REVIEW: Green Arrow #43 by Julie & Shawna Benson, Javier Fernandez, John Kalisz, & Deron Bennett

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As a long-time Green Arrow fan, I am absolutely freaking out about Alex Maleev doing covers for this book.

By Zack Quaintance — Green Arrow #43 starts a new chapter for Oliver Queen and company (heh), one written by sisters Julie and Shawna Benson and illustrated by Javier Fernandez. That new team follows an all-time great Green Arrow run by Benjamin Percy with artists Juan Ferreyra and Otto Schmidt. This is actually the second issue of Green Arrow for the Bensons, who teamed with artist Carmen Nunez Carnero on Green Arrow Annual #2 (a No Justice tie-in) in May.

Phew. Now that introductions are finished, let’s get to it...so, like, is this comic still good?

In a word, yes. Green Arrow #43 is a good comic and a great tone-setter for a new run, one that makes a few things clear: Black Canary is going nowhere (and moving in!!), Roy Arsenal Harper is a big part of Ollie’s life, and DC Comics is committed to Green Arrow as perhaps the central lynchpin of its shared universe, a status first seeded in No Justice. In other shared continuity news, Roy also mentions Sanctuary (of Tom King’s upcoming Heroes in Crisis book), which Ollie is presently unaware of, although one expects that to change...

Anyway, those are all big picture story strokes. Green Arrow at its best, however, is a book that lives in smaller moments, in pretty bird pet names and the dichotomy of a family-monied corporate exec dual-lifeing it as a bleeding heart crusader. Thankfully, issue #43 takes aim at the endearing minutiae and nails its target dead-on (arrow joke, get it?…sorry). From panel to panel, this book brims with small but telling characterization: Ollie donning ear guards before going down to see Canary, the banter between Roy-Ollie-Dinah over chilli, Ollie’s posture and demeanor and cool-boss-guy garb at his office—it’s all just so quintessentially Oliver Queen.

Nailing the characterization was something Percy did incredibly well (he brought back the goatee!), and as such this transition to a new team is as smooth as an expertly-nocked arrow slicing through the air toward a bullseye (sorry again!). Fernandez’s clean linework and frenetic action sequences are also a treat, and the Alex Maleev covers bring a fantastic savagery to these proceedings before we even hit page one. The emerald archer, in other words, seems to be in good hands.

Oh! A closing thought...what if the box Martian Manhunter gave Ollie that can destroy the Justice League (the one Ollie gives Roy directions to as an insurance policy...should something happen to me) factors into Heroes in Crisis? That box is the Chekhov’s gun of the DC Universe right now...it’s obviously going off by act three.  

Overall: The Bensons and Javier Fernandez pull-off the difficult double task of redirecting Green Arrow’s larger plot while keeping the book’s characters grounded in the telling moments that marked Ben Percy’s run. This is a great jumping on point for new/returning readers plus a smooth transition for those who never left. 9.0/10

For more comic book and movie reviews, check out our review archives here.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: The Unexpected #3 by Steve Orlando, Cary Nord, Mark Farmer, Scott Hanna, Jeromy Cox, & Carlos M. Mangual

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In its third issue, some of the cost of the deaths in The Unexpected's earlier issues becomes clear.

By Zack Quaintance — If you read The Unexpected #1, you know the book feigned as if it were a story of a new hero (Firebrand) joining some kind of oddball super-crew (Neon and team). But then—spoilers—the book swerved, killing two of Firebrand’s would-be teammates plus also its presumed big bad. In The Unexpected #3, the price for some of that death has now come due.

With its first two issues, The Unexpected established itself as a rock-solid new concept in the DCU, one driven by a pair of compelling leads and their nascent dynamic. Introductions, however, have now ended and it’s time for the plot to push forward as its mysteries and ramifications rapidly expand.

Consequences is a major theme in The Unexpected, and not just consequences for characters but consequences for the world following the recent event story, Dark Nights Metal. Scott Snyder and team’s Justice League is currently exploring all that on a marco/galactic level, specifically the broken source wall. This book, meanwhile, is taking a more nuanced approach, extrapolating upon some of the other effects of Nth Metal (and the mystery of the Nth Metal Isotope at the heart of it all...sorry) as well as the existence of the Dark Multiverse. I don’t want to give anything away, but this issue also fully unveils The Unexpected’s actual big bad (who has appeared briefly in past issues and also in Metal...but I’ll say no more).

At the same time, Orlando, Nord, and team are building new ideas into the DCU with this book. In this issue it is revealed that orcks once ruled the Earth and lived in floating cities powered by Nth Metal (known to them as Uk Metal). This is used to flesh out one of the deceased character's importance, as well as to illustrate the cost of his death, but now that it’s been put on the DC board, it’ll obviously always be there moving forward. Building onto mythos is something Orlando seems bent on doing in all his work, and, in fact, a creation from his Justice League of America—Monster Valley—shows up again here.

Simply put, this is all a very cool approach to superhero storytelling, one that for detail-oriented readers (myself included) is quite rewarding. That aside, this book is also telling an action-heavy story that any reader could just pick up and enjoy (I’d reckon). Living in both of those worlds is most certainly to The Unexpected’s credit. This is easily one of the least predictable and awesomely surprising books at DC Comics right now, and I, for one, can't wait to see where it's all headed.

Overall: The Unexpected continues to be heavy on both action and detail, creating a book with as much to offer casual readers as it does obsessive superhero fans. The Unexpected #3 delves even deeper into Dark Night Metal’s fallout, a nice reward for DC devotees. 9.0/10

For more comic book and movie reviews, check out our review archives here.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Leviathan #1 by John Layman, Nick Pitarra, & Michael Garland

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Artist Nick Pitarra definitely draws one of the better Kaiju in recent memory.

By Zack Quaintance — Leviathan #1 is one of those ultra-polished books you can tell is the work of a veteran creative team, one that’s having a damn good time, too. This comic was written by John Layman (perhaps best known for Chew) and drawn by Nick Pitarra, a frequent collaborator of high-concept sci-fi writer Jonathan Hickman. This book is the first of a five-part series, and I’d describe its first issue as a well-executed madcap romp (albeit one that doesn’t come without a toll).

What’s most impressive about Leviathan #1 is how efficiently Layman, Pitarra, and colorist Michael Garland handle the storytelling basics. The book orients us with a confident, almost-stern narration, introducing us to our hero. They quickly make him relatable by showing us he’s a good host who threw a party in which some unsavory guests drank too much beer (we’ve all been there), and they let us know what he cares about most—his would-be fiance Vee. Then they put her in grave danger (a bit of a damsel in distress thing, but, not to worry, without spoiling anything I’ll just say she has some agency). This leaves us as an audience oriented, vested, and incredibly curious as to how our hero will respond.

Now, this is so far a pretty straightforward concept for a comic book, and so it’s also to the credit of its creators that story beats are made so entertaining. Layman’s voice here is smart and self-aware, funny in a meta way that also does work for the story. Our characters know what kaijus are (as any pop culture aficionado would), so much so that the creative team doesn’t need to explain where the titular Leviathan came from or why (not at the start, anyway). They can just write a few funny quips about how it found its way into a cooling tube of a nuclear power plant, or some sh*t, and we’re right back to the action.

Pitarra’s artwork and Garland’s colors are also quite impressive. There is an impressive level of detail lent to the backgrounds, cityscapes, and the monster, and he tweaks his style to be a bit cartoonish with the human form, one that sets an inherently looser tone that lets readers know crazy things can and will happens. Basically, the artwork in this book is rich to look at and also guided by some great choices.

This first issue (of five) seems to hint that there’s more to it than just being a monster story, and so we’ll have to wait until next month for a better idea of the scope.

Overall: In the end notes, the creative makes readers a promise...we guarantee every issue we’re gonna grab you by the throat and throttle you with insane nonstop action until your brains dribble out your ears. ...I’m not really up for all of that (ewwww), but I definitely liked this comic enough to come back for more. 8.5/10

For more comic book and movie reviews, check out our review archives here.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: The Seeds #1 by Ann Nocenti & David Aja

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The Seeds debuts Aug. 1.

By Zack Quaintance — I’ve hoped for a while that a book would examine some of the themes in The Seeds #1. I’ve wanted a story (one with a smarter concept than I could casually drum up) that takes a hard and knowledgeable look at our current media landscape, how it got this way, where it’s going, and what stands to happen to society as a result. That’s quite a big ask, I know, but, hey, I can hope.

With The Seeds #1, it seems my hopes have been at least partially satisfied. This comic is definitely concerned with media (also sexual dynamics and the environment), and in its first issue (of four) media is an interesting and prominent theme, especially throughout a pair of nine-panel grids wherein our protagonist Astra talks indirectly about the state of the media with her editor Gabrielle.

Gabrielle discusses how rumors and falsehoods that get repeated become true, how sometimes it’s what people want, how truth seeming pliant is a fine justification for inventing stories, and how—more than anything—their outlet needs a scoop. The takeaway, as I read it, is that when you call the media fake long enough, the media eventually bends to that perception. It’s to the book’s credit that this is conveyed via such a well-done, smart, and natural interaction, one that simultaneously raises questions about our own society while establishing baseline facts about the dystopian world of this story. I liked it.

And, really, I liked The Seeds quite a bit. The book is part of former Vertigo editor Karen Berger’s Dark Horse imprint Berger Books, and like other entries in that line, it features veteran creators playing out intricate and literary ideas with little regard for accessibility. The book is written by journalist/documentarian/comic writer Ann Nocenti and drawn by David Aja (Hawkeye), a powerful creative team with powerful aspirations.

It's also a team one can trust to tell a satisfying story. Atop its underlying complexity this book has many great understated character moments. There’s a love story afoot, one in which one party is duty-bound to refrain while the other is hesitant because the first party says their leaving—it’s a story to which many readers will relate.

Moreover, this is a comic that rarely goes page without a really freaking cool ideas of imagery: a nightlife venue called Club Death that simulates dying, a naked figure in a gas mask beneath a giant American flag with a shotgun and an old TV, a lunch of deep fried bugs. Casually bizarre and fantastic. Basically, if you’re into stuff like pop art or pleasantly-abstract indie filmmaking, chances are you’ll dig this.

Overall: The Seeds #1 is the work of veteran and ambitious creators. It uses complex ideas, commentary, and imagery to create a world and themes that linger with readers. The full scope of the story is not yet clear, but there is every reason to believe Nocenti and Aja can be trusted to deliver a satisfying execution. 8.5/10

For more comic book and movie reviews, check out our review archives here.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Wonder Woman #51 by Steve Orlando, Laura Braga, & Romulo Fajardo, Jr.

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This epic panel from Wonder Woman #28 is recreated this issue to great effect.

By Zack Quaintance — Steve Orlando and Laura Braga open their standalone story in Wonder Woman #51 by diving back into a past issue, one in which Diana faced grave danger. They open with a panel recreated from Wonder Woman #28 by Shea Fontana & David Messina, wherein the villainous speedster Mayfly has stuck a gun into Diana’s abdomen and begun to taunt her, asking rhetorically if she’s fast enough to stop a bullet fired at point blank range before it tears through her skin.

Borrowing an opening like this is a bold choice, but it’s a choice that pays off wonderfully, given the panel is not only an interesting visual but also a tremendous starting point from which to unpack Diana’s otherworldly empathy and compassion, as this story goes on to do. The opening reminds us how dangerous and hardened Mayfly is, how if ever there was a foe for Diana to dispose of forever and write off as lost, it would be this one. I know I certainly would with anyone who posed such a threat to me. Diana, however, is a hero, and this story is relentless in its determination to explore the qualities and beliefs that govern her altruism.

I’m really hesitant to spoil anything at all about this issue, even a little bit—I think this is a comic everyone should experience fresh. I will say only that at the center of this story is Diana essentially playing a game of chicken with her own beliefs, not so much risking her physical form (although that does come into jeopardy, because, you know, this is still a superhero comic) but risking her world view, which as many of us have learned over the past two years or so is a painful thing to have shaken.

It’s a great concept for a Wonder Woman story, and the execution that follows is nigh-flawless. Again, not to give too much away, but simply put, this is one of the best issues of Wonder Woman I’ve ever read, ever, from the characterization, to the poetry of the exchanges between Diana and Mayfly, to the way visuals are used throughout.

And let’s talk about those visuals: in addition to how well Diana and her central beliefs are handled and explored, this comic succeeds on the power of the graphic storytelling techniques used by Orlando and Braga. I still don’t want to tip anything, so I’ll just say vaguely that there’s an excellent scene that juxtaposes the heroine's and villain's disparate backgrounds. Also, the form of this issue leans into a core strength of comics—the ability to make fitful yet sensical leaps through time.

Finally, I also want to point out that this book has an ending that was so poignant it nearly brought me to tears. It’s that good.

Overall: This is one of the best standalone issues of Wonder Woman I’ve ever read, ever, and it tells a compelling story that speaks directly to the core of a classic and long-tenured character yet is also strikingly-relevant for 2018. This comic is 100 percent a must-buy. 10/10

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Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #1 by Peter Milligan, Robert Gill, Jose Villarrubia, Diego Rodriguez, & Dave Sharpe

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Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #1 is out July 25.

By Zack Quaintance — Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #1 marks the first issue of the third volume of this series. I liked the last two volumes, but I’d somewhat forgotten just how good this book is. The answer, incidentally, is very very good.

Britannia is such an interesting conflux of two genres that don’t often meet: historical fiction and police procedurals. That setup is one of its strengths. Another arguably bigger strength is the attentions to both ambiance and character paid by writer Peter Milligan, obviously a student of mythology, the occult, and ancient Rome. 

The only discernible change from the first two volumes here (aside from plot, obviously) is artist Robert Gill has replaced Juan Jose Ryp. Ryp is one of the most intricate and detailed artists in comics, but Gill does his own thing here and does it well. It also helps the transition that it’s been more than a year since the end of the last volume. If you’re a returning reader just relax and enjoy...the book is as good as ever. If you’re a new reader, you can start with issue worry-free.

In fact, for Britannia newbies I’m fairly certain each volume stands just fine on its own. It’s been many months since the second Britannia book, and I’ve forgotten a lot that happened. Still, the creative team lies all the essential exposition out in a way that oriented me, and my sense is you’ll also be just fine if you’re totally new.

Britannia also stands apart from the rest of the Valiant Universe (no matter how badly I want the Eternal Warrior to show up). In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t set in it at all, although, admittedly, I may have missed an acknowledgment somewhere that it is. The reason I say this is because Britannia is grounded and realistic, mostly hinting at the occult and supernatural while leaving doubt as to whether it's entirely real. A good comparison might be Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott’s phenomenal Black Magick, which is set in the present day but uses mysticism sparingly as well.

The last thing it’s important to note is that while knowledge of ancient Rome perhaps enhances this book slightly, it’s not vital. Admittedly, my own knowledge of the Roman Empire is scant, and the only effect this has had on me is that when I finished the other volumes of this series, I went to Wikipedia to fill in gaps, which was kind of a bonus, one I hope will be useful for bar trivia someday.

Overall: I forgot how psychologically-complex and engrossing Britannia was until I started this new volume. This is a supremely well-executed comic, one I highly recommend to fans of both historical fiction and police procedurals. One issue in, it's just as good as its predecessors. 9.0/10

For more comic book and movie reviews, check out our review archives here.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Skyward #4 by Joe Henderson, Lee Garbett, Antonio Fabela, & Simon Bowland

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Skyward #4 is out July 18. 

By Zack Quaintance — The first issue of Skyward opened with an inciting event that drastically changed the world: gravity inexplicably lessened so much that people, animals, and untethered objects began to float dangerously into space. One of the victims was our protagonist’s mom, who left to go running and disappeared into the ether.  

This was then followed by a significant time jump in which our main character went from baby to young woman. Quickly, we also learned her dad had become a devastated recluse who spent the subsequent years afraid to go outside. That idea kind of faded into the background, however, as our hero went and had adventures involving the most powerful man in the gravity-light world, who—surprise!—turned out to be amoral and self-interested. What this issue does is slow down our hero’s interactions with that insidious fellow to involve her dad in a way Skyward hasn’t since its first issue.

It’s a great idea. The father-daughter dynamic is basically this story’s heart, and given the dad's reluctance to go outside, overcoming that fear is presumably huge for our plot. On paper, I expected to love this issue. I, however, had slightly mixed feelings about how it was executed (very slightly). I still liked it quite a bit, but the dad was over-the-top cowardly at times. This was likely by design, but, man, did I cringe.

And his daughter’s reaction to his behavior seemed to be too much, in that she didn’t seem troubled at all that she had to literally knock him out and put him in a bag to get him outside because he wouldn’t step up when she needed him most. All I'm saying is it would have maybe been more effective to have a troubled look cross her face instead of playing the whole heartbreaking ordeal for laughs. But then again, Skyward is a pretty cheery book.

It’s a small complaint, one quickly erased from my mind by the creative team working to explore more of the scientific ramifications of how less gravity would affect our world. The art and structure continues to be on point and then some, too. I’ve said it before, but I want to close by again re-iterating that this is one of the most underrated books in comics right now (although that may change...this month Skyward was optioned for a movie...awesome!).

Overall: Skyward #4 continues to take a simple concept and explore its logical repercussions in the world, a device that has been executed to perfection. In this issue, the creative team slows down a bit too, making room for more interactions between its characters.  8.0/10

For more about Skyward, read our review of Skyward #3.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Quantum and Woody! #8 by Eliot Rahal, Joe Eisma, Andrew Dalhouse, & Dave Sharpe

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Quantum and Woody! #8 is available July 18.

By Zack Quaintance — Eliot Rahal took this book over starting with Quantum and Woody! #6, following a five-issue run by writer Daniel Kibblesmith, who is (objectively) one of the funniest writers in all of comics. Basically, to use a cliche, Rahal had HUGE shoes to fill, humor-wise...which is why what he did with the first two issues of this run was so surprising and impressive.

Rahal didn’t try to match or outdo Kibblesmith’s jokes, or even to maintain a similar tone, really. There were hints of the goofy character dynamic that drives this franchise, but Rahal largely pushed it in new directions, writing a first issue that stripped the titular characters of their powers and made them prove themselves as heroes anyway, which they did in poignant fashion. Rahal then followed that excellent story up with a fever dream of an issue that delved deeply into our characters’ psyches.

Now, in Quantum and Woody! #8 he gets to the business of re-grounding the book a bit in this franchise’s signature tone—its humor—but because of the hard work he did as a storyteller in his first two installments, it's easy to be vested in the goofy moments. I’m not tearing up at Woody’s pithy one-liners (of which there are many), but I do care a little bit more about both of these heroes after what Rahal has put them through (and continues to put them through). I also really like how he continues to build on his first issues. This is a new arc and jumping on point, to be sure, but there’s a lot here for readers who are already on the book.

Joe Eisma’s artwork (with colors by the always-great Andrew Dalhouse) is also a great fit. For readers of his recent run on Archie with all-time great comic writer Mark Waid, this hardly comes as a surprise. Eisma is able to oscillate without strain between moments of heavy character reactions and action sequences or site gags—whatever the script calls for, he nails it. His work isn’t as intricate as some other Valiant artists, but Quantum and Woody! is a unique corner of the Valiant Universe, and Eisma expertly draws it that way.    

Overall: All three issues of the Eliot Rahal run on Quantum and Woody! so far have been vastly different yet equally as interesting and great. Rahal and his collaborators are doing a really impressive job drilling into these characters to find new ground for fresh stories. 8.5/10

For more about this Quantum and Woody! run, read our reviews of Quantum and Woody! #6 & Quantum and Woody #7.

Hear Quantum and Woody! artist Joe Eisma's recent appearance on the WMQ&A Podcast!

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Crude #4 by Steve Orlando, Garry Brown, Lee Loughridge, & Thomas Mauer

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Crude #4 is out July 18.

By Zack Quaintance — Crude #4 is yet another intense and emotional installment for one of the smartest series in indie comics. This book has a pair of clearly established plot lines—a father-son revenge story, and a meditation on late-model capitalism curtailing the humanity of individuals—and in this issue they begin to thoroughly intertwine in a way that really pushes the story forward.

Crude #4 opens exactly where the preceding issue left off, with protagonist Piotr Petrovich demanding information about his murdered son from a mob of attackers, all of whom he subsequently dispatches while incurring no greater damage than a cut on his arm. No greater physical damage, anyway. The larger stakes of the battle (as well as this book) involve what our hero learns about his son.

Being able to win fights but wanting instead to know more of his lost son is a value structure established quite well by Crude’s first three issues. Where #4 finds new ground is in its exploration of workers rights, corporations, industrial cartels, and the way individuals are controlled and debased by corrupt systems, no matter how hard they work. It also starts to explore the generational gap that has taken hold in society's across the world: the father as a good trusting soldier, the son as someone striving for change. This may be a reductive, but Crude is sneakily timely as hell.

In one particularly effective scene, a shady besuited executive rages that a single man is causing him so many problems, a man who is effectively acting outside established structures. It’s a telling metaphor, one Orlando and Brown have previously hinted at but kept in the background, wisely devoting earlier issues to vesting the audience in the more poignant father-son story.

One of the things I liked most about Crude #4, though, was the growth for the hero (or the promise of growth soon). It’s the best sort of character development: painful yet exactly what he wanted. Piotr has essentially been broken down of his own volition, continuing to learn that he didn’t know his son at all. Now begins the fascinating work of watching how he responds.

I’ve made this (likely simplistic) comparison before, but the emotional complexity of this comic is a bit like a Russian novel. At the same time, Orlando and Brown are clearly seasoned comics creators, because the usual qualities of great visual storytelling in chapter format are very much present: action, cliffhangers, callbacks to earlier issues. For me, it's this mix of fundamentals and meaning that make Crude so compelling.

Overall: Crude continues to have one of the most compelling hero's journeys in all of comics, one that blends gritty action with emotional devastation and subtle commentary. This fourth issue again ups the stakes in ways I could not have predicted. 9.0/10

For more about Crude, read our previous reviews of Crude #2 and Crude #3.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: The Weatherman #2 by Jody LeHeup, Nathan Fox, Dave Stewart, & Steve Wands

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The Weatherman #2 drops on July 18.

By Zack Quaintance — The Weatherman #1 was a pretty impressive debut comic, one that I like even more after getting some additional context from this second issue. In the first issue, there’s a montage in which it’s established that the titular Weatherman is painfully earnest, an irreverent entertainer who is blatant about his thoughts, feelings, desires, and corny jokes. I wasn’t sure last issue if these qualities were established for laughs, or if there was a greater narrative function for them.

After reading The Weatherman #2, it’s now clear it was the latter. Not to give too much away (ahem, spoilers!), but the central conceit of this series is that our protagonist at some point had his mind wiped. This plays to one of the comic book medium’s greatest strengths: the ability of drawings to create rough approximations for readers to envision themselves in characters better than they can in movies or on TV. Working a hero’s innocence into the plot plays to that strength, engendering a powerful amount of sympathy for our lead, feckless and crude as he may sometimes be. He’s basically a man who likely committed a horrific crime but has been more or less good ever since, cleansed of that memory and persona, turned into an utter innocent.

So, that’s all really strong, and the art in #2 is as captivating as it was in the first issue. The third act also expertly rushes toward a searing cliffhanger, much like the first issue again. Between this book and another new favorite of mine, Skyward, Image Comics is putting out some really fundamentally sound books that incentivize reading monthly versus waiting for a trade. There’s something very endearing and old school about that, and I’m loving it.

Before I give this book my full-on, must-read glowing mega endorsement, however, I should note there’s a scene with some pretty gruesome animal cruelty. This is an adult comic, and violence is to be expected—hell, elsewhere it’s established that seven years ago one of our characters maybe aided a terrorist attack that killed 18 billion people—but there’s imagery in The Weatherman #2 that crosses some usual lines. I cringed. So, be warned that you might, too.  

Overall: The Weatherman continues to establish itself as yet another must-read science fiction comic in a banner year for that genre. The art, pacing, and concept are confident and complex, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the best of this book is still yet to come. 8.0/10

SPECIAL NOTE: For more thoughts about The Weatherman, see our Best Debut Comics of June 2018.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Clankillers #1 by Sean Lewis & Antonio Fuso

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Clankillers #1 is dark and gritty in way readers might not expect.

By Zack Quaintance — Clankillers #1 is a gritty comic, but not in the way you might think. It’s not gratuitous nor extreme. There are violence and hints of sex, some nudity, but any violence is unfortunate for all, any sex utterly bleak and without any glamor or romance. Essentially, Clankillers is gritty in a way that feels real in tone and emotion, so much so the book’s imagery lingered with me for days.

It feels real in how cruel its king is (Padraig the Grotesque), how calloused the child protagonist/narrator has become, how fearful and supplicant the king’s subjects are in his presence. Yet, bits of supernatural Celtic folklore float amidst the story (which is set in feudal Ireland), failing to amaze or even captivate Clankillers’ cast, so comfortable are they with banshees and goddesses existing nearby.

It’s this nonchalance I found so haunting. In one scene, protagonist Finola and her best friend the orphan Cillian play with a severed idiot’s head, obviously not for the first time because Finola remarks: This one’s got good bounce to his noggin. In another scene, she launches into a harsh summary narration about her world...This dark fucking world we live in. Only one thing you can do in the face of it all...be darker than the fecks.

The book’s strengths are how it creates a sense of an unavoidable tragedy, and how it gives our hero a clear (if seemingly impossible goal): to get revenge on a goddess who took her mother and drove her father mad by killing Ireland’s four clans.

The visuals are also captivating, rough by design. The entire first issue is bookended by ethereal imagery in which an as-of-yet unnamed naked woman with mysterious body markings and one eye exhales and inhales our story, as if its entirety is being created on her breath. Lewis also makes great choices with what to include in his panels, incorporating disembodied floating skulls in one memorable scene to emphasize a character’s cruelty, while at other times playing with sizes to depict power dynamics.

The book has a unique look and tone, to be sure, and in a year when so many comic book genres—from science fiction to horror—are so heavily saturated, historical and mythological fiction has been somewhat missing. Clankillers being rooted in Celtic lore sets it apart. The bleakness can be oppressive at times, though, and it remains to be seen if there’s power or poeticism behind the grit and doom and dourness that Sean Lewis has done so well.

Overall: Clankillers #1 covers rare ground in comics, and it covers it well, depicting the bleak darkness of Celtic mythology. The excellent artwork fits the tone, and the hero is given a clear objective to move the plot forward. Essentially, this story feels captivating in a way not unlike a slow trainwreck. 8.0/10

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man #1 by Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, & Laura Martin

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Amazing Spider-Man seems to be in good hands with Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley.

By Zack Quaintance — Taking a beloved superhero back to basics in 2018 seems to mean a new creative team uses a whiteboard to free associate essential qualities that make a character compelling. They undo some of the last team’s work, while keeping other pieces that fit their vision. They then write and draw the hell out of their first issue, inspiring us fans to rush off and Tweet: THIS is the Spider-man I’ve been missing!

It’s not a bad thing, far from it. It certainly works here, as writer Nick Spencer and artist Ryan Ottley take over Amazing Spider-Man, marking the book’s first new creators in a decade. So, what do I think Spencer and Ottley put on their white board? WARNING, here come SPOILERS…I’d it included voice, humor, bad Parker luck, with great power comes great responsibility, and...wait for it…Peter’s relationship with Mary Jane.   

Now, I could spend this entire review discussing how Spencer expertly capture’s Peter’s interiority, how his writing made me laugh aloud, or how he nails Spideys relationship with other heroes—well-meaning but overly chatty and insecure. I could also easily heap 500 words of praise on Ottley’s artwork, which is that good. There’s a two-page spread in particular that made me realize what fans stand to gain by having Ottley on a flagship title.

This is all, however, overshadowed by Spencer’s clear intent to undo One More Day. For those who somehow missed it, in the 2007 story One More Day, Peter trades his marriage with Mary Jane to the demon Mephisto, who revives his Aunt May, effectively making Spider-Man single again. I personally disliked this decision, and I wasn’t alone.

But Spencer bookends this issue with scenes that seem to promise Peter and Mary Jane are getting back together. I try not to be overly prescriptive about comic book writing (much respect for vision and craft), but if I may let down my analytical guise: Holy hell this is everything I’ve wanted for a decade ahhhhhhhhh!

Ahem, now where was I?

Oh right: this issue left me feeling really good about Amazing Spider-Man’s future, both in terms of Spencer capturing what makes Spider-Man special and spinning (heh) interesting plots. Spencer’s take on Spider-Man’s villains is also unsurprisingly great, and not just because he makes them so relatable (Venture Bros.-esque, as he did in Superior Foes of Spider-Man).

In this debut, Spencer includes a ton of Spidey’s excellent rogues, using at least five villains plus a sixth who is discussed but not seen. Spencer, however, isn’t out to re-invent dynamics as Dan Slott seemed to be in his run. Spencer instead appears determined to let shared history between characters influence new battles in ways that feel fresh, which as we’ve seen elsewhere in superhero comics recently (DC Rebirth), is a great way to tell compelling stories about aging properties.

Overall: It sounds cliche, but Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley really do take Spider-Man back to basics in the best possible way. The Ottley artwork is phenomenal, and the plot and characterization feel both fitting and natural. If this debut is a mission statement for what the new team is planning, I am firmly on board. 9.5/10

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

Monstress #18 by Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda, & Rus Wooton

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Monstress #18 is the crashing finale to this Eisner-nominated comic's third arc.

By Zack Quaintance — I’ve been reading Monstress issue-to-issue from its start, enthralled by writer Marjorie Liu’s depth of vision as well as the unparalleled artwork produced by Sana Takeda, as lush as it is detailed. The book blends anime stylizations, fantasy novel trappings, and hints of Eastern mythology, creating a unique reading experience. It also seamlessly alternates from subtle issues that explore its world and strengthen the bonds between characters, to issues that serve as high stakes crescendos.

Monstress #18 is decidedly of the latter category, ranking as the most consequential action-heavy issue since the series’ searing debut, which was a statement about the marginalized striking back against abuse. Reading this issue, it struck me that our protagonist Maika’s being part of an oppressed group is an idea that has faded a bit in favor of her own personal hero’s journey, of her growing into an almost mythical savoir from a powerful line.

It’s a transition that has given her more agency than she had at the start. Maika was threatened in early issues by horsemen and soldiers. By comparison, she has now become the living world’s lone defender against a threat that could end it. Maika’s development feels patient, too, a reward to long-time readers that makes her heroism in this issue all the more impactful.

And this is just the first panel.

In the end, we are left with a sense that the threats and bad actors in our story are not quite what they seem, and while this could feel unwieldy—if every development is OMG SO HUGE AND WOW!, no developments are OMG SO HUGE AND WOW!—Liu simultaneously uses her supporting cast to remind us of the relatable stakes for our protagonist. It’s a wise choice, one that ultimately makes this one of my favorite issues of Monstress this arc.   

I’m tempted to call Monstress under-appreciated, although I’m not sure that’s right, as I often see it prominently displayed on end caps in independent bookstores alongside the likes of Saga, Ms. Marvel, and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther. This comic has its readership, to be sure, and it is, perhaps, better-suited for trade, so dense is its plotting. I do, however, think there’s quite a bit to like for monthly readers who haven’t tried the book, all of whom are missing out on—at minimum—some of the industry’s best artwork.

Lastly, it should be noted that there will soon be three Monstress trades available, and that there’s never been a better time for new readers to give it a shot.

Overall: The finale of Monstress’ third arc does not disappoint, continuing to illuminate this world’s mythology. This issue is action-heavy, yet it takes time to seed its next arc with a more relatable crisis. Simply put, Liu and Takeda continue to build something truly special. 8.5/10

SPECIAL NOTE: For more thoughts about Monstress, see Top Comics of January 2018.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Wasted Space #3 by Michael Moreci, Hayden Sherman, Jason Wordie, & Jim Campbell

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Wasted Space #3 is this book's best issue yet.

By Zack Quaintance — As Wasted Space progresses, it’s becoming clear galactic dictator Devolous Yam (fantastic galactic dictator name, btw) is a MacGuffin, a writerly term for a plot device many characters pursue with borderline thin motivations. Our heroes want to destroy Yam, our villains want to destroy Yam plus also a planet because anarchy, and an unstoppable otherworldly force wants to destroy our heroes so they cannot destroy Yam because...well, we don’t exactly know yet.

Yam Yam Yam and more Yam. I’m not entirely certain we’ve even seen the guy’s face, but he's all anyone wants to kill or not kill here. We just know Yam eliminated democracy and one of our protagonists—Billy—helped enable his rise, earning great shame and infamy (plus another really painful cost we learn about via incredibly well-done flashbacks in this issue).

And that’s fine, really. It makes for an exciting romp of a third issue wherein various actors intersect after much setup. In #3, writer Michael Moreci, artist Hayden Sherman, and colorist Jason Wordie show themselves just as adept at action storytelling as they’ve been previously at exposition, heady ideas, and character development. Moreci’s sense of humor is on point, too, and Sherman once again makes a strong case for best dystopian action artist in comics.

Yes, as much as I liked Wasted Space #1 and Wasted Space #2, this issue reached a more entertaining level without sacrificing any themes or thoughtfulness. I could get into the weeds about all that I liked, but I don’t want to spoil even small moments. I will say if you’re a new reader, don't be discouraged—reading all three issues consecutively will actually help you appreciate how the various character journeys are being laid out. I certainly know re-reading from the start this time was helpful (if not vital) for me.

Writer Michael Moreci, an avowed Star Wars fan, is clearly having a blast working in homages to his favorite movie franchise.

This book has some of the best side characters in comics, specifically Dust, Billy’s Fuq/Qil Bot best friend who is often comic relief. I’m also a big fan of Legion, the aforementioned unstoppable otherworldly force, who crushes everything and sometimes doles out routine life advice, like, You should take more pride in your work. It leads to a healthier existence.

Lastly, I want to note that there are sneakily relevant bits of ethos and commentary throughout Wasted Space, with Billy flashingback in this issue to himself urging normalcy in the face of dictatorship, an attitude that cost him dearly and sent him into the spiral we find him in when the book begins. I'm curious to see the full scope of the progress he makes as the book continues.

Overall: Wasted Space #3 is this comic’s best issue yet. The creators have built a solid foundation of character and plot, and they’re now clearly having a blast smashing it all together. I have every reason to believe the next issue will be even better as things continue to converge. 9.0/10

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

ADVANCED REVIEW: The New World #1 by Ales Kot, Tradd Moore, Heather Moore, Clayton Cowles, & Tom Muller

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By Zack Quaintance — The New World #1 is a confident comic, no question. Writer Ales Kot has an impeccable elevator pitch at the heart of this—a second American Civil War has reshaped the global order—and he uses it to play out a number of interesting ideas about where things like television, sports, government, immigration, and law enforcement are currently headed. At a time when so many long-held real world American institutions are in flux (some for wonderful reasons, others less so), the book’s willingness to extrapolate is an incredibly effective hook. Simply put, chances are you will have an interest in one or many of the themes envisioned here.

Results are mixed as we proceed through its execution, though, with a clear exception being Tradd and Heather Moore’s artwork, which I found to be nigh-perfect throughout. Everything from character designs, to action sequences, to a reimagined Los Angeles setting, to the book’s lapses into psychedelic bliss—it’s all rendered beautifully with an almost visionary style, one that takes a unique approach to the well-traveled grounds of dystopia. It sounds cliche, but this book really is a joy for the eyeballs.

And the rest of the comic—characterization and story elements, specifically—aren’t bad either, not by a longshot. It’s just that the something intangible that makes a story really special was missing for me. This is a tough idea to articulate—I’ve tried in the past—but there’s something off about how this comic feels. It’s all a little too on the noise, although that may be reductive. The book just doesn’t seem to have a coherent worldview, oscillating a bit too fitfully at times between targets of its satire: local law enforcement? sensationalistic TV? xenophobia? political opportunism? there’s a lot of disparate ground covered.

The New World #1's colorful-yet-bleak reimagining of Los Angeles.

There's also a slight undercurrent of detached cynicism, both in the characters and their attitudes. Or rather, much time spent on the cusp of cynicism. This perhaps has to do with my own worldview fighting so hard lately to maintain optimism. In other words, results will likely vary, and I don’t fault anyone who is immediately captivated or enthralled by this comic.

There’s definitely a scenario wherein the second issue soothes my concerns and I’m back here next month calling The New World #2 one of the most relevant books on the market. Time alone will tell. For now, I strongly recommend this first issue to anyone interested in a solid graphic story about a bleak-but-colorful future America. The art alone is worth it.

Overall: The New World #1 is a good first issue, polished and confident. There’s a lot of disparate ideas, though, and at times it can be hard to tell which ones we’re supposed to care the most about. Still, this comic hooked me for the next issue or two based on the strength of its artwork alone. 7.0/10

The New World #1 is out July 25, 2018.

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Relay #1 by Zac Thompson, Andy Clarke, Donny Cates, Dan Brown, & Charles Pritchett

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What is The Relay and who is Donaldson? These questions give The Relay #1 an intriguing foundation to build its action and philosophy upon.

By Zack Quaintance — Relay #1 is a complex and impressive comic, one as visually stunning as any book in ages. At its core, though, this is a hard sci-fi story with big philosophical ideas in the mold of Philip K. Dick and Ursula K. Le Guin (those all-time great K. writers)—both of whom series creator Zac Thompson has cited as influences. Relay must do a lot to stand out from the half dozen or so other excellent science fiction books released so far in 2018, and, simply put, it does.

Indeed, this year has launched some truly stellar sci-fi comics, including Skyward, Vagrant Queen, Wasted Space, and The Weatherman, among others. Where Relay sets itself apart, though, is in its scope. This is a book concerned with civilization, with the evolution and shaping of society, and it approaches this by incorporating organic discussions between characters about history, religion, power structures, the role of the follower, the role of the good soldier, etc.

It’s a lot, but the book never gets unwieldy. To the contrary, it’s actually a fast-paced and entertaining comic that does a great job of avoiding the first issue pitfall of bogging itself down with excessive exposition. We get a protagonist on page one we can relate to: Jad, just a guy trying to get to work. Then Jad gets a simple task: keep the peace (oh, and find Donaldson if you can), and off we go. Easy. With solid and well-done grounding, our writer Thompson (who conceptualized Relay with red-hot Marvel writer Donny Cates) is free to put us through action sequences as easily as philosophical discussions about this world, all of which remain fascinating because he also establishes mystery: what does The Relay really do and is Donaldson out there somewhere to be found? This is good storytelling 101.

Lastly, Andy Clarke’s artwork is phenomenal throughout, evoking names like Frank Quitely, Jon Davis-Hunt, and Ramon Villalobos. My favorite work sees Clarke impressively transition to a frenetic page design for effect. Not to reveal too much, but sound is used as a weapon. The page design really makes you feel the sonic disruption by ditching traditional panel structure for one that’s jagged and uneven. Once the attack is stymied, the book immediately returns to a normal scheme. Rarely have I seen design so effectively stimulate non-visual senses. Impressive stuff. Dan Brown’s colors are also expert, both gritty and pretty as required by the tone. It all adds up to a fantastic debut comic.

Overall: There’s so much going on in Relay #1, so many ideas and concepts, all of them fascinating, and expert storytelling by the creators keeps the book from becoming unruly. In a market thoroughly-saturated by great sci-fi comics, Relay stands out, a must-read for fans of Philip K. Dick and Ursula K. Le Guin. 9.5/10

Relay #1 is out July 11. See a preview via our friends WMQ Comics now!

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Death of Inhumans #1 by Donny Cates, Ariel Olivetti, Jordie Bellaire, & Clayton Cowles

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Be afraid for all your favorite Inhumans...be very afraid.

By Zack Quaintance — Donny Cates only has one setting: #@$&ING INTENSE. No off switch, no take-it-easy button, no chill. He might not even have brakes in his car. This is all a dramatic way of saying Cates brings the same hard-hitting, grandiose storytelling to all of his books, be it creator-owned titles Babyteeth, God Country, and Redneck, or Marvel’s Venom.

I suspected as much after Cates got what were essentially gap-filling arcs on Doctor Strange and Thanos, yet still added Bats the Ghost Dog and Frank Castle the Cosmic Ghost Rider to their respective mythoses (mythosi?). Now, Death of the Inhumans #1, first of a five-part series that is exactly what its title implies, has verified my Cates ALWAYS Goes Hard theory.

If ever there was a time to ease up, this was it for Cates, who is juggling successful creator-owned comics (the aforementioned Babyteeth and Redneck), while also laying groundwork for a character-defining run on Venom, writing a Cosmic Ghost Rider mini-series, and returning soon to Thanos with Thanos Legacy #1 in September.

The poetic characterization of Black Bolt is one of this issue's major strengths.

But he didn’t lay off. In fact, Death of Inhumans is as intense as any of Cates’ work, if not more so, powered in this issue by expert characterization of Black Bolt and a fearsome new villain, Vox. It also has Cates signature entertaining-yet-authoritative voice, which guides you through the carnage on the page, showing you what hurts most with poetic turns of phrase before cracking wise in the very next panel, all while sounding like a genial Texan uncle.

What has most defined Cates work so far, however, is that you can just tell this guy is having all kinds of nutso fun writing superhero comics. I’d wager half his ideas start in bars (he lives in Austin, as hard-drinking of a town as any) and the other half start with him wondering if he can get away with something.

Vox is one of the most immidiately fearsome villains in recent Marvel memory.

Credit is also owed to Marvel for letting Cates get away with ideas while also pairing him with top-notch artists, including the likes of Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Cates’ God Country/The Paybacks collaborator, Geoff Shaw. They’ve done it again here, putting him with the team of Ariel Olivetti and Jordie Bellaire. While the later is a top tier colorist, Olivetti is new to me, but the work in this book is impressive, especially the character design for the new, horrifying villain. Basically, I for one am primed and ready for the coming annihilation.

Overall: Cates trademark clever-yet-authoritative voice combines with a fearsome new villain and excellent characterization of Black Bolt to turn what could have been a chance for him to take it easy into one of his most intense titles yet. Prepare for the coming devastation. 8.5/10

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Captain America #1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, & Sunny Cho

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Captain America #1 is easily Ta-Nehisi Coates' best single issue yet.

By Zack Quaintance — Ta-Nehisi Coates is most well-known for Between the World and Me, a heartrending book about racist violence in America, written as a letter from Coates’ to his teenage son. It came out in July 2015, raising Coates literary profile to nigh-mainstream levels and giving the author his pick of follow up projects...which he used to start writing comics.

A lifelong comics fan, Coates launched a new Black Panther book for Marvel in March 2016, even going so far as to answer letters and construct maps of Wakanda for the book’s back matter. There were hiccups in his first arc, times when Coates mishandled T’Challa’s characterization, overwrote captions, didn’t consider visuals, etc. Eventually though, Coates grew into the work, learning quickly, and ultimately combining his love of the medium with his abilities as a writer. And this week Coates has written his best comic yet: Captain America #1, illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, with Gerry Alanguilan and Sunny Cho.

Captain America #1’s art shines, starting with an action-heavy intro that returns an old villain for Cap to presumably later battle. Throughout, the book features large panels allowing its artists to play up Cap’s iconic visage, winged cowl, flag shield, and grave focus. We see Cap charge into battle on a full page, stand over a foe who subverted his values, and carry a first responder, the two of them laid over Americans working together following an outbreak of random violence (an all too common real world image these days).

Coates picks up on some interesting ideas left dangling after Marvel's Secret Empire event.

Coates plotting is expert, building on ideas left dangling after Nick Spencer’s recent event Secret Empire, in which a Steve Rogers imposter joins Hydra and torments the planet. I’ve complained elsewhere that Marvel glazed over that fallout, but I was too hasty—we get it here from Coates, who uses those threads, making this comic relevant to our national climate without feeling too heavy-handed (a complaint I had with Spencer’s recently-concluded run). Make no mistake, this comic is foremost an entertaining read.

Take the intro, for example: a convoy of Hydra henchmen transport a woman and are ambushed by Russian partisans as said woman cooly remarks This is Russia. Graveyard of Hitler’s horde. Bane of Napoleon and his imperial French. You can read deeply into that, or you can hurry to the next panel and watch a Hydra henchman's skeletal corpse crack the windshield of the prison truck. This is a layered story that gives its readers both options.

This powerful image shows Captain America and Bucky helping in the aftermath of a mass shooting event.

And that’s a challenge at the heart of all narrative writing: how to share intriguing nuanced ideas while also telling a well-paced and entertaining story. Whereas Coates may have leaned too far toward the former on his early Black Panther run, he’s obviously learned and improved. The result is a new Captain America arc that has me excited about the character in a way I haven’t been since Ed Brubaker concluded the most recent all-time great Cap run a few years back.

Overall: This is Ta-Nehisi Coates' best comic yet, layered and nuanced, but also well-paced and entertaining. This book plays up Captain America as a former icon while addressing his tarnished status following Secret Empire. It’s so good that one issue in, this run already has must-read status. 9.5/10

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

SPECIAL NOTE: Listen to our friends WMQ Comics discuss all things Cap on this week's WMQ&A Podcast!

REVIEW: The Unexpected #2 by Steve Orlando, Cary Nord, Wade von Grawbadger, Jeromy Cox, and Carlos M. Mangual

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In The Unexpected #2, we get Neon the Unknown's origin story.

In The Unexpected #2, we get Neon the Unknown's origin story.

By Zack Quaintance — The Unexpected #2 builds well on its predecessor, deepening the book’s characters while remaining true to its title by continuing the first issue’s fantastic plot twist. Spoiler alert for those who haven’t read it, but The Unexpected #1’s cover seemed to advertise a team book starring four characters...but then killed two of them, also axing its presumed antagonist.

It was incredibly well-executed misdirection, justified well enough by virtue of being—for lack of more elegant language—pretty freaking awesome. This second issue, however, goes past pretty freaking awesome to give the twist significance, extrapolating impressive character development for one of The Unexpected’s dual leads, the blind Doctor Strange analog, Neon the Unknown.

The loss of Neon’s team, it turns out, evokes nigh-crippling thoughts of past trauma connected to his origin, expertly told here in a concise two-page spread same as the other lead’s was last issue. The book then trampolines off that trauma to start building a compelling dynamic between Neon and its other lead, Firebrand. Without going into too much detail (ahem spoilers), Neon is a tortured artist so riven by guilt he fails to truly embrace his powers. Firebrand, meanwhile, is a paramedic saddled with a powerful heart that requires her to fight (and likely harm) someone every 24 hours. Neon is on a self-tortured redemption arc, while Firebrand is a no-nonsense practical hero with agency. She needs his expertise and he needs her tough motivation. It’s great.

Orlando’s script just does so much here while remaining tight. It gives Dark Nights Metal continued significance by incorporating key concepts from that event—Nth Metal and the World Forge—it nods to larger DC continuity via June Robbins and the God Garden, and it has the badass swagger of Orlando’s best work, including Midnighter (2015) and his Image Comics creator-owned revenge story Crude.   

Orlando and Nord are building Firebrand into one of the DCU's best original characters in recent memory.

The lone knock on The Unexpected is its prospect for longevity, which is harmed by it being part of the New Age of Heroes, which some fans have (rightly) criticized for being branded as artist-centric before quickly swapping out artists on nearly every book. Will Orlando and Nord get to play out their full vision? It’s unclear. I do, however, think Firebrand is one of the strongest new Big 2 superheros in recent memory, cut in the mold of Midnighter, but whereas Midnighter was a weapon with little memory of normalcy, Firebrand juggles a dual life as a human weapon and a nurturing paramedic. Surely, DC Comics will always have a place for a character battling such a poignant contradiction.

Overall: The Unexpected #2 is a strong follow-up to the best debut of any New Age of DC Heroes title. It invests well in many of the key qualities of strong superhero comics — action, absurdity, character development, continuity nods, and plot twists. Put simply, this series is one of the more exciting original properties at either Big 2 publisher in recent years. 9.0/10

Zack Quaintance is a journalist who also writes fiction and makes comics. Find him on Twitter at @zackquaintance. He lives in Sacramento, California.

REVIEW: Luke Cage Season 2

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Luke Cage season 2 ranks as the best Marvel Netflix show since Jessica Jones season 1.

By Lido G. — Let’s talk about Luke Cage season 1 real quick.

Luke Cage season 1 happened so long ago it’s like a relic from another time, both in terms of the socio-political upheaval that’s happened in the past two years and the almost immediate drop-off in Marvel Netflix cultural cache the series ushered in. Don’t get me wrong, Luke Cage season 1 had good elements, but between the overlong running time, the inability to find an all-around strong antagonist, and the weird conservatism of a show produced just months prior to the dawn of the Trump administration, it definitely does not hold up. What’s more, it’s place as precursor to the back-to-back failures of Defenders and Iron Fist puts it in an uncomfortable position of being the Marvel Netflix show that ended up an exit point for a lot of the wider audience.

I bring this up because season 2 is an incredible leap forward that actually addresses most of the series’ biggest flaws and is easily the best Marvel Netflix offering since Jessica Jones season 1, and it’d be a damn shame if past failures kept people from checking it out.

Fixing Past Mistakes

Speaking of past failures, you don’t need to have seen Defenders or any other Marvel Netflix show to understand Luke Cage season 2. Taking place sometime after Defenders, Luke has been exonerated of the crimes that landed him in prison and has returned to Harlem as a community hero and minor celebrity, complete with merchandise and an app dedicated to spotting him. Meanwhile, his cop friend Misty Knight is adjusting to life after losing an arm, also during the events of Defenders, while trying to find her place in the law enforcement system that has for so long defined her and her world. As for our villains, the main antagonist is Alfre Woodard’s Black Mariah, ex-city councilwoman turned Harlem gunrunner eager to buy her way into the world of white-collar crime so as to bury her family’s violent criminal history. Her plan is scuttled, however, by a new villain, Bushmaster, a Jamaican mobster with ties to Mariah’s past and superpowers to rival Luke, plus a thirst for vengeance that threatens to tear Harlem apart. 

One of season 2's biggest strengths is its dynamic villains.

So, the best thing about Luke Cage season 2 is the show managed to fix many of its flaws without compromising its unique vision of what a superhero should be.  Specifically, the show sets out to better fill its 13-episode order without padding things with more action or sex scenes — we are here for character interactions first and foremost.  That’s what Luke Cage decided its core is and, to its credit, it’s great at giving EVERYONE in the cast an interesting arc. Everyone is relatable in their goals. All three of the season’s main villains have well-composed and fascinating arcs that eclipse the hero at times. Black Mariah’s growing desperation to rewrite her history works as a great subversion of Marvel’s tendency to give heroes dark revelations about their own foundations. Black Mariah’s rigid unwillingness to accept any responsibility for her past slowly gives way to a violent, bigoted wallow in her own crapulence, a decision that if she can’t forget the past she will embrace it as her present. 

Bushmaster is the perfect counter to this arc, almost too perfect. He’s basically a better version of Whiplash from Iron Man 2, right down to his father helping found Mariah’s heritage but ending up written out of the history books for shady reasons. It all takes me back to a quote that’s truly come to define Marvel after dark revelations in Winter Soldier, Black Panther, and Thor: Ragnarok — You come from a family of thieves and butchers and now, like all guilty men, you seek to rewrite your own history and you forget all the lives your family ruined.

The problem with Bushmaster is he’s too charismatic and likable. He’s treated like a villain because he wants to kill Mariah for revenge, which seems deeply unfair given we JUST had a whole season of Punisher with that same goal. It gets to a point at the end, as Black Mariah descends into more and more brutal savagery and racism, that you wonder why Luke doesn’t just let Bushmaster have his revenge, especially after the lengths the show goes to show his origin and Mariah’s sadism. 

To be fair, Luke’s antipathy toward saving Mariah is a key part of his own arc of feeling trapped by his celebrity. It’s actually a really clever subversion of season 1’s exhaustive dedication to respectability politics by making that same respectability Luke’s greatest obstacle. He’s constantly left feeling like his actions aren’t making a difference, which fuels a growing anger in direct opposition to the idealized black man his celebrity demands he be. The show opens with a lavish media profile of Luke describing him as this synthesis of every great black male historical figure in modern memory and as the show continues it becomes increasingly obvious how much that ideal isn’t just unattainable but actively constraining Luke from orchestrating real change. In the end, Luke finally arrives at a conclusion about who he wants to be, even selecting his own black icon to emulate, and it’s a compelling statement about the need to create systems outside the law when communities can’t trust in it anymore.

Luke and The System

Speaking of the law, the most interesting development Luke Cage is its worsening relationship to the system. In season 1, the show landed firmly on the viewpoint that the system wasn’t bad but rather staffed by imperfect servants, and that if we could all trust the system a little more things would improve: it’s fair to say this message has not aged well. It’s clear the showrunners realized this with season 2, even though they aren’t quite ready to reject the system in full — there’s nothing here quite as radical as the killer cops and government-sponsored human experiments on black citizens found in Black Lightning, but things are progressing. Overall the new outlook is that the system isn’t actively malicious but ultimately powerless to help, hindered by inability to effectively police itself until after the fact and all too often co-opted by the very criminals it seeks to put away. 

As Luke moves further away from supporting the system, Misty Knight ultimately continues to embrace it.

This ends up leaving Misty Knight in a weird place. Her overall arc is how Misty got her groove back and also a robotic arm, which works for the most part but her relationship to the system mirrors the show’s overall ambivalence. There are parts where she seems to fully grasp the uselessness of a system that lets wife beaters go free yet puts Luke Cage in prison, but ultimately she still embraces it, as if the victories she managed were due to good police work instead of the criminal community using the police as their own form of penance and punishment. This isn’t a bad place for Misty per se, as she’s still growing along with the show and it works keeping her as our one foot in the establishment while Luke moves further from it, but it’d still be nice for the series to take a stronger stance on abuses by law enforcement as they become increasingly egregious and public every day. 

The area where Luke Cage season 2 skirts closest to relevance is a very bizarre throwaway plot relating to Bushmaster being Jamaican. His Jamaican heritage is interesting, playing up the divide between black Jamaicans and African Americans, zeroing in heavily on the Jamaican history of Maroons — slaves who escaped and lived in free rebel communities in the Jamaican wilderness. The politics between Mariah’s American blackness and Bushmaster’s Jamaican background is fascinating but the fact that most of his gang are Jamaican ends up creating a bizarre sequence where we hear secondhand about ICE rounding up anyone with a Jamaican accent. It’s a weird footnote in the show that doesn’t fit but at least it implies some understanding of police profiling, even if they lay the blame for this action on Bushmaster.

Speaking of additional problems, despite all the plate-spinning the show can’t quite fill 13 episodes on drama alone, which is a shame because there are a number of characters I wish had more identity and relevance. Mariah’s daughter Tilda is a new addition who ends up a major reveal, but she never really felt like as firm a presence as her mother or Bushmaster. She might have more development in season 3, but ultimately most of her screen time is spent being unsure about or disappointed by her mother — she doesn’t really stand alone. Luke’s father, played by the late great Reg E. Cathey, is another character I’d have liked more of. He’s absolutely superb whenever he shows up and definitely has an internal life and identity. He just didn’t feel that relevant, and he kind of moves in and out of the narrative too easily for how much Luke’s daddy issues come into play. 

Biggest Surprises

Finn Jones as Danny Rand is a lot more fun when he's supposed to be insufferable.

The biggest surprises of the season are Danny Rand and Shades. Danny stops by for a one-episode cameo, and it’s amazing how much better he is when he’s not a main character. He’s still playing the same insufferable hipster trust fund baby who uses a yoga studio to creep on women, won’t shut-up about the year he spent in the far east, and would rather you not call him rich, but it works when we’re SUPPOSED to find him insufferable. It’s actually really funny when he tries to insert mystical nonsense into Luke’s grounded crime story, like a Zen Jack Burton. He also ushers the show’s best action, as Luke himself is kind of dull to choreograph due to his super strength and invulnerability. 

Shades is the standout though. His arc is easily the most satisfying. He’s basically a standard gangster movie plot, someone raised by the streets to never trust anyone or show emotion, testing the waters of both in his relationship with Mariah as they prepare to move out of the world of street crime. Obviously Luke and Bushmaster complicate his plans, but the real meat of his story how he reacts when Mariah becomes the kind of violent mobster he hoped she wasn’t. There are great beats in his story about who we let in or lock out, and about how much devastation we stand before money isn’t worth it.

The Music

The show's musical interludes are actually even MORE prominent this time, though maybe not quite as memorable. The musical performances are constant, blending a little too easily into the background, though they do serve a unique purpose of reflecting those in power. The Harlem Paradise changes hands multiple times and each new owner brings unique taste to the musical performances. So we cycle through classic rap and hip-hop, funk infused soul, and even reggae. It’s a nice example of form reflecting content, though there’s nothing quite as viscerally impressive as some other music/action pairings in the superhero genre of late, like Immigrant Song in Thor: Ragnarok, Am I Black Enough For You from Black Lightning, or even Luke Cage season 1’s Long Live the Chief. 

Overall

Luke Cage season 2’s best description is improved.  There’s still room to get better in the show’s relationship to the system, using time well, and making Luke a compelling character instead of just an iconic one, but that doesn’t subtract from everything this season achieved. It was a season of villains more than anything, a season in which bad guys were main characters, uniquely compelling and human in a way Netflix villains haven’t previously managed. Past highlights like Kingpin and Kilgrave succeeded on actor charisma or their representation of a broader threat, but Black Mariah, Shades, and Bushmaster are written as real people with real lives and struggles — we see joy from them, not just ugly cruelty. It’d just be nice if the show found more of that material for its main character because, as it stands, Luke still hasn’t been as fun solo as he was in Jessica Jones season 1. Maybe for season 3 they can split the difference and jump straight to Power Man and Iron Fist, but I guess we’ll see. 

Lido G. writes about television, movies, comics, culture, and more on his blog, Lido Shuffle. You can follow him on Twitter @saintwalker98.