Stormwatch #1, the first of DC's new 52 to feature LGBT characters (before the reboot, at least) is out to add a new cosmic dimension to the post-Flashpoint universe. There isn't much to be said for our beloved broship yet (though the last page shows a handshake between Apollo and Midnighter and promises a "Big Bang"), but the issue is a great gauge for whether or not you'll want to stick with the series to see the romance purportedly unfold.
Peter David is absolutely one of my favorite writers in comics at the moment and X-Factor has been a consistently entertaining book for years now. It's one of the books I'm most excited to see show up in my bag: like, bounce up and down and make squeeeee noises levels of excited.
Issue #217 was well outside of what one might expect of an action-y comic such as this but it was absolutely classic Peter David: that mix of retro soliloquy and modern sensibility that leads iconic characters to remind us that when the present was still the future it was supposed to be a lot more interesting and advanced than it is. Throw in that great scene of Monet taking on the protesters to remind them that plenty of Muslims are on their side, too, and it became about as fun as a soapbox comic can get.
It was pretty into that soapbox, though, and that made the surprise ending all the more shocking. Peter David didn't just use it to present another great progressive perspective on recent events; he let the delivery of that perspective lull us into reading for ideas instead of actions and then, blam (literally), he pulled a fast one and hit us with a cliffhanger.
So what about #218? I only care about two things in that whole issue - just two! - and one of them is as spoilery as it gets but it's all I've got room in my brain to think about.
I can hear you now, and I know what you're saying: Surely, you say, Klarion cannot be reviewing a comic that just came out yesterday. He's supposed to be reviewing something that came out, like, seven weeks ago. Well, cats and kittens, the simple truth is that I am all over some Young Avengers - The Children's Crusade and the moment I saw that in my bag on Wednesday evening I carted it home and read it immediately.
So what do I think? The short, non-spoilery version is that I think shit is about to get exceptionally real and I am thrilled. Allan Heinberg delivers some great stuff in this book. It changes things - or at least seems to change them - for the whole Marvel universe, not just this one team of youngsters. This is the kind of crossover event I like, where the putative stars are the ones driving the action in a way that impacts the overall narrative rather than just unleashing some big names to stomp around for a while, sell some tie-ins and leave without much of anything happening. It's a solid read and it builds to an inevitable ending that still makes an impression.
For the spoilers-heavy review, click the shiny blue candy-like button.
On Wednesday a PK reader emailed me to recommend the first issue of the new run of Xombi. Thank you, Rick! Jesus H. Christ in a homemade tuxedo but I loved this comic. I cannot possibly thank you enough for the tip. Written by the original creator of this property and lavishly illustrated by one of my favorite artists - whom I first remember seeing during the Klarion the Witch-Boy run during Seven Soldiers - this book is a fantastically weird and creative property that made me laugh aloud, freaked me out a little and gave me reason to interrupt my boyfriend's separate reading twice to gush about this comic book.
To be honest, my reaction to this was so strongly positive that I was reminded of the experience of reading the first issue of American Vampirelast year. I am not kidding. This book was that good and it had that same bolt-from-the-blue quality of seeming to have come out of nowhere. It was a pleasant surprise, after the fact, to learn of this property's strong connection to one of comics' most beloved recently deceased creators and editors, Dwayne McDuffie. If that isn't enough to make you pick up a copy, well, I don't know what is. Oh, wait, that's the rest of the review.
Read on for more unabashed praise - and one nagging criticism - of Xombi #1!
I remember the original Assassin's Creed game only as a simulator for jumping into haystacks between moments of immersive storytelling. While the gameplay was underwhelmingly formulaic, I was constantly digging through all the auxiliary plot points; Things like the needless emails and the branched dialogue composed this theme of genetic memory and a centuries-long power struggle between two ancient organizations, and it had me hooked. I wasn't quite interested enough to plop down the cash for the game's sequels, but I knew I'd be buying the comic spin-off the second I heard of it. What I found was that Assassin's Creed: The Fall was more than just a cheap spin-off money grab. Not only is the story a powerful entry in the AC series, but the careful design of the comic was capable of playing with the bilateral symmetry of comics rather uniquely, without resorting to knockoff Watchmen tactics.
I am going to be the first to say that I was scared of this book. Greg Rucka's writing really defined the revamped Batwoman and while J.H. Williams III's art was clearly the other integral half of the spectacular reaction that bubbled out of every issue of her all-too-brief run in Detective Comics I was not quite ready to trust that the artist could also write her.
This introductory and very short issue - thin, and transparently an advertisement for the whole retouched Bat-clan as much as it's a re-debut of Batwoman herself - doesn't tell us much that's new, doesn't do anything other than refresh our memories about some of the basic details of Kate Kane's past, but good grief is it good to see her back on the printed page. I had no idea I missed this character so much. It's always thrilling to open a book and see Batman peering over a modern-day parapet at the top of the page but I got straight-up goose flesh when my eyes hit the bottom of the same page and I saw Kate Kane's signature borderline-psycho smirk. I'll say it: I got misty. I very nearly shed a tear. J.H. Williams III may still be a better artist than writer but that doesn't mean he's a bad writer; it means that he is a freaking amazing artist.
When the first series of Incognito dropped last year it was instantly the book everyone at my comics shop was buzzing about. I was excited by it, the staff were excited by it, even the owner was breathless with his enthusiasm. It was all extremely well-deserved, too, as that book allowed Ed Brubaker to blend his prodigious gift for pulp with the superhero genre and generate a world of his own making that mirrors the structure of any heroes-and-villains cosmology already familiar to us but completely free of the baggage those worlds necessarily contain. Instead of having to play by anyone else's rules or with anyone else's characters, Brubaker trusts us to know already the rough structure of the world his characters inhabit. It's an exhilarating read in its own right - an excellent mix of action, film noir, Office Space and gallows humor - but it's made all the more amazing for the opportunity the reader has to make assumptions about how the world works and have them confirmed. Reading Incognito felt like creating a world with Brubaker.
So how can he possibly top that? By looking back to Incognito's pulp roots for inspiration.
Read on for thoughts on a really excellent debut of this highly-anticipated sequel!
I literally clapped my hands together and said OhMyGodYesssss when the friendly staff member at my regular shop held this book out to hand it to me. Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung finally - finally - return to this title with a nine issue limited series. I will spare you paragraphs of pontification and cut to the chase: it's not just good, it's the best thing Marvel has going, period.
Gail Simone writes team-ups that I love to read. And her treatment of female characters is excellent, not for the fact that she brings a genuine female sensibility to the writing, but because every woman meets a personalized balance between bitchiness and heroism. Under her pen, the sass required from a character becomes the reason they take on the bad dudes, which goes deeper than the way many writers just do "I'm an empowered female. I kick ass." I knew I'd love Birds of Prey before I popped open the cover, but damn, Simone outdid herself on this first issue. More gushing, after the jump.
Blackest Night #8. of 8. The Grand Finale. The first day of the rest of everyone's lives. Purportedly bright ones. Blackest Night's over, and the future of comics is indeed bright.
Spoilers and sometimes my opinions, after the jump
You guys may recall I was a bit cranky about Northstar and his lack of lovin' about a year and a half ago. In fact, at the time, I issued a challenge to Marvel to get him a kiss by June 2009 or I would declare him not really gay.
I have not forgotten about this.
However, when the X-men moved to San Francisco this year, we were teased with the existence of what looked to be Northstar's boyfriend (and manager), so I delayed judgment until we could see more.
Since then, Northstar hasn't had a lot of major appearances, as there have been about a thousand major crossover events in the Marvel universe in the last six months, and each one tends to disrupt the normal storyline for most books, including the many X-books. So I waited.
Our patience seems to have been rewarded! Artist Tim Fish revealed on his blog that his upcoming story in Nation X #2 (which comes out in Jan.) is a story about Northstar, and will feature Kyle, his boyfriend in an 8-page story. I'm not sure if an actual kiss is in it, but it's implied that there is some lovin' going on. Check out some sketches of Northstar, Kyle, and Aurora below, and we'll keep you up to date when we get closer to Jan.
I'm now convinced that I have the mutant power to start talking about something right before it happens, as I was talking about Northstar just last week. I'll call it my 'Foot in Mouth' powers.
Anyway, for those who haven't grabbed books this week, I highly recommend you pick up Uncanny X-men #508, as it brings Northstar back to the team. We discover he's been living it up as a famous snowboarder in Canada, with a boyfriend apparently. Wolverine recruits him and his sister for the team. There is some fantastic dialogue that I won't spoil at this point since it just came out, but it's very well written, so thanks should go out to Mr. Matt Fraction. Based on what happens I have a sneaking suspicion that it was written to clear up some of the angst surrounding Northstar's treatment in the last few years.
So now we've seen Northstar with a love interest, can a kiss be far behind? Will it make it in time for Pride month? We'll see. Go read it!
Review: Stormwatch #1
Stormwatch #1, the first of DC's new 52 to feature LGBT characters (before the reboot, at least) is out to add a new cosmic dimension to the post-Flashpoint universe. There isn't much to be said for our beloved broship yet (though the last page shows a handshake between Apollo and Midnighter and promises a "Big Bang"), but the issue is a great gauge for whether or not you'll want to stick with the series to see the romance purportedly unfold....
