There’s a lot to cover on Wednesdays. We should know, as collectively, we read an insane amount of comics. Even with a large review staff, it’s hard to get to everything. With that in mind, we’re back with Wrapping Wednesday, where we look at some of the books we missed in what was another great week of comics.
Let’s get this party started.
The Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone #1
Written by Tini Howard
Illustrated by Ig Guara
Colored by Dijio Lima
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Reviewed by Gregory Ellner
Many times, tie-in issues to larger events will be entirely self-contained, with characters introduced and disposed of within the same one-off story. Occasionally, that story may be more in line with setting up for a swiftly-following comic run with said character (for example, “King in Black: Black Knight” as it led into the ‘Curse of the Ebony Blade’ arc). In the case of “The Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone” #1, Tini Howard surprises readers by not fitting neatly into either camp.
Interesting, amusing, and fun on its own merits while both explaining the Bloodstone family for newcomers and bringing in new concepts and perspectives, this one-shot instead is an overall perspective shift and realignment of the Bloodstone family as a whole. The cast may be relatively small (amounting to four or five named figures depending on how you count), but it works well for Howard to delve into each of them through the admittedly biased lens of Elsa Bloodstone. Furthermore, the very relationship between monsters and magic users is given a deeper examination, hinting at a possible change in focus for the premier monster hunting family in Marvel Comics.
As with many of his works, Ig Guara’s artwork on “The Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone” #1 is very action-oriented. While it does a good job at showing how fast-paced the battle is, the sheer speed and blur effects may make it a little hard to follow. That said, it is not completely impossible, and so can be fun to look into nonetheless, with the artwork emphasizing the breakneck nature of Bloodstone work. The transformations of Cullen Bloodstone in particular are rather grotesque, and the story makes that focus by Guara work for it rather well.
Dijio Lima’s colors are bright and expressive, from deep, cool blues to bright, violent oranges, browns, and reds. The hues fit very well to the tone of the scenes, from vibrant explosions of one overall tone or another in hectic scenarios, or more sedate ones dependent upon the situation. They are striking, but mostly in the service of the artwork itself.
Final Verdict: 7.5– This one-shot is a fun way to continue forth on our trek through the dawn of 2022, as well as a way to add to the existing lore of the Bloodstone family.
King Conan #2
Written by Jason Aaron
Illustrated by Mahmud Asrar
Colored by Matthew Wilson
Lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham
Reviewed by Alexander Manzo
Externally, Conan faces off against an army of the undead, with his only “ally” being a man who was trying to kill him in the very last issue in hopes of getting some royal blood. On the inside, he’s dealing with his decision to send his son on a mission to visit every land in search of adventure to prove himself a barbarian and gain life experience. Jason Aaron gives this complexity to Conan that shows how much he pushes himself mentally and emotionally because even though it pains him to send his son away, it’s only with good intentions for his son’s future. Aaron also shows the battles he faced as a king who wanted to protect his kingdom, satisfy his lust for war, and prove he could still kill easily. The story feels like it’s a balance between Conan’s mid-life crisis and the fear that comes with being a parent and making sure his child is developed enough to survive once he is gone. Conan hasn’t shown doubt or fear, but given the subtext of his decisions, the reader can figure out the worries he carries.
Asrar does a top-notch job, not wasting any time with negative space and utilizes his background with enough detail to keep the reader searching the pages for clues on where the story could be going. The external conflict with Conan fighting the armies of the undead feels like the movies Dawn of the Dead and World War Z, and you get as much detail as those CGI counterparts. While Conan’s character is a barbarian, so his emotions are kept inside rather than on his sleeve, Asrar gives him depth with the use of shadows around his eyelids, such as when Conan is deciding to send his only son away. The decision by Matthew Wilson’s color choices to make the flashbacks brighter certainly helps the reader distinguish the back and forth of what is going on and what has happened.
Continued belowFinal Verdict: – 8.0 This issue gives Conan the depth that the first issue did not, while showing how badass and calculated Conan is.
Maniac of New York: The Bronx is Burning #2
Written by Elliott Kalan
Illustrated by Andrea Mutti
Colored by Andrea Mutti
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
Reviewed by Ryan Fitzmartin
A sharp blade and sharper political satire slice through a private NYC prep school in the pages of Elliot Kalan and Adrea Mutti’s comically violent comic, “Maniac of New York: The Bronx Is Burning #2”. The immortal and unstoppable Maniac Harry takes his rampage to a school, as the city government cracks down on protestors instead of facing the Maniac. Whether as a metaphor for COVID-19 or gun violence, the commentary is incisive. It almost feels a little too eerily predictive of the mayor’s response to a deadly Bronx fire that occured this week. Kalan, a former head writer for The Daily Show, deserves much credit for how accurate his satire is. The story and characters themselves are admittedly somewhat thin, serving mostly as a vehicle for Kalan to aim his pointed barbs at the system.
Mutti’s frayed, and vicious art carries the horror tone, with a grimy, dirty aesthetic. The art and coloring feels deliberately messy, with lines and colors bleeding into each other. The style is vaguely reminiscent of Tyler Crook’s work on “Harrow County”, if it was sprayed across the inside of a NYC subway underpass. The vibes are desperate and bleak, but the strong compositions and contrasts are there to let you know it’s intentional. Maniac Harry himself is a clear Jason Voorhees homage, and it’s clear the aesthetic is deliberately very Friday The 13th inspired.
Final Verdict: 7.2 – A sly comic with satire as strong as it’s slicing and dicing.
Marauders #27
Written by Gerry Duggan
Illustrated by Matteo Lolli & Phil Noto
Lettered by VC’s Cory Petit
Colored by Rain Beredo & Phil Noto
Reviewed by Michael Govan
“Marauders” #27 marks the end of an era. It seems like only yesterday that the series exploded onto the scene with the Dawn of X line, promising action-packed mutant pirate adventures. Did the series live up to its intriguing opening? Well…not always. Does “Marauders” #27 provide a satisfactory end to the series and stick the landing?
I wouldn’t say so. This issue attempts to tie up several story threads and the end result is very rushed. It circles back around to Kate being unable to use the Krakoan gates but doesn’t solve that mystery at all, not giving so much as a hint to the reason why. The interlude with Wilhemina feels pigeonholed in and one can’t help but wonder why that subplot was included at all. Pyro leaves for a book tour (can’t remember this being mentioned before even in passing) and Iceman wonders what he can do with his powers (the only story beat writers seem to give him, this territory has been covered at least three times).
Did the team win their ongoing battle with the Hellfire kids? Not really. Lourdes Chantel confrontation with her abuser should at the very least be a memorable moment but it just falls flat. In addition to the shuffling of the team, there’s the shuffling of Hellfire…it’s a lot of ground to cover and it feels like none of the plots were giving the space they needed to breathe.
Art duties are split between Lolli and Noto, two artists with very distinct styles. Noto draws beautiful pages but they all feel static in this issue. Lolli gets the action sequences and more to work with, his pages are full of kinetic energy and movement. While Bishop and Pyro bumbling through a weapons deal isn’t super endearing, the fight aboard a flying pirate ship does offer a few moments of fun. However, that’s not enough to buoy this issue.
Final Verdict: 5.5 – The first “Marauders” run ends on a shaky issue.
Rain #1
Written By Joe Hill & David M. Booher
Illustrated By Zoe Thorogood
Colored By Chris O’Halloran
Continued below
Lettered By Shawn Lee
Reviewed By Henry Finn
“Rain” #1 is writer David M. Booher’s adaptation of writer Joe Hill’s original ode to love, violence, and tragedy. The comic is based on a short story of the same name from Hill’s Strange Weather. Booher appears to be wonderfully adapting the short story at a pace that allows for a painful poetry to shine through the pages. By design, there is not much actual plot revealed in the first issue and the pages are largely spent giving us an idea of where we are emotionally rather than technically.
For instance, he spends pages introducing us to minor characters with pithy descriptions that give us a sense of dimensionality to this supporting cast. -and then by the end of the book, he takes them away in the blink of an eye. The humanization of minor characters helps ground ourselves in the protagonist’s emotions and perspective on the world. In case you think I’m spoiling anything, the actual premise of the book features murderous clouds that rain down nails -splinters of crystal that shred people’s skin. Literally thousands of people die in minutes.
The apocalypse is a beautiful metaphor for the destruction of love.
Zoe Thorogood shines in this series and her sensibilities belies a sensitivity to the subtext of the story. Her artwork perfectly compliments Hill & Booher’s writing as she uses thin line work with minimalistic backgrounds to convey a sense of fragility and dread. What makes her work stand out is how she balances the beauty and the pain. When it is time for the violence, she does not shy away from perfecting gruesome details such as when a nail goes through her lover’s eye. Her special attention to the details that she does put down on page shows in the way she renders everyone’s eyes. In an early panel where the two lovers are laying on a blanket outside during what should be the good times, Thorogood renders Speck’s eyes with a slight furrowed anxiety. This is the feeling that many anxious lovers know when one either can’t believe a good thing when they see it or can’t enjoy the moment because they know it won’t last.
Chris O’Halloran compliments Thorogood’s work with a minimalistic and soft color palette that changes as the story progresses. We start with blue and yellow rose-colored shades so to speak, and then transition into a sickening green as the rain starts falling, and finally settling on a blue and black tone as tragedy strikes. Letterer Shawn Lee also deserves credit for an excellent job of incorporating sound effects into this style of art. When a comic is full of action it’s easy to bury the lettering or hide weaknesses but Lee masterfully slides in various fonts and designs into the scenery and adds a sense of motion to the story. For instance in a double-page spread when the rain starts falling he uses a little “tat tat tat” sound to denote the nails as they land, but in the beginning you only see a few of the sound effects against the ground, and as the scene progresses the sound effect becomes so dense it creates its own form of design that resembles splashes of water. I see you, Lee.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – A great start to what has to be one of Joe Hill’s best adaptations yet.
We Ride Titans #1
Written by Tres Dean
Illustrated by Sebastián Píriz
Colored by Dee Cunniffe
Lettered by Jim Campbell
Reviewed by Quinn Tassin
Comics like “We Ride Titans” #1 make me more sad than bad comics do. Because you read an issue like this and you see what could happen with another draft or two. There’s a potential that’s clearly present here but it’s more in the premise than it what we actually get on the page. We open with a Mecha vs. Kaiju version of Robert Zemeckis’s Flight. It’s definitely a dynamic, interesting way to bring us into this world- immediate action but with the twist of seeing a drunk mech-pilot leveling a city block by accident. Even more sadly. the rest of the issue never measures up to an opening that isn’t even the only really reaches the level of “huh, that’s pretty interesting” levels of quality.
Continued belowScribe Tres Dean has put together a kaiju version of “Jupiter’s Legacy” in which one family is at the center of protecting the world from massive threats. Their biggest issue, though, is their internal drama based on the tension between Kit and a family she seems to have distanced herself from. Why she did this is a mystery but her wife seems pretty chill and her brother’s drunk mech-piloting points to bad parents.
It’s all pretty stock family drama stuff. That’s fine if you execute it well but this really doesn’t feel like more than someone slapping a genre lens on the most basic version of a melodrama about family. Kit is a fine character but not immediately compelling in any notable ways. The other characters get so little time that what characterization there is doesn’t give us anything to latch onto.
Sebastián Píriz’s pencils and Dee Cunniffe’s colors don’t help much. Like the script, the art is missing the finer things that would make it shine. The opening mech fight is genuinely great. There’s a real sense of both scale and perspective provided by the opening images of people entering a kaiju version of a fallout shelter. The kaiju itself is cool and while the mech is basic, it gets the job done and the fight is exciting. The colors pop while still feeling grounded and the layouts are strong.
The next 2/3 of the book leave quite a bit to be desired. The environments are sparsely populated by any of the small details that make a setting feel real. The best that Píriz does is some fridge magnets and kitchenware which are perfectly good but are insufficient. There don’t need to be as many tchotchkes as in a real home but it also shouldn’t feel like a half-done Ikea model of a room. The characters are sketched fine but lack any real detail to the point that Kit’s parents look like they’re her exact age. The body language, too, is enough to convey an emotion but never enough to evoke an emotion. Just a tiny bit more detail would’ve gone a long way.
The issue ends with something that’s definitely meant to be a bang but is most certainly a whimper. Kit arrives to take over the mech while her brother gets back on her feet. And she wants to know one thing- where he is. This is supposed to be a cliffhanger I suppose but it doesn’t feel like a mystery was set up there. The question is significant enough to be the last thing before “To Be Continued…” but is the logical answer not rehab? Maybe jail? This just isn’t the type of thing that makes reading a second issue feel necessary. Nothing is. She’s mad at her parents but it feels like stock angry estranged child anger not something unique to this character. Taking over the mech, too, is significant for reasons that are technically obvious without making any kind of emotional impact. There’s something under of the surface of “We Ride Titans” #1 that makes me want to root for it but after this issue, it’s hard to say I do.
Final Verdict: 5.8- “We Ride Titans” #1 is a half-baked, cliche-filled, almost decent debut issue.
