December 1st, 2021
Caroline's Picks:
Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #1 - The Greek Mythology nerd in me is going absolutely wild right now. This is a visually stunning telling of the true first Amazons and their history from their point of view. We learn of the original goddesses involved in the creation of the Amazons 30 in total, 5 for each goddess who participated: Hestia, Demeter, Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena and Hecate. Having grown tired of Men's treatment of women the goddesses join together to ask Zeus to bring forth justice for all women, but being who he is he hardly bothers to take the complaints seriously. He merely shrugs it off as necessary treatment for the betterment of society as a whole but these powerful ladies have had enough. They band together, offering their gifts to all the fallen souls of women who have been wronged hoping they will be able to bring them their own justice. Finally the first Amazon is born to the tribe of Demeter, the goddess responsible for men ‘reaping what they sow', and thus the goddesses' plan is finally in motion but so too is Hera’s.
Refuse x Last Resort #1 - Bad Idea is back at it again, this time with a 2-in-1 comic! Refuse is an absolutely stunning work of art that uses an extremely minimal amount of dialogue and speech bubbles. I love when a story does this so I devoured this first story about a woman who wakes up with seemingly no memory of where she is or what she’s doing there but makes quick work of surviving off the land, and making a few friends with the locals Things start to change though when she finds some interesting technology. Last Resort on the other hand is a wild ride, a complete 180 from the calm and serene issue before. Definitely not safe for kids. Set in San Francisco, California in the future teleportation has just become real and for free! Just listen to the pitch and you’re in. But Cyrus is about to learn that nothing in life is free and most deals are too good to be true. A free trip to the moon sounds great, but what are you willing to part with to get it?
Department of Truth #14 - Department of Truth is finally back and this issue does not disappoint! Opening on Lee Harvey Oswald and the young man working with him who always wears the tin foil hat was shocking to me, I definitely expected to pick up where the last arc left off with Cole running off to save the world. This issue instead is a surprise blast from the past, showing us one of the early days of Oswald and the weird things he gets into working for The Department. He's seeking out a man with information on the people who are trying to manipulate the secrets of the world, and boy oh boy does he divulge. We finally learn just who and what exactly the Lady in Red is and what her role in this world of conspiracies is. But I think the biggest shock for me was the twist at the end! Tynion absolutely knows how to keep your mind racing with possibilities until the next issue!
King of Spies #1 - Opening with a few pages of high intensity action straight out of a Bond movie I was immediately hooked on this book. And after seeing Roland at his best in the past we are brought to the present day where now he’s a ‘retired’ spy still drinking too much and still working far more than he should. Working to make connections and provide cover for espionage is Roland's new life but he can’t help but reminisce about the adventures he used to have and the life he left behind with his old friend at the club. But things take a sudden turn for the worse and Roland is left to decide how to wants to live the rest of his life.
Diarra's Picks:
The Human Target #2 - I already sang my praises on Tom King’s recent work with DC in my review for the first issue of this series, so if you aren’t reading them, get it together. When we last left Christopher Chance, he found out he’d been poisoned and has 12 days to figure out who his killer is. He starts off the next day early, but is surprised to find a visitor in his office. It’s none other than Tora Olafsdotter, aka Ice from the JLA! Chance believes it was someone from JLA that poisoned him mistakenly while trying to get at most recent client, Lex Luthor, so he finds it odd to see her here. Although she doesn’t believe anyone in her group could do such a thing, Ice is here to offer her assistance. Chance has a lot to do in a short amount of time, but “There’re some women you can say no to. And some women you can’t.” But Chance had an idea she might come around and while he maybe infatuated with Ice, he hasn’t exonerated her yet.
Refuse x Last Resorts - We all have mixed feelings about the new indie publisher Bad Idea. Not about the content (the books are rad), but how difficult they can be to come by. While snail-mailing in stickers and pins might be worth it to some, others have found it pretty annoying. But stress no more, we’ve taken care of the stupid ordering part and have tons of Bad Idea books in stock! This double shot really gives you some bang for your buck, with two totally different stories and art! Refuse is about a girl who awakes in a strange land and has to learn to survive the elements with no supplies. But this Man vs Wild tale turns into an inspirational story about facing rough times and finding a way back to who you are. Last Resort is about a guy who, in a bit of a funk, decides to scam a timeshare out of a free trip to space. Turns out it’s the guests getting scammed…and cloned! Whether you like beautiful, wispy pages or detailed, jam packed panels, this books is a good time.
Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons - So glad they chose the big issue format, because each inch of this issue is covered with vibrant color and detail! We all know Greek mythological is what brought us the inspiration for Wonder Woman, and this one takes it back to the roots. The goddesses are fed up with the cruelty of men, especially towards the women. So led by Queen Hera, the goddesses hold court in front of Zeus to propose the elimination of man. They bring up some solid points, but Zeus basically laughs in their faces and denies this request. Zeus sitting all hot on his golden thrown, in a toga that leaves very little to imagination, really ruins the moment with his shitty misogyny. So the pissed goddesses decide they would make a world of women behind his back. They go to a sacred location, do a little magic, say a couple spells and a bing, bang, boom…The Amazons are born! The only one missing from this magic moment is Hera. The other goddesses think she wussed out as not to anger Zeus, but she was busy creating the woman that would lead them all! You like mythology? Read this book. You hate misogyny? Read this book. You like amazing art? Read this book!!
Stone's Picks:
King of Spies #1 - As I’ve read more comics I’ve noticed that I really tend to enjoy what Mark Millar writes. This first issue was no exception. The eccentric action scenes, the brooding character ashamed of his past, or just his sheer classiness as a renowned spy to simply enjoy a glass of MaCallan and a smoke - I love it all! Definitely kept imagining him talking like Sean Connery as well. No doubt if you're a lover of espionage, seduction, and fisticuffs then you are sure to be pleased by what Mr. Millar is bringing you with King of Spies.
Batman the Detective #6 - The fight to save London comes to its conclusion. It honestly doesn’t seem like a lot happens in the 20-something pages that adorn this book, but the tense final scenes really bring it all together. Hundreds of thousands of lives hang in the balance but Batman really only cares about two. Will Bruce be able to save the man he owes so much? Can he save the woman he unintentionally turned into a monster? According to Equilibrium, the real question is has Batman ever really saved anybody? Also, they really did Nightwing dirty with how he looked; all he was missing was some liver spots.
Venom #2 - The ending of last issue left us unsure as to the fate of Eddie. This issue things get slowed down and we see Dylan coming to terms with what happened while trying to navigate a world where he can’t rely on Eddie. Honestly, nothing too unfamiliar for him since Eddie wasn’t around that much before Dylan had all this power. It might seem scary now, with the life foundation hunting him, but he still has a parental figure to help him along his way in the form of Venom. Venom now tries to react to how he thinks Eddie would handle a situation. That was made clear when Dylan asked Venom why he saved him and not Eddie. While not really there, Eddie is still watching over his son thanks to the bond he and Venom shared.