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.
Spider-Woman #7
Writer: Dennis Hopeless
Penciler: Javier Rodriguez
Inker: Alvaro Lopez
Colorist: Munsta Vicente
Letter: Travis Lanham
Marvel Comics
Spider-Woman finally gets to the bottom
of the mystery of the C-List super villains’ loved ones’ abductions
(hmmm, could probably have phrased that a bit neater) and, like any good
mystery, it’s not what she
or the readers expect. Hopeless has
Jessica’s voice down to a
T and the dialogue exchanges in this issue are master-grade work. Hopeless’s scripting has always been one of the title’s stronger suits, but with
Rodriguez, Lopez and Vicente on the title the scripts shines all the
stronger. The art team’s commitment to detail is
fantastic, whether it be in the setting of the town of Moon’s Hollow or the way Jessica
disguises her costume’s jacket into a facsimile of a
purse. On the penultimate page, there’s a moment that could have
easily come off as jarringly ridiculous, but the way the art team sells it
makes it the most dramatic points of the issue.
The closing page is fantastic as well, with a neat bit of carryover from
the previous into the cliffhanger text.
Spider-Woman continues to roll on strong, and hopefully, someone at management
is taking notice and gives this book another volume after Secret Wars.
Spider-Gwen #4
Writer: Jason Latour
Artist: Robbie Rodriguez
Color Artist: Rico Renzi
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel Comics
Spider-Gwen takes a break from the
eponymous super-heroine’s
endeavors to focus more on the emotional state of Gwen Stacy. With her father staying at the Parker’s place after the Vulture’s attack last issue, Gwen is
forced to confront for the first time the surrogate parents of the boy whose
death she caused. This issue hits
hard. We’ve been in Gwen’s
head fairly consistently for some time now and, while the mopeyness before was
starting to wear thin, the payoff from the conversation with Aunt May is
supremely cathartic and satisfying. None
of Latour’s words feel
hokey or overwrought, which would be a very easy thing to do given the nature
of the conversation. Rodriguez and Renzi
are in fine form here, hitting just the right notes on expressions. There’s
a splash page halfway through the issue that unconventionally yet expertly
shows all the emotions Gwen is feeling as she sits in the Parker house going
through the scrapbooks and pictures of Peter’s life. Last time
this title was on the Pull List, I wished that the title would pick up the pace
a bit. While I intended that to be plot
wise, the emotional core of this book has been exposed and enriched by this
issue. Hopefully that means good things
are on the way for this book.
Ant-Man #5
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Ramon Rosanas
Colors: Jordan Boyd
Letters: VC’s Travis Lanham
Marvel Comics
Scott Lang goes toe-to-toe (or
sometimes just toe) with his age-old arch-nemesis Darren Cross to save the life
of his daughter Cassie. Spencer drops
the lighter tone for most of the issue as Scott fights the tougher and
rejuvenated Cross, and as he deals with the ramifications of his involvement in
Cassie’s life. A single scene with the ever funny duo of
Machinesmith and Grizzly keeps the humor in the book, but for the most part
this is a action-heavy and drama-filled issue.
Rosanas and Boyd do a particularly great job during the fight, using
perspective and panel-sequencing to show-off the size-changing feats of the
Ant-man franchise. After a heavy
reliance on Scott’s past,
Spencer appears to be moving the book forward into new territory, which can be
only a good thing given how well the recent additions to the title have worked
out.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #5
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Erica Henderson
Color Artist: Rico Renzi & Erica
Henderson
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel Comics
Several Squirrel Girl tales for the
price of one? You can’t beat that deal. Well, it’s not a deal at all really, since they aren’t full tales and instead are
just hilariously incorrect stories of Squirrel Girl told by hostages trapped in
the Statue of Liberty’s
head much to the chagrin of Nancy, Squirrel Girl’s roommate. North
manages to get in some great jabs across the issue at everything from the Clone
Saga to grim-n-gritty comics. Henderson
and Renzi join in with aplomb, shifting their style to reflect the time period
of each tale. Particular standouts
include the 1950s adventures of Squirrel Girl and Captain America, as well as
the alternate future Squirrel Earl.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl continues to be one of the funniest books in
comics and shows no signs of slowing down.
The Wicked + The Divine #10
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Image Comics
As the cover image would suggest,
Baphomet prepares to get bloody as the biggest concert of the year, Ragnarock,
is set to begin. The issue starts out
with the stunning sequence of Baphomet and the Morrigan shrouded in darkness,
something that the comic has seen before but is used for a unique bit of
gravity given the situation. Gillen,
notorious for his able writing of shit-heads, handles Baphomet well. How he shows Baphomet convincing himself to
carry out his plans is both clever and tellingly pathetic. McKelvie and Wilson are also given ample opportunity
to stand out. From the first performance
of the Norns to the Battle of Ravens, the art team continues to impress. WicDiv is a unique book in that, while on the
surface its about a seemingly odd pairing of gods and pop music, at its core
its just about people and the cruelties of their fates. In sum: it’s a great book and well past worth the cover price.
Secret Wars #1
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Esad Ribic
Color Artist: Ive Svorcina
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Marvel Comics
This is how the world ends. No, really, this is how everything ends. The Ultimate Universe and the Main Marvel
Universe (616) collide in the final showdown of reality. With the destruction of both worlds imminent,
doomsday plans are put into action on both sides, with 616 Reed Richards
attempting to finalize the last desperate plan for a reality life-raft while is
significantly more malevolent Ultimate-counterpart hatches a scheme of his
own. Hickman’s Avengers runs have been something I’ve kept a light tab on, but even without that scant
knowledge, he does an amazing job of guiding the reader through the action and
plot. He does not waste any time, either,
as the book is firing on all cylinders from the get go. Ribic’s
foray into more mainstream super heroics (than at least I’ve experienced) is fantastic,
with each explosion and hit as palpable as if you were a bystander to this
clash of worlds. Svorcina’s colors shine in all aspects
of this issue, both the rare quieter moments and the bombastic display of
colliding worlds. Eliopoulos also brings
his veteran lettering to bear, as his choice of script and placement in this
issue’s opening and
closing enhances the impact of those moments.
Secret Wars was something I was sure I was just going to check out on
the periphery, but curiosity had me pick up this book just to see where it was
going. I was not disappointed. The final battle of the Marvel universe may
be over, but the real War starts in the next issue on Battleworld.
Labels: Ant-Man, Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Secret Wars, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman, Squirrel Girl, the Wicked + the Divine
