Civil War II: Choosing Sides #2
Writers: Jeremy Whitley, Brandon Thomas, Declan Shalvey
Artists: Marguerite Sauvage, Marco Rudy, Declan Shalvey
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel
Gonna be honest: I was going to drop this title, until I saw Moon Knight on the cover. Despite knowing I’d been suckered, I actually enjoyed this issue more than the first, thanks to fantastic art by Sauvage and Rudy (the latter of whom I apparently find enjoyable in small doses), and a great story written by Whitley about several people at James Rhodes’s funeral. Also, it was neat seeing Shalvey and Bellaire return to the character that essentially got the duo recognized as the powerhouses they were all along. Civil War II, for most intents and purposes, continues to be pretty shit, but…yeh there’s no way I spin an decent metaphor out of that. Sometimes, some of the side stories dumb events create are good. And since Kate Bishop is featured in the next one, looks like they got me for one more issue.
New Avengers #13
Writer: Al Ewing
Penciler: Paco Medina
Inker: Juan Vlasco
Color Artist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Marvel
Hey, look another Civil War II tie-in! Boy, for a guy who talks about how much he hates that event, Jake sure buys a lot of its tie-ins. Actually, self-deprecating part of my brain, New Avengers doesn’t really have very much to do with the event, but rather SHIELD agent John Garrett playing fast and loose trying to take down A.I.M. (Avengers Idea Mechanics, for those who’ve forgotten). Ewing keeps his script moving, ably sliding from one scene to the next. Ewing’s handling the splitting of the book’s team rather well, as each component gets a satisfying story every other issue it seems. The art teams focus on clear and concise storytelling has been a boon for the title. New Avengers continues to be one of the most improved books on the PL.
Silk #10
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Tana Ford
Color Artist: Ian Herring
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Marvel
This is it. Black Cat knows Silk has been double-crossing her and now the claws are out. It’s their final confrontation and it’s…totally underwhelming. I mean, the obvious reason is my dislike of Ford’s art, but I’m not sure the script would fare that much better under another pencil. The story’s built, from the beginning of this new series all the way up to the first page of the issue, like it was gonna be some big epic barn-burner but (spoilers) they just fight, which they did in the last volume, and that one was way better. Pretty big letdown that feels even more cheap given the final page reveal. The first bad egg of the week.
Detective Comics #936
Script: James Tynion IV
Pencils: Alvaro Martinez
Inks: Raul Fernandez
Colors: Brad Anderson
Letters: Marilyn Patrizio
DC
Batman has been captured by the colony. Now the team must come together to save him, but a traitor lurks in their midst. Tynion wisely sets a “big reveal” in the middle of the issue and immediately deals with the fallout, which makes it feel like less of a cheap ploy and more of a natural progression of the story. Martinez and Fernandez step in on art and display both creative paneling and intricate splash pages. Honestly, the issue is solid all around and, while it’s mostly a Kate Kane story primarily, every cast member gets a lovely moment to shine, making it a very worthwhile team book.
The Wicked + The Divine #21
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Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Image
Full-on superhero. An explosion of color and action. Awesome. You can tell how much I care about a comic by how non-specific I get about it.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
The Vision #9
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Writer: Tom King
Artist: Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel
Like a character in this book, I am now dead inside. This book is a masterpiece and deserves all of the hype. Like a character in this book, I have been burned alive. Honestly, I feel sorry for anyone whose favorite character is the Vision, not because of all the bad stuff that happens to him in this book (partly that), but mostly how undeniably compelling and amazing all of that bad stuff is. Like a character in this book, I am hooked and cannot stop myself. …Someone dies in this book is what I’m saying. Bad things happen. 10/10 would crush my heart again.
