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Wrapping Wednesday: Micro Reviews for the Week of 1/19/22

By | January 24th, 2022
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

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.

Angel #1
Written by Christopher Cantwell
Illustrated by Daniel Bayliss
Colored by Roman Titov and Maria Agustina Vallejo
Lettered by Becca Carey
Reviewed by Alexander Jones

The “Angel’” finale, ‘Not Fade Away’ aired in 2004. It turns out Angel’s last episode title has been fulfilled by another medium. “Angel” is returning to comics over at BOOM! Studios with a new title featuring writing from Christopher Cantwell and art from Daniel Bayliss. The new property places Angel in a much different setting, sticking the vampire in a movie studio in an Angel-style television show. Cantwell and Bayliss utilize the new setting to imbue this title with some much-needed humor. The trade-off for the humor comes at the expense of some of the more dramatic moments that had potential in the story.

Artist Daniel Bayliss draws a much different interpretation of “Angel” than the typical reader might imagine. Instead of drawing a more realistic take on the title, Bayliss gives a more angular sensibility to the series. The television sequence at the beginning is suited well for the less serious nature of interior art. One of the biggest flaws in the artwork has to do with some of the strange expressions coming from the cast in more serious moments. Bayliss seems to have difficulty in his characters expressing negative emotions at times that nearly breaks my immersion in the story. The details on the fight sequences and choreography can be impressive but characters typically don’t emote well in these scenes either.

In the first dozen pages or so, Cantwell is able to carefully weave a sense of whimsy into the “Angel” title. Cantwell slowly mixes your favorites from the cast of the original show into the story. Cantwell is great at writing more restrained dialogue that fits into the character’s personalities very well. The dialogue for Lorne naturally blends the whimsy and sadness from that character with a few interesting exchanges with Angel. Cantwell uses nearly all the most important players from the original show and introduces them quickly here. The teases at the end of the issue and tense moments are deflated due to the larger opening sequence. Cantwell has issues tying the silly nature of the opening to the dour scenes at the end of the sequence from a tonal perspective.

Overall this is a solid start to the next “Angel” series. Cantwell establishes the beginning of interesting relationships with the characters. The greater threat bringing the series together is only hinted at here. Bayliss lends strong interior art towards the more whimsical moments of the script.

Final Verdict: 7.0 – “Angel” #1 is a confident opener to the new era of a franchise that has room to grow in terms of tone.

Batman: The Knight #1
Written by Chip Zdarksy
Illustrated by Carmine Di Giadomenico
Colored by Ivan Planscencia
Lettered by Pat Brosseau
Reviewed by Ryan Fitzmartin

Inequality, police corruption, and school bullies are some of the topics covered by Chip Zdarsky’s righteously angry “Batman The Knight” #1. A comic that at many times feels like “A people’s history of Batman Begins”. Zdarsky’s revisionist take seems to address many modern social criticisms of Batman, addressing his wealth and use of violence. Alfred directly lectures a teenage Bruce Wayne about beating up on the poor in one blunt and powerful panel. The story, told mainly through Wayne’s therapy sessions with Dr. Hugo Strange, is somewhat slow to unfold, but it promises to go to interesting places. The characterization of Bruce Wayne and Alfred is new and refreshing, but the critical lens towards Batman’s antics is likely to turn off some readers.

Visually, the comic is skillfully illustrated, with good visuals despite being dialogue heavy. Penciler Carmine Di Giadomencio excels at facial close ups, and conveys a good amount of emotional range for his characters. He casts shadows for emotional emphasis, and exaggerates with the eyes for extra punch. The fight scenes convey motion well, and there’s even some gloriously gloomy splash pages. Ivan Planscenia does well with the usual Batman blues, greens, and blacks, and adds some nice magenta in a few pages. Batman coloring can often fall into monotone, but Planscenia avoids the trap well.

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It’s too early to tell where Zdarsky is going, but if he continues on the path he could end up with a strongly original take on Batman. “Batman: The Dark Knight” #1 is an effective first issue.

Final Verdict: 7.2 – An intriguing revision of the rise of Bruce Wayne.

Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #1
Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Illustrated by David Baldeón
Colored by Israel Silva
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Reviewed by Quinn Tassin

“Why?” is probably the most important question any story has to answer. Why this story about these characters at this time? Now, the answer can as simple as “because it’s funny” or cool or whatever quality you’d like a story to have. But fundamentally there should be a reason that it exists. So when we’ve got a great comic book coming out three whole times a month about Ben Reilly as Spider-Man, why is “Ben Reilly: Spider-Man” #1 a story that Marvel is choosing to tell? I’m not convinced there’s an answer other than “because.”

See, this is a comic that doesn’t seem to serve any purpose. We’re revising the Clone Saga fallout and while scribe J.M. DeMatteis and artist David Baldeón both worked on some OG Ben Reilly comics and clearly like the character, this is an era that very few people want to revisit. To know more about Ben and his feelings about his place in the world, we’ve got “Amazing Spider-Man” and a whole slew of comics from the last couple of decades. “Ben Reilly: Spider-Man” #1 isn’t shedding new light on a character we don’t know much about or even presenting a particularly fresh angle on him.

To be fair, there are plenty of stories that aren’t strictly necessary but are good enough to make you forget about that. “Ben Reilly: Spider-Man” #1 isn’t one of those. It’s not bad, exactly. It just isn’t good by any stretch. The narration is wildly over-utilized, somehow providing endless exposition that doesn’t make you feel well-situated in terms of when the story takes place or emotionally connected to what’s going on. Ben having empathy for a villain and trying to get him help is cool but that part makes up 1.25 pages of the whole thing. Maybe if the fleeting depths got there was more present in the rest of the book it would work but sadly it’s nowhere to be found.

Baldeón’s art and Israel Silva’s colors are perfectly fine. Baldeón is a great fit for a Spider-Man comic with his love for making people as long and limb-y as they can be. The layouts are strong and make for a well-paced comic. Silva imbues the issue with a brightness that doesn’t quite feel in touch with the mood of the comic but is well-executed nonetheless. Together the pair has done a great job at building an aesthetic that feels very much of a piece with the ‘90s while still being wholly contemporary. Really, there’s not a single standout moment in the whole issue, visually. The Scorpion appearance is very cool and creepy and the panels showing the shifts between Carrion and Malcolm are effective enough but both feel like 7.5/10 moments in a comic with an average 7/10 visual quality.

So what’s the point of “Ben Reilly: Spider-Man” #1? It’s unclear. Maybe it’s just a nice trip down memory lane for fans of the character. Maybe it’s an unsuccessful attempt at deepening our understanding of him. Whatever it is, it doesn’t work.

Final Verdict: 5.0- “Spider-Man: Ben Reilly” #1 is the definition of mediocre

Silk #1
Written by Emily Kim
Illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa
Colored by Ian Herring
Lettered by VC’s Ariana Maher
Reviewed by Alexander Manzo

“Silk” #1 feels less like a story about a superhero and more of a coming-of-age and finding her purpose. Despite a page of exposition detailing her origin and recent adventures, Emily Kim has written Cindy Moon as a character still finding her footing. Kim doesn’t give an exact age of how old Silk is but being a young superhero mixed with missing an entire decade where technology makes it feel like a hundred years flew by can be pretty intimidating. There’s a run-of-the-mill robbery stopped by Silk peppered with witty banter that feels forced because it’s a small intro to a character we see later on. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing since the story’s heart comes from Moon describing her recent day-to-days, Kim can show the reader how she’s trying to figure out who exactly she is. Moon comes off as a character juggling three personalities but doesn’t even realize it. Kim’s main storyline also feels like a shot at influencers and their annoying habits of not only documenting everything and pushing laws aside to gain exclusivity.

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The art by Takeshi Miyazawa keep the story fun and focused. His panels are closed tight to keep the reader zoned in on what is happening rather than worry about the backgrounds’ details. Miyazawa also does a great job at showing the expressions of all the characters and not relying on or using any shadows to hide behind. It’s refreshing to see characters’ thoughts on their faces rather than decipher clues in their body language. Everything is surface-level for the brief action sequence with Silk and the robbers, but at the end of the story, when she is following a spirit, there is a close-up in which we get crisp that still have the illusion of something supernatural. Ian Herring’s color choices keep the story bright and bring this sense of familiarity to both new and old readers. The tone and mood aren’t forced onto the reader, thus making it easier to create their feelings and interpretations.

Final Verdict: 7.0 – The meat from the story comes less from who she is fighting and more about who she wants to become.

Venom #4
Writtenb by Ram V
Penciled by Bryan Hitch
Inked by Andrew Currie
Colored by Alex Sinclair
Lettered byVC’s Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Henry Finn

In “Venom” #4 writer Ram V brings the pain, and in more ways than one. The new issue brings us further developments in Dylan and his father Eddie Brock’s relationship. I have to say Dylan is a survivor in many respects. He has been subjugated to trauma after trauma and what I like about V’s approach to this series is how focused he is on the mirroring of the inner turmoil for both Dylan and the symbiote known as Venom. This issue shows both characters being tortured both mentally and physically, which heightens the drama.

The issue begins with Venom (the symbiote) on the run and in a panic over the need to save Dylan. Venom has a paternal instinct towards Dylan that goes beyond a promise made to Eddie Brock. We find out later the deeper reason for this, but I won’t spoil it. Venom is getting beaten up and tortured, and as his tormentor is gaining the upper hand he taunts him with a “Do you even know who you are without your host?” This is the crux of Venom’s identity struggle that develops over the issue.

Then there is Dylan, who echos the same sentiment as he is tied up being treated as a science experiment. He calls out to his dad, saying he is lost. When he and the symbiote inevitably reunite by the end of the issue it not only provides an emotional release but also a reason to root for the “new” Venom as a unique individual with its own issues, not just a knock off of the original.

As for master illustrator Bryan Hitch’s work.. well, it’s Bryan Hitch. The work is grounded in a realism that always brings an extra human element to the character’s expressions. This approach pays off particularly well when Dylan and Venom are finally reunited. Within the one page we see Dylan’s face go from scared to smirking, and joyous. And because of the journey we just went through in the pages leading up to the moment, the art helps ground us in the emotion of liberation.. and anticipation for the oncoming mayhem sure to follow in the next issue.

Final Verdict: 7.5 – A solid issue with a great mix of action and emotion.


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