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.

Life, Death, and Saying I Do: Tom King’s Bat-Cat Wedding

Tom King's Batman #50, the Bat-Cat Wedding issue, is out Wednesday.

By Brandon Evans — During the two years-plus of DC’s Rebirth era, Batman has seen plenty of action. From a stint in the Dark Multiverse, to space-fairing in No Justice, to planning a wedding…wait, planning a wedding? Yep, Bruce Wayne is tying the knot with Selina Kyle, and now we’re all waiting to see if it’ll actually happen in this Wednesday’s Batman #50 (Editor’s Note: Spoilers are out, but pretend they aren’t—ZQ).

Fans have been anticipating these nuptials since Bruce proposed to Selina in #24…or at least since she said yes a few issues later. We had to get through the War of Jokes and Riddles for the answer. It’s almost odd to think that because Batman was consumed with rage and nearly took Riddler’s life, he questions whether he’s worthy of Selina’s hand in marriage. Really though, I think it speaks to a larger question that has been driving the entirety of Tom King’s Batman run: How much is one life worth?

From King’s first issue, when Batman accepts that he is sacrificing himself for the lives of the passengers on a doomed commercial airline flight, we have seen Bruce trade his own life for those of others. I say that very deliberately. We see BRUCE trading his life, not Batman. I know one of the things people like to argue is that Bruce is the mask, and he is actually Batman all the time.

Bruce's proposal in Batman #24 was followed by a confession that he felt unworthy because he'd nearly taken a life.

Anyway, Tom King also did an interesting thing with 10-year-old Bruce in Batman #12. It was during the I Am Suicide story arc, where we saw a clever twist on the title. Naturally, we assumed Bruce was assembling his own Task Force X, or Suicide Squad, to invade Bane’s nation of Santa Prisca. The odds were supposedly impossible, and because Bane was ruler of a sovereign nation-state, the Justice League couldn’t help. Batman, however, was undeterred. He knew surviving the mission was unlikely, and yet he went anyway to again put his life on the line to retrieve the Psycho Pirate in order to heal the shattered psyche of Gotham Girl. In a way, the story title fits that notion, and yet King does something almost too difficult to comprehend on a first read. Look again, and you might wonder: Did Batman just confess to attempting suicide at 10 years old? Why yes, yes, he did. The language is plain and layered over images of Batman single-handedly demolishing a legion of Bane’s heavily-armed soldiers, so it’s easy to miss, but when you read closely it’s clear that Bruce’s hope of a normal life was decidedly self-sacrificed then. He explains that he was crying out for help, and yet nobody came. He realized he was just like everyone else in Gotham, pleading and futile, with nobody coming to help them either. It’s with a grim, yet deft hand King shows us the strength that grows from this heart-wrenching moment of despair. With his own warm blood on his hands, still grasping his father’s razor, Bruce swears his oath to fight a war on crime. What survives is the lonely, dark and brooding Batman we know today.

So, this wrecked little boy becomes a tragic and emotionally-stunted man, constantly seeking to trade his life for others’ wellbeing without daring to enjoy his own existence. Up to this point, Bruce refused to allow himself even a moment of peace. The major thing Tom King has accomplished in Batman so far, however, is showing us that Bruce really should let himself be happy. Until this point, Bruce has believed being Batman and being happy were mutually exclusive. After all he’s been through, including brief encounters with his own parents, Bruce becomes aware of what his parents would have wanted for their son: happiness. Though he cannot bring himself to end his crusade as Batman, he does pursue his love of Selina Kyle and eventually ask for her hand in marriage. Having given himself redemption by saving Gotham Girl and allowing her to move on, Bruce finds some motivation to give himself the happiness he deserves. It’s all a stark contrast to the way previous writer Scott Snyder left the character, having just sacrificed a happy normal life as Bruce Wayne to become Batman again and retake his place as Gotham’s protector at the price of personal peace, because the lives of the many in Gotham outweighed his own.

Two central questions of King's Batman: how much is one life worth; and will Batman allow himself to be happy?

Another theme King has less-subtly peppered throughout his run on Batman is the astounding psychological trauma his characters are experiencing. I mean, Batman comes to terms with his own death in the first issue, Gotham Girl kills her own brother with her bare hands to save Batman (leaving her broken), Batman makes a measured decision to murder Riddler – only to be stopped by the Joker, of all people – and Poison Ivy falls apart after trying to save the world by taking the entire planet under her control. Oh, and finally there’s Booster Gold’s horrendous experience in the recent story arc, The Gift. I mean, I know Tom King is setting up his superhero PTSD idea Sanctuary to be explored in Heroes in Crisis this fall, but I still find it impressive he is putting these characters through so much. That aside, I think King focuses so squarely on this idea of psychological trauma in Batman because, though incredibly damaged, Bruce is a shining example of finding strength to overcome horrific experiences and ultimately help others. He said nobody came, just like for the rest of Gotham, so he became the one who would answer cries for help.

Tom King is evolving Bruce from a man who simply fights injustice with his fists, to a man who can move past deep-seeded emotional and metal trauma to live the life he so richly deserves. This week, we’ll see if Batman #50 allows Batman to finally be happy, or if a new trauma awaits him at the altar.

 Brandon Evans is a freelance writer and comic book lover from St. Louis, MO. He is currently working to find his way into the comic book industry. You can find him on Twitter as @writingbrandon

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.

Top Previews for the Week of July 2

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By Zack Quaintance — One thing that sets comic book storytelling apart from other mediums is how many of the works, especially in the direct market, are collaborative creations. Unlike prose writing there is a team of contributors in place bringing visions to life, but unlike television or film, teams generally remain small and intimate, leaving voices and motifs intact.

That’s certainly the case with one of the best creator duos in comics: Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, whose forthcoming graphic novel My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies is our Pick of the Week. There’s a special look and perspective that comes through in their work, sort of a modern noir, gritty yet somehow not oppressively dark or pessimistic (usually).

We’re fans, and so with that in mind let’s start our weekly previews feature by taking a look at their next project!

*Preview of the Week*
My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies OGN
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
More Info: $16.99 / 72 pages / On Sale 10/16/2018
Teenage Ellie has always had romantic ideas about drug addicts, those tragic artistic souls drawn to needles and pills have been an obsession since the death of her junkie mother ten years ago. But when Ellie lands in an upscale rehab clinic where nothing is what it appears to be... she'll find another more dangerous romance, and find out how easily drugs and murder go hand-in-hand.
Our Take: This is the first original graphic novel from the team that brought us incredible books like Criminal, Fatale, Kill or Be Killed, and, my personal favorite, The Fade Out. Brubaker and Phillips are accomplished monthly comic book creators, and it’ll be interesting to see how they do in a format that requires tighter storytelling. We have high hopes.

Archies Superteens vs. Crusaders #2
Writers: Ian Flynn, David Williams, & Gary Martin
Art: Kelsey Shannon, David Williams, Gary Martin, & Jack Morelli
Publisher: Archie Comics
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / On Sale 7/25/2018
Archie Comics’ two superhero teams THE SUPERTEENS and THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS face off against the evil Dr. Zardox in the conclusion to this epic two-issue crossover event!
Our Take: Make this as big and cheesy as possible please, and we’re there. I mean, the first issue was a goofy good time and a two-part series is super manageable, anyway.

By Night #2
Writer: John Allison
Artist: Christine Larsen
Colorist: Sarah Stern
Publisher: Boom! Studios
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / On Sale 7/18/2018
After meeting a friendly new face in the alternate dimension they've stumbled upon, Heather (eagerly) and Jane (reluctantly) agree to venture further in. With their trusty camcorder to record what they find and an inhuman new buddy, there's no turning back now!
Our Take: We love John Allison for his blissfully dry, hilarious slice-of-life book Giant Days. The first issue of By Night had a lot more world-building to do than that comic, but the ideas were intriguing and there were moments wherein Giant Days subtle wit shown through. As a result, we have high hopes for this second issue.

Form of a Question OGN
Writer: Andrew J. Rostan
Artist: Kate Kasenow
Publisher: Boom! Studios
More Info: $17.99 / 128 pages / On Sale 11/20/2018
This . . . is . . . JEOPARDY! As a young man, Andrew Rostan spent some of his happiest moments watching JEOPARDY! with his grandfather. Early on, he was ready for Daily Doubles and the iconic buzzer. But now at the age of twenty-two, Andrew’s an actual contestant on the show, and realizes that while he may be ready to meet the host Alex Trebek, he’s not prepared for what comes with starring on one of the most beloved game shows in television history. While Andrew is excellent at remembering facts, he’s also able to recall the memories he associates with those facts—memories of deaths in the family and extraordinary people—and recognize a life lived one step removed from the rest of humanity. A life he’s ready to change. Andrew discovers that existence is like JEOPARDY! and all the answers are staring you in the face if only you ask the right questions. For more info, click here!
Our Take: We are fascinated with writers who choose graphic novels as a medium for memoir, and Andrew Rostan examining his appearance on Jeopardy! as a story about how he unexpectedly learned about life...oof, it’s like this thing is being tailored to our nerdy sensibilities.

Harbinger Wars 2 #3
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Tomas Giorello
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / On Sale 7/25/2018
All hands on deck! Divided but not yet conquered, Livewire and the Harbinger Renegades are making their last stand for the fate of their fellow psiots! Targeted by X-O Manowar and the governmental forces of the H.A.R.D. Corps, the most powerful players behind the cataclysmic conflict that has torn America asunder are about to converge in a violent conflict where the ultimate fate of the Valiant Universe will be decided... And Ninjak and Bloodshot are about to get a crucial new role in the heart of it all!
Our Take: As we wrote in our review of Harbinger Wars 2 #2, the fact that the Valiant Universe is younger is giving this event some major weight compared to its Big 2 counterparts. The third of four installments, this issue stands to feature a major ramping up of action, and we’re so there for it. Everything related to Harbinger Wars 2 has been total fire thus far.

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

 

52: The Importance of DC’s Missing Year

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By Taylor Pechter — It is often asked what would the DC Universe be like without Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman? With the year-long weekly series 52, launched in May of 2006, DC answered that question.

52 is a rare glimpse into a DCU without The Trinity.

After the universe-shattering events of Infinite Crisis, which reinstated the multiverse after it was consolidated 20 years earlier in Crisis on Infinite Earth, DC’s continuity jumped to One Year Later. This was a way for DC to continue publishing while also keeping the events of the latest Crisis fresh in readers’ minds. Many fans, however, asked: What happened in the missing year? Enter 52.

52 was an editorial gamble for DC, a weekly series that spanned an entire year, following C and D-list characters dealing with the fallout of an event in real time. To keep the book on schedule, DC needed more than one writer. So, they turned to an all-star foursome of Geoff Johns (Infinite Crisis, former co-President and CCO of DC Comics), Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, seminal DC writer), Greg Rucka (critically-acclaimed writer of Wonder Woman), and Grant Morrison (multiverse nut, another seminal DC writer), along with breakdown artist Keith Giffen, to craft different intertwining stories that formed a 52-week epic.

Today we’re entering that missing year to take a look at how the DC Universe was and still is so much larger than just Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, as well as the various meanings beneath these epic stories.

Booster Gold and Supernova: Who is the Real Hero of Metropolis?

“Hey Metropolis! You want a big shiny star to light your skies? Well, here I am.”

Booster Gold and his robotic hype man, Skeets.

We start our journey into the missing year with the main through line of 52’s plot: Michael Jon Carter, a.k.a. Booster Gold, a time-traveling hero who came back to the 21st century because he wasn’t welcome in the 25th century, where he was originally from. We first meet him at the beginning of the story, when he is at his most selfish, a pin-cushion for sponsors who is trying to gain popularity among the people of Metropolis.

Due to information provided by his robotic companion Skeets, however, he knows something is amiss. It does not help that a new unnamed hero shows up in Metropolis to steal his spotlight, a hero dubbed Supernova by the press who is largely the opposite of Booster in every way, willing to risk himself for others, not just for fame. This selflessness is his undoing. When a giant tentacle monster attacks Metropolis, Supernova risks his life—and the Metropolis power grid—to defeat it. It is in this moment Booster’s values change. He is not seen throughout most 52, not until the end, when it is revealed Supernova was actually Booster all along.

Meaning: The final reveal hits home, completing Booster’s arc about how real heroism isn’t the sponsor on your chest, but rather the pureness of your heart. In the end, Booster accepts his place in the multiverse, comes to terms with his arrogance, and becomes a beacon to the superhero community.

Renee Montoya: Questions and Answers

“Some questions can only be answered by wearing a mask. But you have to know the question to find the answer.”

Renee Montoya as The Question.

We all know Renee Montoya, tough-as-nails detective in the Gotham City Police Department. However, she is a far more complex character than her depiction in Batman: The Animated Series. During the mid-2000s, writers Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka wrote a comic called Gotham Central, which followed members of the GCPD as they solved crimes in the shadow of the Bat. This story focused on many officers during its three-year stint, but none as important than Montoya and her partner, Crispus Allen.

In the series, Rucka deconstructs Montoya, revealing she is a lesbian, which was significant during the time of don’t ask, don’t tell. She is also disowned by her overly conservative Dominican parents. Near the end of the series, Crispus is shot and killed by corrupt police coroner Jim Corrigan, subsequently ascending to become the host of the cosmic being, The Spectre. As guilt rocks Renee, she decides to give up her badge. When we see her again in 52, she is wasting away in a bar. With no direction and no job, she gets drunk every night.

It’s at this low point she is confronted by a random passerby, a man later revealed to be Charlie Szasz, a.k.a. Vic Sage, The Question. After a few run-ins on the street, Montoya decides to join him and track down members of Intergang and the Religion of Crime. Intergang is an international crime organization run by Boss Bruno “Ugly” Manheim, who frequently collaborates with Darkseid. However, they have been following a new modus operandi: scriptures from the so-called Crime Bible, which prophesizes the fall of Gotham City, the death of the twice-named, and the rise of a new Question.

The twice-named is a former flame of Renee’s and heiress to the Kane fortune, Kate Kane. As they get closer to tracking down Intergang, Renee also notices something off about Charlie—he has an uncontrollable cough, later revealed to be cancer. He slowly deteriorates and becomes delirious. Renee decides to go to Nanda Parbat to save him. As they get to the temple of Rama Kushna, the God of Nanda Parbat, Vic dies and passes his wisdom to her, It’s a trick question Renee…Not who you are…But who you are going to become?...Time to change…Like a butterfly. Renee decides to train under Richard Dragon, who also trained Charlie.

Meaning: Through her training, Renee learns that life is full of questions and it’s just a matter of how you answer them. Ultimately, she embraces her destiny as the new Question, taking over where Charlie left off.

The Rise and Fall of Black Adam

“The people say these are her tears. They say the queen weeps not for her herself, nor for her brother, nor even for me, but rather for Kahndaq and her people.”

Black Adam.

Black Adam is many things: the corrupted champion of the Wizard Shazam, the ruthless leader of Kahndaq, and a husband and a brother. As we join his story, the context of the previous tale helps. Renee and Charlie at one point visited Kahndaq, where we first saw Black Adam as he ripped a low-level villain named Terra-Man in half on live television. Later, he is confronted by two members on Intergang who offer him a slave, an Egyptian woman named Adrianna Tomaz, as a prize if he so chooses to join Intergang’s crusade.

He denies the request, however, and Adrianna is taken prisoner. Black Adam, along with Russia and other foreign powers, devise a treaty that bars American superheroes from their soil. As Adam grows closer to his prisoner, though, he soon falls in love. Gifting her a portion of his power, she becomes Isis. Trouble strikes again when Adrianna’s brother, Amon, is held by Intergang. As they inch closer to the wedding, Adam promises Adrianna that they will find her brother. Then comes the wedding.

Captain Marvel is the minister, Captain Marvel Jr. is the best man, and Mary Marvel is the maid of honor. When the couple locks lips, lightning crashes in the sky. However, Intergang puts a suicide bomber in the crowd. They know it won’t harm Adam, but their actual target is the crowd. The attack is diverted by Renee, who makes a difficult decision to shoot the kid, killing her. As the search for Amon continues, they happen upon a base belonging to Intergang. It is there they find Amon, whose legs are shattered. Like Adrianna, Adam gifts him his power, turning him into Osiris.

Now Adam has a family, one soon taken away from him. As time continues, Osiris befriends an anthropomorphic crocodile, which he names Sobek. Sobek is later revealed to be Yurrd the Unknown, one of the four horsemen of Apokalypse, and he tricks Osiris into turning back into his human form, killing him the process. Isis is later met with the horseman Death. She then dies in Adam’s arms, infected by disease. With his family dead, Adam is filled with rage and decides to decimate the entire country of Bilaya. It is then that he instigates World War III, where every superhero faces him. He is eventually defeated but at a cost.

Meaning: Black Adam is not a villain, but rather a man who just wants what’s best for his people. With Isis and Osiris, he finds the best within himself; with them gone, however, he is nothing.

Ralph Dibny: Resurrection and the Meaning of Life

“You don’t get it! You had no chance, because I was not caught in your spell! You were caught in mine!”

Ralph Dibney battles Felix Faust.

Like Renee, Ralph Dibny, a.ka. Elongated Man had been through the wringer before 52. During Identity Crisis, his wife Sue was murdered by Jean Loring and revealed to have been raped by the villain Doctor Light. When we first see him here, he is about to commit suicide. But, he gets a call saying his wife’s gravestone was vandalized and goes to the cemetery to find a Superman S-shield sprayed on the gravestone, an S-shield that is upside down.

We all know the shield stands for hope, but when inverted it means something else—resurrection. During the first leg of his arc, Ralph tracks down the Cult of Conner, a band of zealots who believe the resurrection of Superboy (Conner Kent, killed at the end of Infinite Crisis) is at hand (later revealed to be a scam, of course). Ralph is called forward by the Shadowpact, a group of magic-based superheroes, to investigate the death of Timothy Trench. Trench is trying on the Helm of Fate, which subsequently melts him.

During his investigation, the helm clings to Dibny, and Ralph is taken on a journey retracing the steps of his life and coming to grips with his wife’s death. As the story nears its conclusion, Ralph figures out that the helm itself is possessed by the nefarious sorcerer Felix Faust. Faust underestimates Dibny though, and Ralph casts a binding spell to keep Faust with him always.

Meaning: In the end, Ralph is confronted by the demon Neron, who kills Ralph with his wedding band, ultimately giving him what he most desires—a reunion with his wife Sue.

The Everyman Project: What Really Makes a Hero?

“Look! Up in the sky!”

What really makes a hero? Is it the powers or the morals? These are the heavy questions answered in this story.

Steel in his altered state confronts the Everyman Project.

We start with Steel’s daughter, Natasha Irons, who is feeling like she is being neglected as a hero by her uncle. To prove to him she deserves respect, she decides to apply for the Everyman Project, an an idea hatched by Lex Luthor to give normal citizens of Metropolis superpowers. Natasha is first picked, given then alias of Starlight, and appointed leader of the new Luthor-sponsored superhero team, Infinity Inc. As time continues, Steel notices something is off.

His skin starts turning to steel, which he suspects is a sick joke put on by Luthor. One fateful night for Infinity Inc., one of their youngest members, Eliza Harmon (alias: Trajectory) is killed by Blockbuster during a battle. After the death, John Henry confronts Natasha, asking, How did a slug like Blockbuster kill someone going that fast? The answer is right in front of her. Yes, Luthor gave people powers, but he also has the power to turn them off.

As New Year’s Eve arrives, and the stroke of Midnight, Luthor pushes the button and his Everymen start falling from the skies, an event dubbed the Rain of the Supermen. Natasha and Steel finally confront Luthor.

Meaning: As Natasha’s arc ends, she accepts that she is wrong, that it is the man or woman behind the mask that makes the difference, and that no one should have absolute power because it corrupts absolutely.

Starfire, Adam Strange, and Animal Man: Lost in Space

“Believe in Her”

Much like Black Adam’s arc, this one heavily emphasizes the importance of family. We start with Starfire, Adam Strange, and Animal Man stranded on a deserted planet. With their ship on the fritz, they have no way home and must work together to survive. On their journey, they encounter Lobo, who has sworn off violence and is harboring the Emerald Eye of Ekron.

Not only that, they are also being hunted by an omnipotent named Lady Styx. As the story continues, we see our threesome grow closer together. However, back home Buddy Baker’s wife wonders when he will return. Buddy ponders the same, and as the story winds to a close we see an unconscious Buddy left on the planet while Adam and Starfire return home.

Meaning: Buddy’s sacrifice is noted to his wife, Ellen, by Starfire. Buddy, as a spirit, then says one final goodbye to his wife, his family, and his planet, making for one of the sadder tales in 52.    

The Science Squad and Oolong Island

“If I say it then no one else will… Feel free to cackle hysterically, gentlemen!”

How does obsession shape who you are? That is the driving theme for the story of Doctor Will Magnus. Will Magnus was the creator of the Metal Men, cybernetic superheroes brought to life by responsometer technology. However, after their deactivation, he took up anti-psychotic pills, which lessens his manic episodes but also makes him a hermit. His only solace comes in weekly visits to Belle Reve to meet with his mentor, Thomas Oscar “T.O.” Morrow.

The Metal Men go into...action? Probably.

Morrow is another infamous DC mad scientist who has tried to create sentient robots for years, both succeeding and failing, most notably with Justice League member Red Tornado. When Morrow goes missing, Magnus takes the case and is dragged into a plot to create superhero deterrents on the top-secret Oolong Island. Along with fellow mad scientists Doctor Thaddeus Sivana, Doctor Tyme, and more, led by Chag Tzu alias Egg Fu, they are out to show that science can trump superpowers. Their work pays off at the expense of Magnus’s sanity, leading to the creation of the Four Horsemen of Apokolips, two of which you’ll remember are responsible for the death of Isis and Osiris, wife and brother-in-law of Black Adam.

Meaning: This eventually leads to World War III, and it all speaks to the dichotomy of Will Magnus, who services his obsession at the expense of his own sanity and of another man’s family, too.

As you can see, many corners of the DC Universe are explored 52. Without the Trinity, different heroes rise up to fill the void. Through all of it, there is a main theme of self-discovery. Booster Gold figures out his role in the multiverse, Renee Montoya embraces her destiny as the new Question, Natasha Irons finds the meaning of a true hero, Black Adam sees that family can change even the coldest of hearts, and so on. This is what makes 52 one of DC’s most seminal stories.

Taylor Pechter is a passionate comic book fan and nerd. Find him on Twitter @TheInspecter.

Best Debut Comics of June 2018

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By Zack Quaintance — This was a great month for #1 comics, and not just in quantity but in variety too. The summer superhero relaunches carried on, while what seems like an increasingly strong wave of new indie books continued to arrive rapidfire.

And that’s fine by me. If there’s a time I associate with reading comics en masse, it’s summer. I remember being a kid in a humid part of the Midwest, camped under a fan because my folks had some kind of deep-seeded lower middle class aversion to running their AC, and reading stacks of comics over and over. Thunderbolts, Warren Ellis’ The Authority, Greg Rucka’s Detective Comics, and Kurt Busiek’s Astro City/Avengers/Thunderbolts among them.

For whatever reason, to this day I’m more likely to carve out excessive comic reading time in the hot summer months. Luckily, I’m doing well enough these days to run my AC (just barely), and so things are generally more comfortable.

Anyway, you aren’t here to read about me! You’re here about new comics, and we’ve got plenty of those. So, let’s move on to that...

One of the strengths of Justice League so far has been the characterization of Lex Luthor. 

Quick Hits

Justice League #1 by Scott Snyder and Jim Cheung felt like the DC equivalent of the start of Jonathan Hickman’s run on Avengers, which spanned years and eventually ended the Marvel Universe. Seeds were planted, many seeds, and Snyder’s vision seems as all-encompassing as Hickman’s. Exciting stuff. I’m especially a fan of his Lex Luthor, a favorite villain of mine.

In a month of cool new indie comics, one that stood out was Lost City Explorers #1 by Zack Kaplan and Alvaro Sarraseca, which blends the harsh realities of 2018 with fantastic adventure stories of bygone eras.

Shanghai Red #1 by Christopher Sebela and Joshua Hixson throws readers into some of the best action in comics all year. Gritty and sharp, this a good debut that lays solid groundwork for the future, and I love that I don’t have a guess at where it's going.

Valerio Schiti draws a good-looking Iron Man.

As a fan of Dan Slott on Amazing Spider-Man, Tony Stark: Iron Man #1 didn’t disappoint me. Slott did as I expected, writing with lots of voice, looking back while looking forward, going big but relatable, etc. What caught me by surprise, however, was how well Valerio Schiti’s art fit the character. Very nice.

Last, I’m still catching up with Jason Aaron’s excellent Thor, currently reading the last Jane trade, so I’ll just say that barring a steep and unlikely drop in quality, Thor #1 by Aaron and Mike del Mundo would have made my list had I caught up in time to read it.

 

Best Debut Comics of June 2018

Hawkman by Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch

Hawkman #1 is an accessible Hawkman book. Let that sink in. It’s true, the creative team of Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch have reinvented a character with one of the most convoluted histories of any Big 2 hero, making him something akin to Indiana Jones with wings and a mace. The sticking point for me with Hawkman has always been the whole ancient reincarnated legend guy versus alien conundrum thing.

Now, I know if you’re a DC continuity expert you understand it all and are thinking, What a dunce, but that’s just where I’m at. This book, however, cleared that up! In the story! Also, Hitch’s signature splashy panels are a great fit for a hero who soars. Moreover, I’m just excited to see DC playing with its many, many toys, especially after Rebirth, which strong as it was felt intentionally limited to the publisher’s most popular heroes.

Plastic Man #1 variant by Amanda Conners.

Plastic Man by Gail Simone and Adriana Melo

Speaking of relatively obscure DC heroes, the next book on our list is Plastic Man #1 by Gail Simone and newcomer (to me, anyway) Adriana Melo. The first of a six-part mini-series, this book blew us away. It had Plastic Man’s signature zaniness, but it also had a layer of depth that we wrote about at length in our review.

To sum up our feelings: this could be one of the best superhero comics about trauma in ages, but if that sounds tiresome, no worries! The creators are well aware a significant part of their audience is here for an exciting crime story about a super stretchy man, and they are determined to do a great job telling that as well.

 

 

 

The Unexpected by Steve Orlando, Ryan Sook, & Cary Nord

Next is another book we lavished praise upon in a review: The Unexpected #1 by Steve Orlando with character designs by Ryan Sook and interior art by Cary Nord (it’s weird, I know, New Age of DC Heroes reasons). This is the final (and best) book in that line, and it’s incredibly well-done, from the characters to the swagger in the dialogue.

The only thing that gives us pause about this title is it’s association with the clumsy New Age of Heroes line, which some fans have criticized for being marketed as artist-centric before then dumping said artists after an average of roughly three issues. Odd branding aside, this is still a great comic.

The Weatherman #1 by Jody LeHeup and Nathan Fox

After I wrote about the Top New Image Comics of 2018, one of my Twitter friends interjected that he had enjoyed The Weatherman #1 quite a bit. The Weatherman had gotten lost amid the weekly new comics deluge for me, likely because I was unfamiliar with its creative team.

I took this advice, caught up, and absolutely loved The Weatherman. It has a high-minded sci-fi concept (something destroyed Earth and now humans live on Mars) but is self-aware in a way hard sci-fi rarely manages. Really, this is a tough book to confine to one genre, showing shades of sci-fi, action, espionage, and humor. In its third act, the creative team also makes some choices to show just how much they are not—ahem—$@%*ing around. And the last page is a stunner.

Immortal Hulk #1 by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett

Al Ewing is writing one fearsome Hulk.

I’ve been a fan of Al Ewing’s since his Contest of Champions book during All New, All Different Marvel. Ewing is my favorite type of comic writer: one who gives every script a vast significance, as if it’s the most important thing ever to happen in the Marvel Universe. I followed Ewing to The Ultimates and New/U.S. Avengers.

All the while, I kept thinking, If Al Ewing gets the right book, he’s a breakout star waiting to happen. Well friends, that time has come. Ewing has taken the newly-resurrected Hulk (he died during Civil War II, I know, nobody liked it), and written a horror comic for the ages. In the back matter, Ewing discusses having loved The Hulk since he was a child. This shows. His new book has a deep understanding and appreciation for the character, a well-worn contemplation of Hulk that has led to him crafting one of the best #1 superhero issues of the year. Fantastic stuff.

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

REVIEW: Her Infernal Descent #3 by Lonnie Nadler & Zac Thompson, Kyle Charles, Dee Cunniffe, & Ryan Ferrier

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By Zack Quaintance — Her Infernal Descent is the story of Lynn, a mother literally marching through hell in search of her recently-deceased family. Put simply, it's one unique comic. A loose retelling of Dante’s Inferno, it stars a fairly typical mom plus a host of dead celebrities, from Jimi Hendrix to Homer (Odyssey not Simpson) to Kafka, ironically serving as a judge.

This issue is three of five, and in it, the qualities that made the first two installments so interesting have been upped: dry humor, surreal encounters with departed artists, and the melancholy motivating Lynn to traverse literal hell. There’s quite a bit to be impressed with, both holistically as well as within this singular issue, but let’s start with the writing.

The duo of Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson are on the rise, catching much buzz with their work on Marvel’s Cable, taking over Valiant's Bloodshot, and writing the excellent body horror book Come Into Me. Although it’s early in their careers to brand them with a regular motif, I’d still say this book seems like a departure, at once under and overstated—understated with its characterization of Lynn and overstated with the absurd hell unfolding around her.

The cover of Her Infernal Descent #3 is an excellent summation of what this book's art does so well, juxtaposing the protagonist's outward normalcy with her madcap and macabre surroundings.

The mom-ness of our hero is so well done, especially in interactions with deceased members of the intelligentsia. She’s unimpressed but tolerant of William Blake yet thrilled to meet Agatha Christie. When Andy Warhol tells her he’s trying to be nice, she replies Try harder. She uses old school mom-typical expressions like Hey buster, Oh for Pete’s sake, or ...that time I smoked the danged reefer. Obviously these writers aren’t mothers, but they seem to be working hard to see and convey their own moms' perspectives. The result is a character who is utterly relatable.

The real heart of the book, however, is Lynn's regret over her lost loved ones. In this issue, hellions try to torture her with her own memories in a poignant spread that nearly brought me to tears. We also see Lynn recall that normal life had perhaps pushed her to drinking. Like the earlier charm, these tragedies are never belabored, and that's a credit to the scripting.

The visuals, of course, also deserve much credit. Kyle Charles and Dee Cunniffe are a versatile team, capable of both quiet emotions and of depicting hell. They bounce between these modes, often integrating them into shared environs. The cover to issue three is a great example. We see Lynn with her practical haircut and dress navigating a labyrinth of the macabre. Within this cover, Charles and Cunniffe so thoroughly convey her driving mission so well that ifI think about it too long I’ll get emotional.

On that note, I’ll conclude by noting this book is built to hurt your heart, badly, the moment she reunites with her family, and I for one am there for the devastation.

Overall: In Her Infernal Descent #3, the qualities that make this comic so enthralling are ratcheted up, resulting in the best issue yet. This is a literary comic of the highest order, a well-constructed story rich with melancholic moments, intelligentsia in-jokes, and a layer of subtle charm. 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: Quantum and Woody! (2017) #7 by Eliot Rahal, Francis Portela, Andrew Dalhouse, & Dave Sharpe

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Quantum and Woody #7 is a bold issue.

Quantum and Woody #7 is a bold issue.

By Zack Quaintance — Quantum and Woody! #7 makes a lot of bold choices, the majority of which work. It's the second issue of new writer Eliot Rahal’s run, and whereas last issue was a heart-felt full-blown superhero action romp, complete with what felt like urgent and high stakes, this issue is a trip into Woody’s psyche, with a splash of Quantum’s mind thrown in, too.

I absolutely loved Quantum and Woody! #6, which I came away from with huge expectations for where Rahal and team would take this book. While this next issue did nothing to dampen my excitement, it did lack a bit of the compressed sense of purpose of its predecessor. This is, by design, a more mindful issue, one that is almost entirely about fears in the context of character growth. It compliments last issue, which saw the guys both decide to face great danger without their powers, but it’s not nearly as easy of a read as its predecessor. This, I suppose, is just a necessary effect of setting the bar so high at the start of the run while also laying pipe for the future.

Don't get me wrong, this is still a very strong comic. Rahal has said that as his run progresses he’ll get back to the humor that marked his predecessor Daniel Kibblesmith’s run, which is good because humor is largely what this franchise is known for. Rahal is a funny guy, too, and there are hints of that in the way Woody banters with those around him. Francis Portela also does an excellent job illustrating the ideas in this script, making scenes ethereal and dreamlike around the characters when the story calls for blurring reality.

Perhaps the biggest strength of this particular issue though is where it leaves its heroes at the end: tangled together and presumably ready to combine forces yet again to overcome a shared problem, whether they want to or not. Basically, like all good Quantum and Woody stories, the heart of this one is the past and present dynamic between the two lead characters.

Looking forward, Rahal seems driven to do big things with this book. The ambition of this issue, as I said earlier, is incredibly bold, almost daring, and he's shown in his other work (Cult Classic, The Paybacks) that he's more than capable of executing ambitious visions. That said, I know I’m personally on board as long as he’s writing this book.

Overall: Like all of the best issues of Quantum and Woody, this one puts the past and present dynamic between the two leads at its heart. What’s especially impressive is it manages to do so by delving into their psyches, making for a story that is at once abstract and character-driven. 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: Harbinger Wars 2 #2 by Matt Kindt, Tomas Giorello, Diego Rodriguez, Renato Guedes, & Dave Sharpe

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There is a level of novelty to Harbinger Wars 2 #2 that Marvel and DC are no longer capable of reaching.

There is a level of novelty to Harbinger Wars 2 #2 that Marvel and DC are no longer capable of reaching.

By Zack Quaintance — Harbinger Wars is one of the first superhero events in a long while that feels totally justified, in large part because Valiant hasn’t overdone its crossovers. It's a luxury Marvel and DC no longer have, and it adds a level of relevance to this huge story, taking it to a significant place those larger publishers are perhaps not capable of reaching, not anymore. This all occurred to me about halfway through Harbinger Wars #2. Long-running characters were meeting/fighting on the page for the first time—what was this feeling? The story seemed...important? Maybe not quite that, but it at least seemed novel.

It was a feeling I remembered from when I was a much younger reader, and the Big 2 had a few relationships that weren’t quite as rote as they are nowadays. In recent years, event stories at those publishers have seen characters take self-aware, here we go again attitudes toward massive galactic threats. There are exceptions, of course (Hickman’s Avengers stands out), but for the most part, the major dangers of the galaxy or multiverse are met with a wink. As a younger publisher with less continuity, however, Valiant has the luxury of acting like they haven’t been here before, despite this all being a sequel to a previous event.

That to me is the single greatest strength of Matt Kindt and Tomas Giorello’s Harbinger Wars 2 #2. Not to give specific plot points away, but there were fights here that had me rooting for both sides with no idea what would happen, which is very rare for superhero comics. There were also character interactions that felt weighted and poignant, like the world depended on them, even if it was just two heads talking. That’s no easy feat, especially given one scene in particular that involved characters Kindt hasn’t recently been writing.

This issue works really well for the most part, even if Giorello’s hyper-realistic artwork felt a little out of place for characters that are usually depicted by less realistic artists, like Animalia and Faith. The range of emotions in this book is pretty stunning, though, specifically in a scene where Kindt uses a young psiot to remind us of something Marvel’s X-Men used to do better—that many of these abilities make lives worse, much much worse. It’s a brief scene of well-tread thematic space, but it’s well executed, reminding us of the human stakes behind the superhero war.

Overall: Harbinger Wars #2 has just enough action as it builds toward what is presumably a gigantic climax in the final two issues of this event. Kindt and Giorello especially excel here at giving character interactions and conflicts the weight an event story deserves. 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.

Top New Image Comics of 2018

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Image Comics has established itself as the most prolific publisher of creator-owned comics.

Image Comics has established itself as the most prolific publisher of creator-owned comics.

By Zack Quaintance — The last two years or so have felt relatively quiet at Image Comics... relatively. The company has released many wonderful oddities and gems, as always, but there hadn’t (arguably) been as many books that do things like sell movie rights before issue one (Descender), land creators TV deals (Bitch Planet, Deadly Class, Sex Criminals, etc.), or land their trades in hip indie bookstores (Monstress, Saga, Southern Bastards, Wic + Div).

That, however, changed in 2018, with Image Comics launching more hits last year than they have in possibly any other 12 month period. It’s been truly impressive, so much so that we felt obligated to update our top new Image Comics of 2018, including a bit about why we like each book as well as its odds for longevity. While it remains to be seen which (if any) will crest two dozen issues and land on end caps at Powell’s Books or The Strand, these comics are still all well worth a look today via our top new Image Comics of 2018.

Let’s do this!

Special Note: This page has been updated from an earlier piece—Top New Image Comics of 2018 (So Far)—to include comics released in the latter half of the year.

Top New Image Comics of 2018

Three issues in, Steve Orlando and Garry Brown are doing career best work on the haunting father-son story, Crude.

Three issues in, Steve Orlando and Garry Brown are doing career best work on the haunting father-son story, Crude.

Crude by Steve Orlando & Garry Brown
Crude was one of my favorite books from Image in 2018, but it unfortunately has now ended. Steve Orlando is one of my favorite writers and like his superhero work, Crude’s plotting was complex and layered, rewarding readers who kept up while shrugging at those who didn’t. What set it apart from Orlando’s other writing is that behind the violence and severe badassery was a heart-rending father-son tale. Artist Garry Brown (Babyteeth, Black Road) did fantastic work, using truly haunting imagery to depict egret and anger plaguing our protagonist.
Odds to Run for Years: Zero. This one has, sadly, ended, but is now available in trade.

Bitter Root
Writers: David F. Walker and Chuck Brown
Artist: Sanford Greene
Colorist: Rico Renzi and Sanford Greene
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Although this list is alphabetical, I’m happy to be starting with Bitter Root, which I’ve been waiting for since writer David F. Walker and Sanford Greene prematurely-ended their excellent run on Marvel Comics’ Power Man and Iron Fist. This book seems to have grown from the ashes. It’s a monster-hunting book set during the Harlem Renaissance that involves questions of race. It’s smart, well-done, and brought to life with phenomenal art. I love it and hope it runs for a very long time.
Odds to Run for Years: 95 percent.

Crowded also succeeds via the all-important badass attitude factor.

Crowded
Writer: Christopher Sebela
Artist: Ro Stein
Inker: Ted Brandt
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Letterer: Cardinal Rae
As I wrote in our Top Comics of 2018 full list, Crowded has emerged from a number of challengers to rank as one of the best near-future horror stories in comics. The book accomplished this by extrapolating a startlingly-realistic idea (crowdfunded assassination bounty hunting apps) with as taught of a buddy-drama/chase thriller narrative as we’ve seen in any medium. This is a white knuckles story, both in terms of what’s happening on the page and what it has to say about the direction of society.
Odds to Run for Years: 90 percent.

Die
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Stephanie Hans
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Die joins a number of recent stories in different mediums aimed at capitalizing on nostalgia for role-playing games like D&D. Where it stands apart, however, is with the tone of its sensibilities, which are dark, dark, dark. I suspect that ultimately the real villain of this modern fantasy story is time, and what a scary idea that is. Also, Stephanie Hans art is worth the price of this one alone. Although it’s only two issues old, Die is an easy choice for our Top New Image Comics of 2018.
Odds to Run for Years: 100 percent.

Gideon Falls seems like a lock to become a long-running book.

Gideon Falls seems like a lock to become a long-running book.

Gideon Falls
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Steve Wands
As I wrote in my review of Gideon Falls #1, it feels like Jeff Lemire has spent his career dancing around the horror genre, dipping a toe in or dangling a foot, without jumping all the way in. Well, that stopped with Gideon Falls, and the result is one of the top new Image comics of 2018. While doing promo for the book, Lemire—who teams with long-time collaborator Andrea Sorrentino, one of comics’ grittiest artists—said he re-worked these characters from early sketches he did before he was published. It also, however, feels like while re-working these characters, Lemire was watching Twin Peaks, as the book’s first ar is clearly an homage to that show. Now in its second arc, however, Gideon Falls has grown into its own unsettling thing.
Odds to Run for Years: 100 percent.

Ice Cream Man
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Ice Cream Man is a unique book within our list. While the others involve continuous serialized narratives, this comic is a horror anthology series, tied together by cameo appearances from the titular awful ice cream man. It’s a smart commentary on our everyday lives, and the concepts of each issue vary wildly. One may deploy three separate narratives with little dialogue, while the next might be a straightforward horror story with a clear protagonist. The variety just one small part of why this book lands on our Top New Image Comics of 2018.
Odds to Run for Years: 75 percent.

Infinite Dark by Ryan Cady and Andre Mutti is a smart, psychological mystery story.

Infinite Dark
Writer: Ryan Cady
Artist: Andrea Mutti
Colorist: K. Michael Russell
Letterer: A Larger World Studios’ Troy Peteri
Infinite Dark is an incredibly smart and immersive comic set in the bleakest possible time I can think of: after the heat death of the universe. It features a sparsely-populated cosmic arc in which a forlorn head of security must investigate a rare murder mystery on the vessel. Steeped in deep and thoughtful psychology, this is special sort of comic doing impressive (if unpleasant) things with its tone. Check out our interview with Infinite Dark writer, Ryan Cady.
Odds to Run for Years: 80 percent.

Middlewest
Writer: Skottie Young
Artist: Jorge Corona
Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot
Like Infinite Dark, the next entry on our Top New Image Comics of 2018 list is also a forlorn one. Middlewest from Skottie Young and Jorge Corona is set among the windswept plains of inner-America, re-imagined here in a way that emphasizes the inherent magic of a lonely region. Corona’s imaginative work and Young’s emotional writing have brought to life a striking and heartfelt, character-driven tale.
Odds to Run for Years: 75 percent.

Oblivion Song might be Robert Kirkman's best work yet.

Oblivion Song might be Robert Kirkman's best work yet.

Oblivion Song by Robert Kirkman & Lorenzo De Felici
Robert Kirkman’s most famous work, The Walking Dead, was adapted into a television mega hit, giving him the fan base and cachet to basically guarantee prolonged runs for new titles. Oblivion Song is no exception, and as I understand it, Kirkman and artist Lorenzo De Felici completed 12 issues before even announcing this book’s existence. And Oblivion Song lives up to that level of swagger. Launched the same day as Gideon Falls, this book is arguably Kirkman’s best (although I have a soft spot for Invincible). Everything about it is deeper and more nuanced than The Walking Dead or Outcast, yet still accessible. Simply put, this book is build for a long haul.
Odds to Reach #20: 100 percent, in fact, I think they’re probably already done with it.

Self / Made
Writer: Mat Groom
Artist: Eduardo Ferigato
Colorist: Marcelo Costa
Letterer: A Larger World Studios’ Troy Peteri
One of the biggest surprises on our Top New Image Comics of 2018 list is Self / Made, which debuted with a creative team I was entirely unfamiliar with. It also debuted, however, with a rock solid first issue that ends in an intriguing twist. This may be cheating a bit since the second issue came out in 2019, but the follow up to the debut builds on this book’s concept even further, raising questions about the very nature of our existence and the role of creators and gods. This book is smart, stylish, and intriguing as all get out. I highly recommend it.
Odds to Run for Years: 80 percent.

Skyward is one of the Top New Image Comics of 2018.

Skyward
Writer: Joe Henderson
Artist: Lee Garbett
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
Letterer: Simon Bowland
As I’ve been telling any comic fan that will listen, Skyward has done basically everything well throughout its earliest issues. This is a polished book, one that confidently knows exactly where it’s going, taking slow but effective steps to get there. As I’ve written in Skyward reviews, this book’s greatest strength has been the careful pace at which its creators disperse information. Too many #1 issues fall into a trap of dumping tons of exposition too soon. Skyward—which has a fantastic concept involving the world losing a dangerous amount of gravity—gives just enough info to stay oriented without feeling clunky. It’s all very impressive.
Odds to Run for Years: 80 percent.

Read more about Image Comics on our comic book Reviews Page.

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: Outpost Zero #1 by Sean McKeever, Alexandre Tefenkgi, & Jean-Francois Beaulieu

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Outpost Zero #1 is out July 11.

Outpost Zero #1 is out July 11.

By Zack Quaintance —  When I start an original series, I usually have preview text handy to orient myself and keep from wondering questions that might bog down the narrative. I’m sure some purists would say a comic should stand by itself, but I’m fine with this. Comics is a serialized medium informed by its past arguably more than any other storytelling format. Spider-Man has decades of audience familiarization; I'm cool allotting new books a few sentences.

Anyway, with Outpost Zero #1, the preview talks of a small town where people work the land, spend Fridays watching sports, and often lack grand aspirations because survival is so demanding. As a result, I expected this book to be analogous of modern small-town America. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that while there are hints of that, the book’s aspirations are much broader.

It’s actually not the plight of resource-poor regions this book is concerned with, not entirely, but rather grander philosophical questions about practicality versus ambition, both as applied to the individual and to society. Do you keep your head down and focus on your day-to-day, or do you fight to change the world? It’s a question I’ve wrestled with in my life, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

A preview page from Outpost Zero #1.

A preview page from Outpost Zero #1.

And it’s actually a question the creators float early in this first issue, before later applying it to a familiar debate about science. Do we push our economy forward in brief spurts, or do we invest in a culture of innovation and knowledge? As someone whose day job is to write about how local governments deploy innovation and technology, I found this all especially compelling, but I’m sure for those outside my (incredibly) niche industry, it will be of interest as well, given our current national climate.

Philosophy aside, this is just a well-done comic, as I’ve come to expect from the Skybound imprint. The art is top-tier, the character’s faces emotive, and the sci-fi outpost a perfect blend of familiar Earth trappings and tools of futuristic survival. The dialogue accomplishes the heavy scientific and philosophical lifting, and it rarely seems contrived, stumbling a bit during the talk between teenagers (something 98 percent of comic writers fumble).

In the end, though, it's a surprising yet logical character-driven choice that has me coming back for issue two. To say anymore would risk a spoiler.

Overall: This issue does what Skybound books do best: leaves you badly wanting to know what happens next. It seems outwardly simple, but this book is layered, character-driven, and deceptively complex. The creative team behind Outpost Zero #1 has planted some compelling seeds. 8.0/10

Outpost Zero #1 will be available July 11.

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

Top Previews for the Week of June 25

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By Zack Quaintance — In week two of our new Monday morning previews feature, we’ve decided to keep things indie-centric. For a couple of reasons: 1. Marvel and DC don’t really return our calls; and 2. In general, Big 2 books get plenty of publicity.

With that in mind, this week Batman actually does make an appearance in one of our previews, while the others run the gamut from yet another promising horror book from Cullen Bunn (quickly becoming one of the most prolific horror comic writers of all time) to an interesting book from up-and-coming publisher Scout Comics.

As always, we’ll give you the preview text from the publishers, any provided artwork, and, of course, our take on why it’s exciting.

Let’s do this!

*PREVIEW OF THE WEEK*
Archie Meets Batman '66 #1
Writers: Jeff Parker & Michael Moreci
Artist: Dan Parent
Colorist: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Publisher: Archie Comics
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / On Sale 7/18/18
Two iconic comic book characters meet up for the FIRST TIME in this historic crossover mini-series! A battle in Gotham City extends its reach into Riverdale—with Mr. Lodge becoming enemy #1 of the dynamic duo! Now it’s up to Veronica to recruit some help and place a call… to the Batcave! 
Our Take: We grew up watching old re-runs of the Batman (1966) live action show, which were probably on TBS or something, and we also did our fair share of paging through Archie comics while in the grocery checkout line with our parents. Basically, we expect this to be a book that's heavy on nostalgia in the best way, most likely one that also brings some funny. VERY exciting.

Bone Parish #1
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Jonas Scharf
Publisher: Boom! Studios
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / On Sale 7/25/2018
Cullen Bunn (Empty Man, The Unsound) returns to BOOM! Studios with a chilling necromantic horror story! A new drug is sweeping through the streets of New Orleans.one made from the ashes of the dead. Wars are being fought over who will control the supply, while the demand only rises. While the crime families wage war, users begin to experience terrifying visions of the dead coming back to life-through them.
Our Take: Cullen Bunn seemingly won't rest until he's scared every single reader who regularly picks up a comic book. We're still catching up on some of his more recent work (Winnebago Graveyard has some really impressive buzz and is loaded and ready to go on my tablet), but this book looks great, combining zombie horror (very hot right now) with a dystopian drug culture and New Orleans. Very promising.

Patience! Conviction! Revenge!
Writer: Patrick Kindlon
Artist: Marco Ferrari
Colorist: Patrizia Comino
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: AfterShock Comics
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / On Sale 9/19/2018
Disregarded, disrespected and dismissed, Renny has a chip on his shoulder. Once an equal partner in a criminal syndicate that rules Las Vegas, he now finds himself living in a shack in the desert. But the shack has a workshop, and Renny's been busy. It’s time to march his robot army into the neon hell of a cyberpunk Vegas and retake his seat at the table. Or take the wood from the table and build enough caskets for the whole syndicate.
Our Take: This book is billed as an Elmore Leonard novel set in the world of Blade Runner, a concept we can't believe hasn't happened yet. We aren't familiar with the creators, but AfterShock has established itself as a reliable publisher of new and rising talent. We're definitely game to give this one a shot, especially given that the artwork is total fire, reminding us of Daniel Warren Johnson in the best possible way.

The Thrilling Adventure Hour #1
Writers: Ben Acker and Ben Blacker
Artist: MJ Erickson
Publisher: Boom! Studios
More Info: $3.99 / 32 pages / On Sale 07/18/2018
Writing team Ben Acker and Ben Blacker (Deadpool, Death Be Damned) return to The Thrilling Adventure Hour in this new series based on the wildly popular Hollywood stage show and podcast. Frank and Sadie Doyle are the toast of the upper crust. Headliners on the society pages. And they see ghosts. Follow the Doyles on a night when having a drink (or ten) with friends goes horribly, and perhaps predictably, wrong at a haunted house.
Our Take: We like that this book is written by two guys with the same first name and last names that are essentially slight variations on each other. Very stylish. This is also interesting because it's somewhat of a mixed media event: a comic based on a Hollywood stage show and podcast, incarnations of which have involved the likes of Paul F. Tompkins, Nathan Fillion, Linda Carellini and more. It'll be interesting to see how it plays as a comic.

Wulfborne #1
Writer/Artist:  Brian Middleton Jr.
Publisher: Scout Comics
WULFBORNE is a fantasy adventure about a bitter swordsman who enters the underworld at the behest of an angel who has offered to heal his broken heart. Along the way, he will encounter a myriad of strange travelers, some monstrous and hostile, others intent on turning him back. But if what the legends say is true, the angel of the underworld just might be more dangerous than the monsters that call that place home.
Our Take: Scout Comics is one of an increasing number of publishers in the industry that bears watching (add it to the list with AfterShock, Lion's Forge, and Vault). The concept of this book is super straight forward, but based on the preview art, we could be in for quite a treat when it hits stands sometime in the fall.

 

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

June 2018 New Comic Discoveries: How Does it Feel?

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By Zack Quaintance — I recently finished a comic, set it down, and stared into space, wondering, What just happened to me? This comic was Proxima Centauri #1 by writer/artist Farel Dalrymple. Ask about plot, and I’ll give you a few dozen boring words about a kid in a sci-fi reality trying to escape...to earth...maybe? Ask how this comic made me feel, however, and I’ll have many specific things to say, some of which might even be interesting (shocker!).

Few stories capture the anxious misery of puberty as well as Proxima Centauri #1.

Few stories capture the anxious misery of puberty as well as Proxima Centauri #1.

This sounds trite (I know), but in reading the three new-to-me comics on our Top New Discoveries List for June, I was struck by how these great books dealt so heavily in feelings. It was actually one of the creators that first put the thought in my head: Deniz Camp, writer of Maxwell’s Demons. Someone on Twitter asked for advice about pitching, and Camp said plot is less important than how a book makes readers feel.

Mind blown. For years, I’ve said there is something intangible in all my favorite stories. A comic book, for instance, could have great characterization, impeccable hero’s journey, stunning art—but if it lacks this intangible something, it leaves me cold. Camp’s Tweet and my stunned clarity after Proxima Centauri helped me realize this something is feeeeeeelings...nothing more than feelings.

Obvious? Yes, but still important. With that in mind, let’s look now at my favorite new comics discoveries of June and the feelings they wrought upon me.  

1. Proxima Centauri #1 (of 6) by Farel Dalrymple

Proxima Centauri #1 is brimming with lush artwork and clever writing.

Proxima Centauri #1 is brimming with lush artwork and clever writing.

Proxima Centauri #1 is a madcap romp through the feelings of a young boy, deploying sci-fi tropes freely and filtering them through writer/artist Farel Dalrymple’s frenetic artwork and witty dialogue/captioning. There is a pressing concern—the boy is one of a scant few confined to some realm many light years from earth—but moreover, this is to me a book about puberty.

Put simply, the angsty protagonist in Proxima Centauri talks, acts, and glowers in a way that captures what it felt like to go through puberty, to be at once a child and a newly-awakening adult—and to hate it. He’s holding onto childlike creativity while crushing on a character who lacks a corporeal form, before stomping off in a huff when intimacy is more fraught than he expected.   

These feelings are all rendered in the book, catapulting us through what amounts to a fairly quick yet packed read. The strongest feeling (for me, anyway) was one of intense and vicious anxiousness, which is entirely commiserate with my experience with puberty. Everything is amazing and full of wonder; everything is also awful. The narrator feels at once like he’s on a thrilling adventure yet alone, watching earth from afar. If only he could do as advised and meditate, slow down, enjoy being in this moment. It will all seem so quaint in just a few years. Take it from me, I'm now wiser. And with my (relative) wisdom, I highly recommend this comic.

2. Maxwell’s Demons #1 - #3 by Deniz Camp, Vittorio Astone, & Aditya Bidikar

Maxwell's Demons is the comic I most-often  give to my friends who enjoy literary fiction.

Maxwell's Demons is the comic I most-often  give to my friends who enjoy literary fiction.

Maxwell’s Demons is a powerhouse of a literary comic book, dense with top-tier writing and artwork. The vast majority of its first three issues is dedicated to sci-fi adventure in another realm that our protagonist—a genius little boy living with his surly single father—accesses via complex technology of his own design and a portal in his room.

In some ways, the plot feels well-worn. An alienated-but-brilliant kid escapes dour life through adventure. But Camp’s scripting subverts expectations in two ways: first by making our hero a literary geek who names companions after Greek thinkers (not even ones you’d guess) while quoting Shakespeare, rather than a pop culture obsessed protonerd; and second by giving the alcoholic, abusive father many quiet character moments that make him three dimensional, a stark contrast to other special teen stories that thoroughly flatten similar figures (Harry Potter, Matilda, etc.).

The real strength of this book, though, is how it makes readers feel (our motif!), at once melancholic and empowered. Maxwell in many ways has agency, gamely tolerating his father as he calmly attends to more important business alone. This makes his adventure more meaningful, more significant than if he were exploring just another throwaway realm seemingly designed for him to be a hero. It’s instead a layered romp through a complex boy’s dense subconscious. To put it all in perspective: this is a comic I suggest to friends who enjoy both graphic novels and literary fiction. So far, they've all loved it.

3. Time Grunts Chapter One by Evan K. Pozios, Alex Sanchez, & Patrick Thomas Parnell

Time Grunts is a story about American GIs who must defend the past, present, and future.

Time Grunts is a story about American GIs who must defend the past, present, and future.

Our third and final entry this month is Time Grunts, an old school comic adventure tale from Evan K. Pozios, Alex Sanchez, and Patrick Thomas Parnell that spans from Germany in World War II to Detroit, Mich. today.

Time Grunts is the type of indie comics that makes you happy you’ve read it but upset you don’t have more time to seek out work of similarly-high quality. The plot is B movie-esque, involving time travel (as the name suggests), secret missions, a Dirty Dozen military squad, and nazis. While the craftsmanship is apparent from its start, both in terms of the sharp writing and impressive art, the plot is also tight and well-constructed.

The thing I enjoyed most about Time Grunts, however, was (once more) how it made me feel. Although at times it threatens us with a different outcome for World War II, Time Grunts made me feel as all the best adventure stories do—optimistic.The stakes are high, but in the end I'm certain good will triumph. It’s a great story for 2018.  

Time Grunts is available here.

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: Farmhand #1 by Rob Guillory, Taylor Wells, & Kody Chamberlain

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Farmhand #1 mixes body horror, espionage, and father-son drama.

Farmhand #1 mixes body horror, espionage, and father-son drama.

By Zack Quaintance — Farmhand #1 is as packed as the fertile soil that is so central to its plot. Or maybe loose soil is better for growing? I’m not sure, as I know so very little about farming, but I am sure that there is a lot going on in this book. This book contains a father-son story, a corporate espionage subplot, an examination of the medical good versus the religious stigma of working with stem cell research, and a whole heck of a lot of scary and grotesque body horror imagery.

It’s a credit to writer/artist Rob Guillory that this issue is so linear and easy to follow. With all of its ambition, Farmhand #1 could have gotten confusing or clunky, and it never once tips into that. The pacing is strong and the on-panel action engaging, the exposition doled out in chewable (sorry!) bits that don’t slow the proceedings any more than they need to.

This greatest strength, to me, was actually its charm and levity. I know, I know — I just ran through a whopping list of heavy contents above. Also, this is a story about scientific breakthrough that enables the growing of body parts from trees, bushes, and the ground. Yet here I go calling it charming?

It’s true, though, and furthermore I would credit it to Guillory taking advantage of doing both writing and illustrating duty by throwing in background site gags at so many turns (a breakfast cereal called Chupacbr-os, a sign that reads No pets allowed, they smell. -mgmt, etc.). He’s clearly having a blast drawing this complex tale, and it shows. It’s hard not to enjoy yourself when a storytelling is having so much visceral fun with his world.

What I did struggle with a bit while reading Farmhand #1 was focus. There’s a dream scenario that opens the book that made me think we were in a straight-up sort of old school zombie horror book. Not to go into specific (spoilers!) but there was just so much more to the plot. I am, however, dead set on returning for a second issue, suspecting as I do that subsequent chapters in this story will crystalize what the book’s primary concern is as our story progresses. Guillroy has earned as much.

Overall:  Farmhand #1 is a singular and at times charming vision that juggles a super wide range of concerns. It’s an easy and entertaining comic, if a little overburden at times with its ambition. I’m very much interested to see how writer/artist Rob Guillroy will pull it all together in coming issues. 7.0/10

Farmhand #1 is out July 11 from Image Comics.

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

Old Justice: The Best Justice League Lineups of All Time

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By Alex Wedderien — The Justice League is perhaps the most iconic super-team in all of comics. With lineups that consistently feature Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and the Flash, the various Justice League iterations have long been some of the most-beloved and highest-selling comics in any given era.

One of the things that makes the League unique, though, is DC's willingness to expand the  roster and feature heroes from outside of the best-sellers list. With big rosters, bigger stakes, and interconnections to the larger shared universe, the Justice League offers an unparalleled take on heroism and humanity.

Nowhere are those things more apparent than in the current Justice League book by Scott Snyder (the second issue of which came out this week), and presumably in the upcoming Justice League Odyssey and Justice League Dark books, too. All three of these comics, under the header of New Justice, expand the league in such a way that it hearkens back to fan favorite eras like the animated Justice League Unlimited or even Super Friends, going so far as to restore the Hall of Justice into modern continuity. It remains to be seen how successful this new run will be, but if these first issues are any indication, there’s a very good chance the current lineups could make this list in the future.

Justice League Dark by Peter Milligan and Mikel Janin was one of the highlights of the New 52.

Justice League Dark by Peter Milligan and Mikel Janin was one of the highlights of the New 52.

5. Justice League Dark Vol. 1 (2012)

Justice League Dark was one of the first wave of titles launched after DC’s New 52 reboot, focusing on a team supernatural characters. After the Justice League’s defeat at the hands of Enchantress, the League realizes they need a supernatural team to help tackle the more mysterious elements of the DCU.

Originally featuring John Constantine, Deadman, Shade, the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, and Zatanna, Justice League Dark also featured a rotation of heroes, including Frankenstein, Swamp Thing, The Phantom Stranger and many others at various points in its forty-issue run.

JLA Year One re-imagined the League's early days without DC's Trinity.

JLA Year One re-imagined the League's early days without DC's Trinity.

4. JLA Year One (1998)

A retelling of the Justice League’s early days without the Trinity, JLA: Year One expands on the origins of the post-Crisis JLA team that hadn’t been touched on for roughly a decade, since 1988’s Secret Origins. This lineup consisted of Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and the Silver Age Black Canary, which tied the book to the original Justice Society.

The Year One team eventually added both Batman and Hawkman to their ranks, but the original incarnation of the team remains the most iconic lineup of that era.

3. Justice League International (1987)

Spinning out of Legends in 1987, which was the first major DC event after Crisis on Infinite Earths a few years prior, Justice League International had the unenviable task of creating a team of heroes at a time when most of DC’s most popular characters were off-limits due to reboots. The result was a hodgepodge of classic yet underutilized characters, recent DC acquisitions newly brought into the fold...and Batman.       

The genius of JLI’s roster, which consisted of Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, the aforementioned Dark Knight, Doctor Fate, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, Mister Miracle, and many many others. The significance of this was two fold.

First, it added a comedic balance to superhero action, bringing levity to a team that at times took itself to seriously. Second, and most importantly, it gave many characters new personalities that readers could relate to or even take inspiration from, the most notable of which was Black Canary. Now written as a strong feminist character, Black Canary often took issue with Guy Gardner, whose personality was that of a boorish misogynist prone to temper tantrums.

Grant Morrison's all-time great JLA run in the late '90s envisioned the League as a pantheon of gods.

Grant Morrison's all-time great JLA run in the late '90s envisioned the League as a pantheon of gods.

2. Grant Morrison's Pantheon (1997)

By the mid '90s the Justice League was long past its best years. It had a focus on newer characters and rotating rosters, and at times it encompassed three separate monthly books. Essentially, the Justice League had lost both its name recognition and focus.

DC, however, renewed that focus by making the League its flagship title with 1997’s JLA by Grant Morrison, with art by Howard Porter. JLA was a real back-to-basics approach to the league - led by five of its original members (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Martian Manhunter) along with successors of original members Flash and Green Lantern in Wally West and Kyle Ranyer respectively.

Along with the A-list core, characters such as Huntress, Oracle, Big Barda, Orion, and newcomers Zauriel and Aztek rounded out the team, creating a League Grant Morrison envisioned as a pantheon of gods fit for taking on the universe’s most dangerous threats.

1. Satellite Era (1970)

The Satellite Era of the Justice League, named after the team’s relocation to a geosynchronous satellite following the Joker’s discovery of the team’s headquarters, is simply one of the best and most influential lineups in League history. This is the lineup that has influenced an untold number of comics and the entire DC Animated Universe. This is a team that remains to this day the most iconic lineup in many fans' hearts, myself included.

The nearly 200-issue run during the League's Satellite Era is the defining Justice League iteration.

The nearly 200-issue run during the League's Satellite Era is the defining Justice League iteration.

In addition to DC’s “Big 7” this massive roster includes The Atom, Elongated Man, Hawkman,  Hawkwoman, Red Tornado, Zatanna, Firestorm, Black Canary, and Green Arrow. The talent on display during this time is a veritable who’s who of '70s-era comics with creators like Gerry Conway, George Perez, Len Wein, and Dick Dillin whose 12-year run on Justice League from 1968 to 1980 remains one of the all-time great superhero runs by a creator on any book.

Lasting nearly 200 issues before breaking up and relocating to Detroit and ushering in yet another new age for the ever-changing League, the Satellite Era remains the most consistent and most beloved incarnation of the team to date.

Alex Wedderien is a writer and pop culture journalist. Find him on Twitter @criticismandwit.

REVIEW: Skyward #3 by Joe Henderson, Lee Garbett, Antonio Fabela, & Simon Bowland

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For the third straight issue, Skyward shows itself to be a gorgeous and charming comic.

For the third straight issue, Skyward shows itself to be a gorgeous and charming comic.

By Zack Quaintance — The concept in Skyward has been strong from the start—gravity has inexplicably lessened, sending humans floating fatally into the sky—as has the delivery of information about our characters and the world’s plight. Skyward #1, to be perfectly blunt, was a book I had few expectations for, as the creative team was unfamiliar to me, but I loved the first issue. Why? I attribute the ongoing success of this book in large part to how expertly information has been doled out from its start.

One of the most difficult tricks in plotting is knowing what to reveal and when, how to hit a sweet spot and orient an audience without gumming up the pacing with too much info. A lot of debut issues suffer from that, as if creators have accepted forced exposition as a necessary problem of #1 issues and are spilling it fast so they can get the actual story.

Skyward does not once make a concession in that regard, instead finding organic and natural ways to let us know about our hero, her family, and what’s happened to the world. The book essentially floats through its earliest reveals, focusing heavily on the family—a girl and her parents—that is at the heart of our story. The result is one of the most charming books in comics. This issue continues to be excellent.  

Skyward expertly uses storytelling tools unique to comics, including a juxtaposition of the shading and reaction in the bottom right panel.

Skyward expertly uses storytelling tools unique to comics, including a juxtaposition of the shading and reaction in the bottom right panel.

Last issue ended with our protagonist’s optimism, trust, and naivety catapulting her into danger, and Skyward #3 picks up immediately there. The expert reveals continue, but I also began to notice new strengths, too. Admittedly, I’ve maybe been too preoccupied with Henderson’s script choices to notice the feats of characterization Garbett and Fabela have pulled off with the artwork. This issue, though, it really stood out. The panels here are framed to reveal fear or recklessness, while the characters are shaded to indicate sinister motives or apprehension. Hell, even the walls in the villain's place tip toward emergency red. It’s just all so well done, using the full breadth of storytelling tools comics put at one’s disposal.

This issue also ratchets up the intensity, with some well-placed but tasteful violence. Even so, the book maintains its heart by deploying sharp incidental humor between tense moments (the bit where a kid asks a question about weak gravity creating—ahem—a new way to get pregnant is so sharp), before wrapping up with an absolutely killer cliffhanger for the third time in as many issues.

Overall: Skyward’s incredibly adept use of pacing and its engrossing concept—the gravity that once bound humans to the earth has dissipated—continue to make for one of the best original comics of the year. The team of Henderson, Garbett, Fabela, and Bowland are doing so many things right. I am once again surprised at how thoroughly I’m enjoying this book. 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.

REVIEW: Crude #3 by Steve Orlando, Garry Brown, Lee Loughridge, & Thomas Mauer

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Crude is a violent and complex revenge story, driven by a father-son relationship.

Crude is a violent and complex revenge story, driven by a father-son relationship.

By Zack Quaintance — As much as I liked Crude #1 and #2—and I did, a lot—it’s #3 that firmly establishes the book as one of my favorite ongoing creator-owned titles, up there with Saga, Monstress, and Southern Bastards. To get even more specific, it was actually this issue’s last panel that cemented it with such lofty company, a panel I will, of course, only discuss in vague terms here, because spoilers are bad, etc.

Anyway, a quick refresher: Crude is from writer Steve Orlando, artist Garry Brown, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Thomas Mauer, and it's about a former Russian assassin seeking information on/revenge for the death of a son he never understood, a son who sought a new life in a far-flung oil city in Siberia (I think). When that son is murdered amid a dispute between rival oil companies, our hero heads to Siberia to do what he should have done in life—get to know his boy. And also to kick an incredible amount of ass, usually shirtless and streaked in greasy filth for a tactical advantage (I’m telling you, this comic rules).

Badassery aside, Crude’s compelling character motives and poignant imagery make it truly special. Let’s look at both of those in detail, starting with motives. Piotr (our hero) is on a dual quest, one for physical revenge, and another to know his son better. It’s the second one that’s really compelling. In fact, one gets the sense Piotr is less distraught by death—in his reality life is cheap—than by never being emotionally honest with his son, which causes him to feel culpable for the murder. Simply put, I fear more for Piotr emotionally than physically, as I learned in this issue when our hero learned details about his son during a pair of fight scenes. There’s just so much relatable father-son BS masculine angst.

Basically though, the aforementioned dual motivations are what push the book forward. An ubiquitous piece of creative writing advice is to create a character and give that character something they want, badly. The more we know what the character cares about, the more we care about the character. And the more wanting something puts the character in difficult situations, the better. That’s what Crude does so effectively (again, see #3’s final panel!).  

Garry Brown is doing career best work in Crude, especially as it pertains to the conceptualization of the imagery.

Garry Brown is doing career best work in Crude, especially as it pertains to the conceptualization of the imagery.

The second strength—poignant imagery—makes Piotr’s motivations all the more visceral, the way only comics can. Every issue has had a haunting panel conveying Piotr’s mourning and regret. This issue, however, has the most memorable yet, wherein Piotr walks through a seedy alley with a ghostly coffin chained to his neck, ridden by his son who waves his arms as if it were the bomb in Doctor Strangelove. Oof.

Overall: Crude #3 exceeds previous installments, raising this book up among my favorite creator-owned titles right now, as well as among my favorite Image books period. It’s well-constructed and perfectly-executed, a bleak and deeply emotional story about damage caused by emotional distance and dishonesty between fathers and sons. 9.8/10

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

REVIEW: Shanghai Red #1 by Christopher Sebela, Joshua Hixson, & Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

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Try not to fall overboard (sorry) during the incredible action sequence that opens this comic.

Try not to fall overboard (sorry) during the incredible action sequence that opens this comic.

By Zack Quaintance — Shanghai Red—a new creator-owned book from Image by the rising team of writer Christopher Sebela, artist Joshua Hixson, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou—is an ambitious comic, one that opens fast and vicious, with art that makes readers all but feel salty blood mingling with the unforgiving sea. It quickly gives us a protagonist—murderous and mysterious Jack—and a reason to root for them in spite of the violence they’re committing, that reason being that they’ve spent years on the boat enslaved.

After a white-knuckled opening volley, however, Shanghai Red #1 grinds to a bit of a halt in the service of necessary but slow backstory dissemination. This exposition isn’t bad or clumsy here, no. It does, however, feel abrupt and incongruous with the high action opening of the book’s first act. As a result, the pacing in Shanghai Red is almost at odds with itself, creating an effect presumably akin to battling for your life against a mugger and then having to immediately sit through a lesson about history. No matter how exciting that history is, that shift is still a tough adjustment.

Simply put, the middle of this comic feels a bit slow relative to the action of its beginning and the tense foreboding crescendo of its end (which, no spoilers). Still, with our protagonist’s backstory so thoroughly and thoughtfully laid out, there’s every reason to believe Shanghai Red will establish itself in coming issues as a top-tier comic. The artwork is especially something to behold, not just for the craft and visual quality, but for the choices Hixson makes with perspective.

Hixson does a masterful job using space to convey the contrasting claustrophobia and limitlessness inherent to sailing the ocean.

Hixson does a masterful job using space to convey the contrasting claustrophobia and limitlessness inherent to sailing the ocean.

I was particularly impressed with the way he used spacing in each panel to convey what the characters within must have felt. Scenes below deck were kept dark and cluttered, claustrophobic the way ships in the 1800s surely felt, while scenes with characters looking to horizons were wide and free, sometimes taking up entire pages. The end result is feeling at once trapped and limitless, as if readers too were traversing the seas.

Overall: Shanghai Red #1 is the first issue of a book with MASSIVE potential, and both the writer and artist hit some truly impressive heights here. Now that the protagonist’s backstory has been made clear in great detail, this book seems poised to sail (sorry!) to some really exciting places. 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.