| Published by Marvel

Infinity Wars Prime #1 has some really nice artwork from Mike Deodato Jr. and Frank Martin, well-suited to the somewhat disjointed, patchwork narrative that Gerry Duggan and others have been putting together since the beginning of Infinity Countdown and now continuing here. It’s not exactly what you’d expect, with some interesting ideas from Loki regarding how reality and stories have been rewritten, and makes me wonder what’s to come throughout the rest of this event.

| Published by Marvel

The Long Con #1 is an interesting beginning from Dylan Meconis, Ben Coleman, EA Denich, and M. Victoria Robado. It’s a decidedly different take on a post-apocalyptic tale, with a localized destruction zone, and an interesting hook by placing the epicentre of survivors within a pop culture convention. The art from Denich and Robado is a real draw. Denich has a style that reminds me a bit of Jim Mahfood and Phil Hester, perfectly fitting the mix of humour and the wasteland.

| Published by Oni Press

Lucy Dreaming #5 is the conclusion to what has been a highly imaginative, lushly illustrated series from Max Bemis and Michael Dialynas. There’s a very interesting theme of male versus female fantasies running throughout the book, but it also works as a surface level coming-of-age adventure.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Marvel Two-in-One #8 takes a step back from the action of recent issues and takes a moment to reflect, as Ben and Johnny deal with being stranded on a strange world ruled by a deranged Spider-Man without their powers. Chip Zdarsky plays with our heartstrings as the two come to terms with their situation.

| Published by Marvel

Mr. & Mrs. X #1 is a continuation of the character arc that began in the recent Rogue & Gambit mini-series, flowed through X-Men Gold #30, and now winds up here with this new ongoing series from Kelly Thompson, Oscar Bazaldua, and Frank D’Armata. This issue takes us back through a more elaborate version of events leading up to the wedding proper, allowing for deeper and fairly humorous character moments, before taking off to the honeymoon. The dialogue is full of Thompson’s welcome sense of humour and the art from Bazaldua and D’Armata is perfect. As I’ve said before, I don’t really care for the Remy & Rogue pairing, but Thompson makes it work and be highly entertaining.

| Published by Marvel

Multiple Man #2 is even more insane than the first issue, with Matthew Rosenberg devising a pretzel of a time travel plot that maybe makes sense to Madrox, but doesn’t to anyone else. It’s a blend of dupes, humour, and a bit of continuity with some truly excellent art from Andy MacDonald and Tamra Bonvillain.

| Published by Marvel

The New World #1 reminds me a bit of Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons’ Martha Washington, but with a decidedly modern bent that takes the patriotism and post-apocalyptic society and turns it into a state run version of Cops with the people voting on whether or not criminals get executed. It’s full of interesting socio-political ideas like any Aleš Kot book, and clean and compelling art from Tradd and Heather Moore.

There’s also a back-up story, wholly unrelated to the main narrative, from a pair of new creators, Aaron Stewart-Ahn and Susando C, that almost overshadows the main book in its quality. It’s a nicely creepy haunted hotel room story that reminds me of Joyce Carol Oates by way of David Lynch.

| Published by Image

Pathfinder: Spiral of Bones #5 is the excellent conclusion to this series, with some interesting and unexpected twists as Crystal Frasier, Tom Garcia, and Morgan Hickman give us Valeros’ final battle with Zeladar. I love the action sequences from Garcia.

| Published by Dynamite

Pestilence: A Story of Satan #3 somehow takes an even darker turn even as a little bit of hope creeps into the story. Frank Tieri, Oleg Okunev, Rob Schwager, and Mark Englert are keeping this ticking along nicely, with some interesting revelations this issue and the introduction to another potential threat. 

| Published by AfterShock

The Punisher #228 brings to an end this particular chapter of Frank’s war against crime. It makes me wonder where Matthew Rosenberg is going to take the next act when he and Szymon Kudranski launch the new Punisher series, whether we’ll still see some Black Widow and Winter Soldier, and if there’ll be some resolution to the Hydra arc. Either way, this arc from Rosenberg, Guiu Vilanova, and Lee Loughridge concludes nicely, with a somewhat surprising resolution.

| Published by Marvel

Punks Not Dead #6 rounds out the first arc, fleshing out a bit of what we already found out in the Black Crown Quarterly flashback story and bringing the disparate elements circling around Fergie’s life down on his head. It is very, very good, capturing some of the spirit of old Vertigo supernatural stories, but doing something decidedly new with it. David Barnett and Martin Simmonds are telling a great tale here and, again, I really can’t say enough about Simmonds’ art (with flats from Dee Cunniffe). The layouts are among the most visually interesting out there right now.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Redneck #13 brings up back from the trade break, with Bartlett on the run and a whole new mess in drug-running vampires from his past. Great art as always from Lisandro Estherren and Dee Cunniffe. 

| Published by Image / Skybound

The Sentry #2 works to upend the new status quo created in the first issue, with everything seemingly going wrong for Bob and his simulated world that holds the Sentry. Like with his Moon Knight run, there are some very interesting questions that Jeff Lemire raises here about identity and the possibilities of where this is leading is intriguing. Also, stunning artwork from Kim Jacinto, Joshua Cassara, and Rain Beredo.

| Published by Marvel

Shanghai Red #2 continues the high level of quality set by the first issue as Jack/Red/Molly seeks revenge. This story is compelling and propulsive, sucking you in and refusing to let go. Christopher Sebela and Joshua Hixson have a real hit on their hands here.

| Published by Image

StarCraft: Scavengers #1 is very good, even if you know absolutely nothing about the video game. Jody Houser and Gabriel Guzmán set a tone and story more akin to a horror sci-fi like Alien, setting up the titular scavengers to potentially find terror on a derelict alien ship. When you add the undercurrent of a boyhood crush and a hint of political subterfuge as a side plot, you wind up with a well-rounded beginning here.

| Published by Dark Horse

TMNT #84 concludes the Rat King arc in a fairly inventive way that brings together the Turtles’ journey through strange places and what’s been going on in the city. Again, I have to sing the praises of Dave Wachter and Ronda Pattison. The artwork for this entire arc has just been phenomenal and this issue keeps up that level of quality.

| Published by IDW

Transformers: Lost Light #21 is a little surprising in its pacing, given how quickened the speed of plotlines crashing together and being resolved has been over the past few issues. This one’s more about building and building to the grand reveal on the final page. It works, and it’s very welcome. James Roberts, Jack Lawrence, and Joana Lafuente do a wonderful job with this issue.

| Published by IDW

Transformers: Unicron #2 brings back a number of lost, missing, or presumed dead characters as Starscream makes his play for prominence in the battle to stop Unicron. I like how John Barber has been bringing together the disparate threads, here and in Optimus Prime, as the universe begins to draw to a close. It’s also interesting to see how ROM’s mythology has been woven through the fabric, changing perspective on both his world and here the Dire Wraiths. Also, stunning artwork from Alex Milne and Sebastian Cheng. They’re really making this story feel epic.

| Published by IDW

Venom #4 is an epic revisioning of history, introducing the god of the symbiotes and their true origin to us. It’s great. I’m still amazed by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, and Frank Martin’s artwork as it seems to get better and better with subsequent issues, raising the bar for the insane story that they’re telling with Donny Cates. This is great world building within the Marvel Universe, while also telling a highly entertaining overall story.

| Published by Marvel

X-23 #2 is another entertaining issue. Although I do miss Tom Taylor, I think that Mariko Tamaki has perfectly nailed the voice and character for Laura and Gabby. The slightly offbeat humour is still present, but a little muted from the All-New Wolverine run, which allows for the eerie and disturbing parts of the story to take prominence a bit more. It’s good, especially the astonishing artwork from Juann Cabal and Nolan Woodard.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Barbarella #8, Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #11, Blackwood #3, Brothers Dracul #4, Charlie’s Angels #2, Dark Souls: Age of Fire #3, Deadpool: Assassin #4, Deep Roots #3, Gasolina #10, Green Hornet #5, Hillbilly #12, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #5, Joe Hill’s The Cape: Fallen #2, Judge Dredd: Under Siege #3, KINO #8, Lumberjanes #52, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer #2, Modern Fantasy #2, Moon Knight #197, Moonshine #12, Night’s Dominion: Season Three #1, Old Man Logan #44, The Realm #8, Rick & Morty #40, Royal City #13, Saga #54, Songs for the Dead #4, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #22, Star Wars: Lando - Double or Nothing #3, Star Wars Adventures #12, Wayward #27, We Are Danger #2, X-Men: Grand Design - Second Genesis #1, X-Men: Wakanda Forever #1, X-Men Blue #32, X-O Manowar #17

Recommended Collections: Alien Bounty Hunter, Daredevil - Volume 6: Mayor Fisk, Incidentals - Volume 2: Balance of Power, Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon, Regression - Volume 2: Disciples, SHIELD: Human Machine, Transformers vs. Visionaries, Venomized, Warframe - Volume 1, X-Men - Volume 4: Cry Havoc, Zojaqan

d. emerson eddy was not there on the evening of the 24th of May, 1954 in the rain.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 4 September 2017

Three comics made the favourites list this week. Made Men #1 from Paul Tobin and Arjuna Susini, Seven to Eternity #9 by Rick Remender and Jerome Opeña, and Star Wars: Captain Phasma #1 by Kelly Thompson and Marco Checchetto. Published by Oni Press, Image, and Marvel respectively.

Made Men #1 is a mix of a crime drama and horror, introducing us to the world of Jutte Shelley (nee Frankenstein), a cop who tried to leave behind a world of monsters.

While the story did grab me, what really made this book stand out was the artwork by Arjuna Susini. He has a style I’ve been seeing pop up more again recently, that shows a certain influence by Bernie Wrightson, but also artists like Richard Case, Bill Sienkiewicz, Sam Kieth, and Kelley Jones, and it’s just wonderful. Dark and evocative with nice use of cross-hatching and some hard angles, Susini probably veers closer to the Richard Case end of the spectrum. Still realistic and not nearly as stylized as Kieth or Jones. It’s very impressive work.

The introductory narrative from Paul Tobin, gives us a first-person narration by Jutte that is fairly direct, clinical, and visceral in its description of what’s going on and allows for a distinct window into the procedural way her mind works. It really aids in driving home the cop drama aspect to the story and provides an interesting lens to perceive the carnage.

Needs more talking cats, though.

Seven to Eternity #9 concludes the second story-arc of the series. And hoo, is it a doozy.

In many ways, this series has been telling the story of the fall of a hero. Or at least someone who sets out in the first issue on what seems like a hero’s journey. What Rick Remender really seems to be writing about is how the protagonist, Adam Osidis, has become potentially compromised and has begun a spiral into selfishness over the steadfastness of his father. 

Especially as a large part of this issue is a discussion on the nature of good and evil, and of how whispers and rumours--the weapons of Adam’s antagonist and current travelling companion/hostage, the Mud King--and thereby perception shape the reality of an individual. And then, of course, there’s a climactic magic battle.

All of it made beautiful by Jerome Opeña and Matt Hollingsworth. It’s nice to see Opeña back after a couple issues by James Harren--to his credit knocked it out of the park as well--as this series remains what’s probably the best looking book on the shelves.

The only downside to this issue is that we now have to wait until February 2018 before the series starts up again.

Star Wars: Captain Phasma #1, or more accurately the unwieldy title of Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Star Wars: Captain Phasma, is a direct continuation from Star Wars: The Force Awakens chronicling what happened to Captain Phasma, the First Order Stormtrooper played by Gwendoline Christie in the film, in the destruction of the Starkiller Base. Wacky hijinks ensue.

Okay, maybe not.

Although certainly a matter of coincidence in timing, Kelly Thompson’s narration for Captain Phasma serves as an interesting comparison to Tobin’s in Made Men. It too is clinical and succinct, but where Jutte is no nonsense and direct in her observations, Phasma is cold and emotionless. Both characters adhere to a certain type of ruthlessness, but one is seeking vengeance for a wrong-doing and the other is taking a pathological approach to covering her tracks. It’s interesting to see the difference in a similar narrative approach in how it relates to ostensibly a hero (Jutte) and a villain (Phasma). 

Beyond just that comparison, this first issue is compelling in its own right. There’s a nice bit of humour in juxtaposition of Phasma’s log recording of the events of the destruction of Starkiller Base and what was actually going on, deadpanning much of the explosions.

This issue also features what is probably the most gorgeous art in one of Marvel’s Star Wars titles yet. And that’s saying a bit since they’ve had artists such as Kev Walker, Phil Noto, and Salvador Larroca working on them. The art here from Marco Checchetto and Andres Mossa is just breathtaking. 

Quick Bits:

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #9 begins telling the story of what exactly happened to Groot to make him into Baby Groot at the beginning of this volume. Aside from corporate synergy with the second Guardians of the Galaxy film that also saw the rest of the team more reflect their cinema brethren. The answer Gerry Duggan gives in the story is interesting, adding a new wrinkle to the Guardians’ tapestry.

| Published by Marvel

Astonishing X-Men #3 continues the Shadow King’s game with the X-Men trapped in the Astral Plane, this time focusing mainly on Old Man Logan. Ed McGuinness tackles the art this issue and I’m still wondering about how the overall arc will read in one go. Unlike the past two issues, though, this one doesn’t necessarily play to McGuinness’ strengths. The art is still good, but I would have expected something more bombastic or action-oriented from the story.

| Published by Marvel

Black Bolt #5, like every issue preceding it, features some excellence in storytelling from Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward. There’s also a nice four-page sequence illustrated by Frazer Irving that gives a summary of Lockjaw’s relationship with Black Bolt. 

| Published by Marvel

Daredevil #26 kicks off the three-part Land of the Blind story-arc with the return of Ron Garney on art, delivering some absolutely gorgeous work.

| Published by Marvel

Elsewhere #2 continues Amelia’s Adventures in Wonderland, with the revelation that she’s apparently going to end this world and summarily sent to be executed. Jay Faerber’s story is still a bit of a slow burn in introducing this world, its people, and what exactly is going on, but it remains interesting.

| Published by Image

Giant Days #30 deals with the fallout of Ingrid and Daisy’s relationship. It’s a funny, but sometimes accurate, look at how a first love--or even just a new love--can affect a broader friendship dynamic.

| Published by BOOM! Entertainment / Boom! Box

Hawkeye #10 reminds you that you should be reading the series if just for Leonardo Romero’s artwork. Even if the story from Kelly Thompson wasn’t entertaining in its own right, Romero’s visual storytelling from page layouts to character work to panel transitions is just a visual treat. But the overall story is entertaining too, with some fun dialogue, humour, and an interesting take to see Madame Masque as Not-Kate.

| Published by Marvel

Iron Fist #7...just look at this spread from Mike Perkins with colours by Andy Troy. This issue is a feast.

| Published by Marvel

Royals #7 continues Al Ewing’s trip through obscure(ish) Marvel cosmic and Inhuman continuity, deftly weaving past tales into his ongoing narrative that seems to be his signature. Not to mention some great character moments and development.

| Published by Marvel

Scales & Scoundrels #1 was very nearly my fourth favourite book of the week, it’s a damn impressive debut. Sebastian Girner has offered up another winner after his Shirtless Bear-Fighter a scant few week ago. As its title suggests, this is a fantasy book taking after traditional Dungeons & Dragons tropes, but like other recent series like Night’s Dominion and Ladycastle, it seems primed to turn some of those conventions on their ear. This issue is full of humour, action, and an interesting protagonist in the titular scoundrel, Luvander.

The art by Galaad is also magical. It’s deceptively simple, reminding me of a more abstract Albert Uderzo, and it propels the story nicely.

| Published by Image  

Star Wars: Darth Vader #5 is Charles Soule’s third book this week, after Astonishing X-Men and Daredevil, and it’s another solid read. There’s an interesting missed path What If...? in the issue as Vader works to construct his lightsaber. Giuseppe Camuncoli’s artwork is fantastic as usual.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars Adventures #1 is good all-ages fun. There are two stories here, both written by Cavan Scott. One focusing on a young Rey on Jakku as a continuing story and the other a “Tales from Wild Space” tale of Obi-Wan one and done. If you like Star Wars and want to share with your kids, this isn’t a bad choice.

| Published by IDW

Thor vs. Hulk: Champions of the Universe #1 is a digital original on Comixology and Kindle from Jeremy Whitley and Simone Buonfantino. I’d consider it more light-hearted, out-of-continuity, all ages fun, probably meant to be collected in time for the Thor: Ragnarok release. It features Thor Odinson and Bruce Banner, so if you’re missing the classics, this is a good get.

| Published by Marvel

Venomverse #1 is every bit as good as the preceding Edge of Venomverse mini-series of one-and-done stories introducing some of the players in this event. Cullen Bunn and Iban Coello deliver an entertaining first chapter here, setting up not just a playground for alternate Venoms, but also a series of adversaries in ever more alternate Poisons.

| Published by Marvel 

The Woods #35 has all of the chickens coming home to roost. This penultimate issue of James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas’ series is epic. After this, I can’t wait for the conclusion.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Other Highlights: 4 Kids Walk into a Bank #5, Ab Irato #5, Animosity: The Rise #3, The Greatest Adventure #5, Harbinger Renegade #7, Inhumans: Once & Future Kings #2, Jessica Jones #12, Kingsman: The Red Diamond #1, Lazaretto #1, Millennium: The Girl Who Played with Fire #1, Motor Crush #6, Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie #6, No World #5, Outcast #30, Postal #22, Rocket Girl #9, Spider-Man #20, Spider-Man/Deadpool #21, Usagi Yojimbo #161, Venomverse: War Stories #1, The Wicked & The Divine #31, World Reader #6

Recommended Collections: Black Beetle: Kara Bocek, Extremity - Vol. 1, Iron Fist - Vol. 1: Trial of the Seven Masters, Kong of Skull Island - Vol. 2, Manifest Destiny - Vol. 5: Mnemophobia & Chronophobia, Pathfinder - Vol. 1: Dark Waters Rising, Throwaways - Vol. 2

d. emerson eddy knows where the bodies are buried. Which bodies? The ones that hit the floor in 2001.