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.
The Astonishing Ant-Man #2
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Roman Rosanas
Color Artist: Jordan Boyd
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Marvel
Hot off the tail of another failed
client interview, Scott Lang tries to obtain another one through a talent show. The problem: the talent being showcased is
Darla Deering, pop sensation, super heroine Ms. Thing (Not Ms. Thaaang, totally
different), and, more importantly, Scott’s ex-girlfriend that he never broke up with and kinda just
abandoned. Also, Machinesmith and Grizzly
might be up to their old villainous tricks behind their new bosses back. Despite all of the unfortunate events
occurring in the issue, Spencer keeps the beat relatively light, thanks in most
part to Scott’s
effortlessly likable narration. While it’s not quiet laugh-a-minute as
some of the other issues, the script definitely knows when to make its jokes
and when to let the drama rise, making for a very balanced affair. Rosanas’s lines capture both of these qualities and enhance them
thanks to some expert body language and framing. Coupled with Boyd’s colors, Darla’s
backstory splash page and she and Scott’s
fight with the issue’s
villain are delightful. While we still
haven’t gotten to the
heart of the 8-month gap that Secret Wars caused in Scott’s life, it seems the snowball
has started rolling at a brisk pace.
Astonishing Ant-Man is a classic down-on-his-luck superhero book that
excels at both jokes and drama.
Spider-Woman #1
Writer: Dennis Hopeless
Penciler and Color: Javier Rodriguez
Inker: Alvaro Lopez
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Marvel
So, this is certainly a new
direction. In the 8-month gap after
Secret Wars, Jessica Drew apparently became pregnant and we rejoin her just in
time for her to go on maternity leave.
While there are some typical super heroics present, most of the issue
focuses on this new aspect of Spider-Woman’s life and how it drastically affects her. For what it is, it’s an excellent issue full of nice character work and fun
little moments by Hopeless. But one can’t help but feel that this
drastic upheaval for Jessica is just change for change’s sake, an obvious result of the time gap and the story’s refusal to show the primary
backstory behind it. This is played for
laughs in story and one has to believe that we’ll get to it eventually, but it is somewhat disconcerting to
say the least. Meanwhile, the art is as
strong as ever thanks to Rodriguez’s
eye for detail and emotion. The
snapshots of Jessica’s
first few days on maternity leave are excellent and are given room on their own
to breath despite being single panel affairs.
The maternity leave party is one of the most delightful crowd scenes in
recent memory all thanks to Javier and Lopez’s effort in detailing each character involved. Spider-Woman benefits from the fact that the
creative team is at their usual supreme strength which makes for a great
experience despite the fact that the plot developments might not be for
everyone.
New Avengers #3
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Gerardo Sandoval
Colorist: Dono Sanchez Almara
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel
This issue of New Avengers, we get a
bit of downtime in which some character moments are played out and some
sinister implications are made. And then
some aliens show up and kidnap Wiccan and Hulkling. Despite coming off a rapid opening story,
Ewing is not one to rest on his laurels and quickly ushers the team to their
next conflict. While it’s good to see some rapid storytelling
in this age of decompression, the brevity of the last tale coupled with the
fact that the new one feels like a bit of a retread is somewhat
concerning. We don’t really get a feel for the
alien abductors as characters which makes it seem like they won’t be sticking around long. It’s
also becoming more apparent that the art team isn’t perhaps the best fit for the book. While they certainly excel in the opening
sequence and couldn’t be
finer there, the darkness of those pages seemingly infects the rest of the
book, which I’m not sure
is warranted. After all, this is a team
book featuring four younger heros and a superscience base of craziness. While it was certainly amazing when the Maker
was monologuing about his mission whilst operating on a new disciple, those
pages really shouldn’t
have the same approach as when Hulkling makes the best sandwich ever and
declares himself “the one
true Dagwood.” For all intents and purposes, New
Avengers appears out of step with itself, despite having a bunch of good
working parts.
Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #4
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Image
Well it had to happen eventually. The most Phonogram-y issue of Phonogram has
arrived (long have I feared this day).
What this means this that I don't fully (remotely) know what’s happening in this issue, but
I know it's something great. It'll
likely take me a few readings/wait until the whole series comes out/reread
Singles’ Club to fully
grasp this issue, but, as these reviews go up day of, ain't nobody got time fo'
dat. The issue focuses on Singles’ Club members Mr. Logos and
Laura Black and their…tense
relationship to each other. It’s somewhat tangentially related
to the main plot, I suppose. If I say
anymore, I’ll likely be
exposing my ignorance moreso than by my previously saying that I am
ignorant. Art side of things, we get a
lovely throwback to McKelvie’s
Rue Britannia style and a glorious fight sequence. Safe to say, if you’ve been following Phonogram and like Phonogram, you’ll like this issue. If one of those two qualities don’t exist for you, well, best of
luck.
Rat Queens #13
Writer: Kurtis J. Wiebe
Artist: Tess Fowler
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Ed Brisson
Image
Rescued from their previous
predicament, the Queens explore the bountiful wonders of Mage U as certain
forces move in the background. Wiebe
concocts another stellar issue, giving both stunning scene exposition and
characterization simultaneously. From
Betty giddy delight at buying a siege weapon/sled to Dee’s quiet awe of the Mage U library, each page does the work
and never seems like an unnecessary sidestep.
Not to mention the sass-filled scene between Hannah and Professor Finch,
the Traveller, which is just fantastic.
Fowler and Bonvillain have a lot to work with on art, from the multiple
crowd scenes and crowded panels Wiebe deals them. However, none feel overly clustered and the
team’s detailed work is
applaudable. The frenetic depiction of Violet and Betty’s sled-ride is one of the best sequences in the series. While the overall arc has been something of a
slow burn, each issue has been enjoyable thanks to whipsmart character work by
the whole team.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Ms. Marvel #1
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Art: Takeshi Miyazawa & Adrian
Alphona
Color Art: Ian Herring
Lettering: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Marvel
Damn you Marvel for making one of my
favorite books $4.99. Though in
fairness, the book is totally worth the asking price as this issue is
jam-packed front-to-back with quality content.
After the 8-month timeskip, Kamala Khan’s life is a bit different.
She’s an Avenger
now, which is awesome and for the most part some of her less than pleasant
friends have made turns for the better.
Oh, also, Bruno’s
dating someone now. All in all, this
makes for one of the more plausible and satisfying timeskip issues since being
an Avenger would keep Kamala extraordinarily busy (she was already having some
trouble with balance when she was just street level). So much so that she wouldn’t notice these drastic changes
in her surroundings. This is a great narrative
choice as it puts us on the same level plot-wise as Kamala. Not one to leave us in the dark, Wilson also
fleshes out the backstory behind Bruno’s
new relationship, though she does play a few other plot developments close to
the chest. However, the Bruno-revelation
is a great one because we won’t
spend issues wondering how this could have happened and instead we get a
wonderfully scripted sequence that does wonders for both the characters and the
plot. Frequent series artist Miyazawa
handles the brunt of artwork duties while regular series artist Alphona handles
the Bruno story. Both are great fits for
their respective angles. Alphona’s appearance on the backstory
ties it back more strongly to last volume, while Miyazawa handles the Avengers
superheroics and Kamala’s
struggle with the new status quo with aplomb.
Both stories are tied together with regular color artist Ian Herring
whose palette continues to be a perfect choice for the series. Also of special mention is letterer Joe
Caramagna’s stylistic
choice to have Kamala’s
words and balloons shrink as she does.
It’s a small thing
(heh) but its a wise one. Despite the
hefty price tag and some timeskip shenanigans, Ms. Marvel doesn’t miss a beat in its new debut.
So what did you pick up this week?
Agree or disagree with anything said here? Let us know in the comments.
Labels: Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Ms. Marvel, Phonogram: the Immaterial Girl, Rat Queens, Spider-Woman, the Astonishing Ant-Man, the New Avengers
