February 22nd, 2022
Caroline's Picks:
Blue Book #1 - I couldn't wait to read the new James Tynion comic! This time around, Tynion is exploring the fun and weird side of science fiction, giving us everyday moments and experiences that easily lend themselves to the supernatural elements working themselves in. Our main characters are Barney and Betty, your average married couple who work long hours and stressful jobs. Throw in some real life medical and weather events and you’ve got them down to a T. Finally taking a well deserved vacation our couple finds themselves stuck between a snowstorm or an expensive holiday extension, so driving through the night it is. But Betty sees this light that seems to be following them. She swears it's right there, covered in windows and circling their car. So Barney decides to take a look for himself, just to prove her wrong. James Tynion does a great job of making the couple seem like unreliable narrators even as we are witnessing the same events unfold on the pages. As well as leaving us with an excellent cliffhanger as to where the couple goes from here.
Godfell #1 - Vault has published some of my favorite fantasy series and I have a feeling Godfell is going to be another added to the list. The land of Kerethim has been warring for the past few years. After ‘God’ fell from the skies all of the rules of the land began fighting to claim it and all of the resources it contains. Zanzi is the greatest warrior of this time. She is able to turn the tides of battles single handedly, no one has ever felt safer going into battle than her compatriots. But now the war has ended, her side has won and she can finally go home. After 5 years of battle she’s finally allowed herself to think of anything and everything else. All she wants is to be back in her land with her loved ones. So the next day when the next battle is announced she leaves without hesitation, there may be more war to fight but Zanzi is done fighting. But things hardly ever seem to go as planned and her trip home is going nothing like she thought. An impromptu companion and an up close and personal viewing of ‘God’ were certainly not in her plans. Zanzi will do anything to get home though, even if she doesn’t like it.
Bulls of Beacon Hill #2 - This issue packs some big punches, literally and emotionally. Bill and Chris are in the middle of being pulled over and beaten by a cop. All because Chris is simultaneously ashamed and afraid of what's going to happen when his gay son announces his run for the city council. How is the big bad crime boss supposed to keep his reputation when his son is out trying to undo everything that Orin has built. So one hit later and his son and boyfriend are being assaulted and threatened within a few inches of their lives. But Chris is Orins son, and while he may not be proud of that fact his father did teach him a few things. His rage definitely comes from his dad. Chris doesn't hesitate to do anything and everything possible ton save him and Bill. So much so that he practically becomes another person, a complete 180 compared to the man Bill has fallen for. Steve Orlando did an amazing job on the dialogue in this issue, the conversation the two men have after the events is so well done and emotional without needing to have the men constantly yelling or intentionally hurting each other. I’m very curious to see if the outcome of their conversation makes Chris change his mind about what he has planned for his future.
Darkwing Duck #2 - This series is becoming the necessary fun I need in my monthly reads. After the exhausting events of the last issue DW is taking his team out for a treat. Toys! They off to the toy store to pick up something new to help Gosalyn unwind and take her mind off of all the craziness. Being a kid, a few things certainly catch her eye, but its more important what catches her dads eye. Quackerjack has hijacked the toys! He’s controlling them and causing chaos at the store, and running the family bonding time DW had planned. If he acts fast he can still save the day, and the toys. But he has to keep track of his daughter and Quackerjack and he’s getting stretched a little thin. But he’s always looking out for his family, even if they don’t understand why he does what he does and makes the rules he has. The sweet bonding moments between the two when Gosalyn learns why her dad is always sending her away from the fight and committing to being a better and more present father were the extra sweet icing on the cake that was this issue this week.
Diarra's Picks:
Clayface: Batman One Bad Day - Seven issues down and one to go in this series of one-shots highlighting Batman’s favorite foes. With a different creative team on each issue, you can be sure no two will feel the same. Batman is a mere background character here while we dig deeper into the minds of his enemies, and here we spend a day with Basil Karlo aka Clayface! He left both names behind when he fled Gotham, now he is Clay, LA’s newest waiter/aspiring actor. We all know Clay has a passion for the big screen, and he is sure he is going to nail his next audition for a new Red Hood movie. I mean, who better than a Gotham City native to tell this story, but when his coworker gets the role over him, Clay can’t take it. He falls back into his former role of shapeshifting murderer, and kills his coworker in order to use his face in the film. It’s only the first day on set and Clay is offended by the director's critiques, but it’s the canceling of the film that sends him on a murder spree. Now he is wearing the face of the studio head and decides to throw a party in his new mansion to celebrate his next film…The Gray Ghost! The Gray Ghost was a radio hero from 1939 Gotham and Bruce Wayne’s childhood hero, so of course he had to make an appearance at this event. Now Batman and Clayface are at the same party and after killing nine people in one day, there is no doubt Batman will get justice! Next up we get a Ra’s al Ghul story by Tom Taylor, and with the awesome job he is doing on the current Nightwing run, I can’t wait!
Local Man #1 - Every town has their Local Man that dedicates his life to fighting crime, and as Image builds their “Supermassive Universe” of heroes, Crossjack joins the team. Well, that would be the case if Crossjack didn’t just lose his spot on the super-team, Third Gen, and have to move back to his parents house in Midwest nowhere. Now he is just Jack Xaver, an average local man in a small town that won’t let him forget what he lost. After listening to his mom list off suggestions for new super-teams to join from The Brigade to Cyberforce, Jack decides to head to the pub but that’s not much better. He thinks the smart remarks are the worst of it, but that’s when former rival, Hodag, comes bursting in. Jack takes his aggression out apprehending Hodag and the police haul him to jail, but Hodag didn’t come there for a fight. Turns out Hodag was there to warn Jack about something sinister, but he never got the chance…and the forces at be make sure he never will! It started with Radiant Black and this universe is becoming super-awesome.
Blue Book #1 - You can find this series in sci-fi and reality-based, because each issue recounts real peoples’ encounters of the third kind! We know Tynion can bring sci-fi horror and his new line “True Weird” captures everyday people and their experiences facing the odd and impossible. Here we meet up with Betty and Barney Hill on an overnight drive from Montreal to New Hampshire. Barney is the chairman of the local chapter of the NAACP and Betty is a social worker focused on child welfare, which adds to witness credibility. Betty points out an odd light in the sky to her husband who brushes it off, but Betty insists they pull over so she can get a better look. Through binoculars, she can tell it is a flying craft of some kind, but it’s too far for more details and the couple get back on the road. That’s when they notice the craft following them! The closer it gets, the more of a believer Barney becomes and he pulls over to get a closer look. What he sees sends him running back to the car, but you have to pick up the issue to see for yourself! There is a bonus True Weird tale inside, delivering double the strange!
K's Picks:
Choujin X Vol One - From the dark mind behind Tokyo Ghoul comes a brand new series! Choujin X was always a story I kind of glanced at under VIZ's catalog but never really thought to take a stab at it. l adore Tokyo Ghoul but I never took it being written and drawn by Sui Ishida as the big selling point. Boy was I wrong to not just jump on it sooner, this was a wild ride! Anybody that has read Tokyo Ghoul would know that Sui Ishida likes his stories Dark. The tragic story of Kaneki Ken is a horrific example of a mentally broken kid falling head--first into an unforgiving world of darkness. Choujin isn't exactly like that, at least not in the same vain with our new MC Tokio Kurohara. He's a sweet kid, who's life has been shaken by the very existence of Choujin. For the quick info dump - Choujin's are beings with supernatural powers, ranging from creating smoke to becoming a mass of hungry snakes. Most Choujins are credited as the cause of most unexplained disasters. With one such disaster threatening the lives of Tokio and his childhood friend Azusa, the only choice that can be made is to become a Choujin and fight back! If you like Tokyo Ghoul and Devilman, definitely give this bad boy a chance. Ishida is a master with the pen, blending in shades of black to create dark, void-like spaces in nighttime settings. The dude has really mastered his craft after finishing Ghoul! It's a lot more light-hearted and hella goofy, and I'm definitely collecting the whole series!
Immoral X-Men #1 - This week we continue the trend of Sins of Sinister issues where characters don't really think things through. We don't know the exact number of years since Sinister took over, but we do know that it's been over 10 years since his influence impacted the Marvel Universe. It's cool seeing a more sinister version of the council, allowing their powers to be used to wipe out Fury and his task force within the first couple of pages! I was so confused at first, reading that whole interaction, but after a double-take and just letting it ride my reaction went from confusion to holy hell that's pretty dope! Unfortunately, Krakoa is an instant rewind button for almost any mistake so we will see if the old revive button is the end-all be-all in this event. Given the fact that we are going from hundreds of years of Sinister influence, I think some time shenanigans might be involved because there's no way we are staying 1000 years in the future for the rest of X's run. This issue was cool. I still don't think Sinister thought this through at all. The guy lost his lab and the only way to stop any treachery amongst his his sinisters is to create a kill-switch. With this thought in mind, Sinister's plan has been falling apart ever so slowly, and now, the very council he sought to control is ahead of him in power again. I wonder what will come out of this and what direction this will take because so far, Sinister is getting squashed!
Darkwing Duck #2 - Darkwing Duck hits the shelves this week starting off strong! Darkwing Duck has done a really good job at maintaining that feel of the classic characters. DW is still as self-indulgent as ever and Launchpad is still his lovable, goofy self. By the second issue that should be the case but it never fails to amaze me when a story can pick right up after a long period of time. Following the aftermath of the electric villian, Megavolt, we come across DW's greatest foe, marketable toys? Not exactly, but this encounter with the toy manipulating jester Quackerjack has made DW realize the life of a hero is dangerous and it could spell trouble for his friends and family. With DW hanging up his cloak and Launchpad finding a new life, what could come next? What will inspire DW to take up the mask again? Very good stuff, it was a cute ish and I almost didn't recognize Darkwing without his mask, so I'm already feeling a little more forgiving to anybody that couldn't put two and two together. Great comic!