A weekly column in which Jake gives
short blurbs about the comics he’s
picked up that week. Reviewed in the order read, which varies but generally by
increasing anticipation. Disclaimer: he
knows very little about art, at least not enough to considerably honor such
tremendous undertakings, so…yeh,
there’s that.
Bucky Barnes: Winter Soldier #7
Writer: Ales Kot
Penciler: Langdon Foss
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenburg
Marvel Comics
So, this is a first for this column: I’m dropping this book. Once again, I think it’s still a good book, but it’s just not for me.
Bucky Barnes as a covert ops agent in space was a fun trip for awhile,
but the crazy science and…I
don’t know, metaphysics
have become a bit much for me. In this
issue, we learn about the identity of Crossbones, the masked murderer whose
been stalking the Winter Soldier and Daisy Johnson on Mer-Z-Bow. Foss fills in for regular series artist Marco
Rudy and does an admirable job of portraying Crossbones’s origins. Foss’s style is less painterly and
experimental than Rudy’s
and provides a good companion style to the main action. Winter Soldier is still a good book but it’s one I won’t be continuing.
Spider-man 2099 #11
Writer: Peter David
Art: Will Sliney
Color Artist: Antonio Fabela
Marvel Comics
Reaching it’s penultimate issue, Spider-man 2099 continues to be a fun
book despite it’s recent
dips into grimmer territory. David’s trademark charm is on full
display here as he deftly portrays two awkward interactions between Miguel and
his potential love interest Tempest that could have gone much worse morally
under another writer’s
gaze. The art, on the other hand, is a
bit hit or miss. Sliney and Fabela do a
great job with character interaction, but sometimes the fights feel a bit
stilted, which is a noticeable thing when your main character is known for his
aerial acrobatics. Still, the positives
outweigh the negatives and while the latest adventures of time-displaced Spidey
might be ending soon, the ride has definitely been worthwhile.
All-New Hawkeye #2
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Ramón Pérez
Colors: Ian Herring with Ramón Pérez
Marvel Comics
The newest volume rolls into it’s second issue (the previous
volume still has yet to finish…),
and it proves to be incredibly strong as the two Hawkeyes, Clint and Kate,
infiltrate Hydra’s Project
Communion, while we witness the past adventures of Clint and his brother Barney’s first encounter with the
traveling circus. Lemire has a lovely
knack for voices and the transitions from past to present never feel
jarring. However, it is Pérez who is the standout
attraction of this book. The present
adventures have enough in common stylistically with the previous volume to make
it feel familiar, but the young Bartons’
exploits are painted in such a wonderful style and colored so
fantastically that it’s
hard to believe it’s the
same artist. I’m not quite sure who is doing the coloring in each sections,
but it really doesn’t
matter as both are expertly crafted. When
Clint’s hearing aids get
knocked out, the normally red-tinged walls of the Hydra base go stark white,
which is a great way of showing how Clint’s environment has changed.
All-New Hawkeye seems geared to focus more on traditional superheroics
and flashbacks than the previous volume, but under the direction of the new
team, that is far from a bad thing.
Storm #10
Writer: Greg Pak
Pencilers: Victor Ibáñez with Al Barrionuevo and
Neil Edwards
Inkers: Victor Ibáñez with Ed Tadeo
Colors: Ruth Redmond
Marvel Comics
Storm’s solo title continues to move forward, telling shorter
stories than a normal comic with little
necessary backtracking. While this has generally made each issue a good
jumping on point, it also has made the book seem…disjointed or incomplete at times with the lack of an
overarching thread. For instance, the
return of Kenji Uedo aka Zero, a once-hero turned villian from the
gone-too-soon favorite Generation Hope, feels like something that should have
been set-up earlier in the run, teased out over multiple issue, and then
finally coming to a climatic head, instead of all being done in one issue like
it is here. As it is, it feels a bit
rushed. However, Pak’s no neophyte, and, as this
story is to be continued, I’ve
got great faith in where it is going.
Pak also does a great job in capturing Zero’s somewhat tricky voice, which is equal parts nihilistic cynicism
and artistic wonder. Speaking of tricky,
despite the fact that three separate artists are listed in the credits page,
the book certainly never feels like it.
All of the characters and cameos look sharp and Zero’s horribly revolting powers
have look amazing. Nearly a year in,
Storm’s solo adventures
continue to be excellent stories and definitely worth the purchase price.
Darth Vader #4
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Salvador Larocca
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Marvel Comics
The disgraced Sith Lord and his chatty
companions head to the now-barren Geonosis to find a droid army to serve as
Vader’s secret
forces. The fourth outing of the new
title continues to be every bit as cinematic as the last, as evidenced by the
particularly riveting action sequence at the climax of the issue. Doctor Aphra and the sadistic Triple Zero
remain the highlights of the book, the former being quippy and surprisingly
heartfelt while the latter is gleefully, yet cordially, insane. Vader himself is a towering presence, saying
as much with a single word or gesture or look as others would have to do with
significantly more action. Gillen and
Larocca and the rest of the team continue to perform well in Marvel’s newest property launch.
Spider-Woman #6
Writer: Dennis Hopeless
Pencils and Colors: Javier Rodriguez
Inker: Alvaro Lopez
Marvel Comics
The new and improved Jessica Drew
continues to dive deeper into the mystery surrounding the kidnapped loved ones
of D-List supervillains. Okay, that
sentence doesn’t sound to
exciting, but Spider-Woman is a great book in the veins of Hawkeye and
Daredevil. Hopeless has crafted a
grounded conspiracy featuring costumed people, with Jessica Drew’s trademark wit in full
force. Rodriguez puts on a clinic of
facial features and expressive colors.
Spider-Woman’s new
direction continues to prove that change is good and rolls forward on all
cylinders.
Ant-Man #6
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artists: Ramon Rosanas
Color Artist: Jordan Boyd
Marvel Comics
Look at that freaking cover and you’ll have all you need to know
about Ant-man. It’s irreverent and hilarious, thanks to the snappy dialogue
and plotting of Spencer. Scott Lang and
his newest employee, ex-supervillain Grizzly, are in a race against time to
save Scott’s daughter from
long-time Lang-foe Cross Industries. But
to do that, they’re going
to need a little outside help. Despite
the pressing circumstances, Spencer keeps the tone relatively light, which
might be something that hurts the book overall.
Lang’s internal
monologue can be rambling at times and seems to clash with rather than punctuate
the dire conditions. Still, overall the
tone works well for the book. Rosanas
continues to excel at showing off the humor in Spencer’s script. Occasionally,
when Lang and Grizzly are talking, Rosanas positions the shot so it looks like
Ant-Man is chatting with a talking bear.
Overall, Ant-Man is a solid comedic offering, while also having the
right amount of heart (read the issue to get the joke).
Angela: Asgard’s Assassin #5
Writer: Kieron Gillen w/ Marguerite
Bennett
Penciler: Phil Jimenez
Artist: Stephanie Hans
Marvel Comics
Things are coming to a head as the
wayward angel Angela comes home to Heven to cleanse Odin and Freya’s baby of Surtur’s essence, bringing the
Guardians of the Galaxy with her, armies of Asgard on her heels lead by the
enraged Odinson. Yeh, safe to say that
things get crazy. This book has gone
from full-on fantasy to sci-fi fantasy, as a space battle is waged between the
angelic armies and viking gods. Jimenez
plays with perspectives, having the shot roll with the infiltrating ship for
example. He, as well as the inkers and
colorist, do a great job in every facet of the main story. Equally epic is the long-awaited battle
between the Odinson née
Thor and his formerly lost sister Angela.
Hans, who draws the substory that’s actually a part of the main story, has crafted something
of a masterpiece. Accompanied by Gillen
and Bennett’s song
captions, the total effect is staggering and worthy of someone putting it to
music. As the first arc appears to draw
to a close, Angela: Asgard’s
Assassin remains an impressive adventure.
Copperhead #6
Writer: Jay Faerber
Artist: Scott Godlewski
Colorist: Ron Riley
Letterer: Thomas Mauer
Image Comics
After a brief, yet seemingly long,
hiatus, the space western cop series returns with the kick-off of a new
arc. We get a glimpses into the wider
workings of the town and the home life of Deputy Boo, and more Boo is always a
good thing. Faerber does a good job
setting up new plot threads as well as fleshing out even more depth to the
already well-depicted characters.
Godlewski and Riley have some amazing work on the pages, with
intricately woven backgrounds and facial expressions. A small quibble arises at the onset of a
flashback scene halfway through the book.
The page preceding it ended with what seemed like its set-up but as it
turns out the flashback was tied to the next scene, which lead to a bit of
confusion. However, beyond this, the
future looks bright for this excellent book.
Rat Queens #10
Writer: Kurtis J. Wiebe
Art and Colors: Stjepan Sejic
Image Comics
END OF SECOND ARC!!
My review can be found in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnoP7dM4p9o
Big week! Good week!
Thanks for reading!
Labels: Angela, Ant-Man, Comics, Darth Vader, Hawkeye, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Rat Queens, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Woman, Storm, Winter Soldier
