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...
New Avengers #5
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Gerardo Sandoval
Color Artist: Dono Sanchez Almara
Letterer: VC’s Chris Eliopoulos
Marvel
Dark tidings see a marked improvement
in New Avengers this week as the potential results of Moridun’s possession of
Billy Kaplan are shown in the future while the nascent stages are evident in
the present. This arc’s storytelling
benefits from more directly playing off the previous one than the first two
did, which makes for a more cohesive read.
Moreover, the use of future Avengers is a more stable play than the
random aliens we encountered last issue, as there’s a nice balance of degrees
of familiarity and newness. Again, we
don’t get too much character downtime, but that’s gladly sidestepped in favor
of the overarching plot. Five issues in
and the art is starting to wear a bit.
Sandoval does a serviceable enough job (naïveté showing: perhaps its his
inking that causes my consternation) but the coloring feels pretty much the
same in every scene. The apocalyptic
future feels the same as present-day nighttime Tokyo which feels the same as
Avengers Island. Maybe it’s nitpick-y
but it’s something that comes to mind.
Still, issue five is an upward trend in quality for this weird Avengers
title. Let’s hope it stays that
way.
Dragon Age: Magekiller #2
Script: Greg Rucka
Pencils: Carmen Carnero
Inks: Terry Pallot
Colors: Michael Atiyeh
Lettering: Michael Heisler
Dark Horse
Marius and Tessa are coerced into
working for Archon Radonis, head of the Tevinter Empire, and the timeline for
the comic is revealed, which sets up of wealth of interesting possibilities. Rucka expertly deals with the revelation and
execution of the protagonists’ job, one that unfolds quickly and
interestingly. Tessa’s narration always
adds to the scene and never distracts.
The art is wonderfully done, particularly in the combat and assassination
sequences. Carnero deals with a variety
of settings but, along with Pallot and Atiyeh, manages to make them feel
different enough from each other while being a part of the same city and
culture. Magekiller’s second issue
smartly wraps up what was positioned to be an arc-long plot and instead deals
with it’s aftermath and opens itself to an anything-can-happen scenario, which
is quite great.
Drax #3
Writers: CM Punk & Cullen Bunn
Artist: Scott Hepburn
Color Artist: Matt Milla
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel
Someone is kidnapping the townsfolk of
the moon Drax is stranded on and it’s up to him to find out who and how. Only, Drax is much better at punching people
than finding out who to punch. It’s
another great script from Team Bunk, one that nicely mixes comedy and
over-the-top action. Drax’s frustration
at his less than stellar detective work builds throughout the issue, so that
when he finally lets loose his exhilaration is also the readers. Hepburn aids in this endeavor wonderfully
with excellent paneling and posturing.
He and Milla get some great designs in for the aliens Drax punches. The last few pages had me smiling ear-to-ear
with the mystery antagonist finally revealed.
The next issue should be a knock-down drag-out fight, one that I’m
looking very forward to.
Ms. Marvel #3
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa
Color Art: Ian Herring
Lettering: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Marvel
Bruno’s been brainwashed and the yuppie
forces of HYDRA are about to do the same to the rest of Jersey City and only
Ms. Marvel can stop them…oh, and Bruno’s new girlfriend, Mike. It’s a nice little wrap-up that leaves a few
things on the table for the new volume to play with going forward. Wilson’s dialogue is focused and natural,
even in the awkward scenes between Kamala and Mike. The art knocks it out of the park, with
Miyazawa’s expressions and choreography selling every moment and Herring’s
colors providing each scene with a great palette. Hands down, it’s a great close to the arc and
a great start to Ms. Marvel’s new volume.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #6
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie (Tom
Humberstone)
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Image
I’ve been sitting here for the last
thirty minutes trying to come up with a clever review of this finale, both of
the miniseries and the series itself.
Well, that’s a lie. I spent half
of that trying to come up with clever lyrics to start off the review because
that’s disgustingly on-the-nose. Honestly,
there’s not much to say at this point.
Plots are resolved, reconciliation occurs in the most dreadful, realest
sense of the word, and synchronicity hits on in-text, meta, and real life
levels. It’s a perfect ending, made more
perfect by the back-up comic by Gillen and Humberstone. Beyond all the musical references and
clever-clever (both of which are great), Phonogram has always been a series
about moving on and acknowledging who you are as a person. It’s a title that hits hard, getting a bit
personal. Sorry, a bit emotionally
drained from the issue. Ahhh, look at me, I’m a shattered.
…(Fuck yes, nailed it!)
So what did you pick up this week?
Agree or disagree with anything said here? Let us know in the comments.
Labels: Comic Books, Comics, dark horse comics, Dragon Age: Magekiller, Drax, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Ms. Marvel, New Avengers, Phonogram: the Immaterial Girl, Review, Reviews
