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.
Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #2
Written by Simon Spurrier & Sergio Davila
Penciled by Iban Coello & Sergio Davila
Inked by Sean Parsons
Colored by Arif Prianto
Lettered by VC’s Cory Petit
Reviewed by Alexander Manzo
Simon Spurrier’s second entry into “The Black Knight” series was a tough read to come back to, despite needing a re-read. This issue continues to bring more questions than answers, despite this issue being filled with exposition. The 180 on Dane Whitman’s personality seemed really out of left field; in the first issue he came across as a wounded warrior who just wants to help. In this issue he comes across as a rigid, rich person who only wants to hear what he thinks is important. While the side character, Jacks, had yet to prove her place in the story, she finally gets some background into her wants and how she may fit into Whitman’s journey. The overall arc of the story seems to barely move forward before ending with a newly introduced big bad.
The art was the saving grace of this issue. Iban Coello & Sergio Davila create stilled depictions of stilled Warriors during the flashback of the story that slow the story to highlight the importance. The panel choices also give off strong, Game of Thrones promo vibe. In the current era, they use more action sequences than in the flashbacks, such as Dane flipping over a table full of food or when he faces off an intruder in his home. It works well to give the reader the needed fight this issue was missing.
Final Verdict: 5.0 – gave some answers but still have a lot more questions.
Blade Runner Origins #3
Written By K. Perkins, Mellow Brown, and Mike Johnson
Illustrated By Fernando Dagnino
Colored By Marco Lesko
Lettered By Jim Campbell
Reviewed By Henry Finn
The issue picks up, in 2009, with detective Cal Moreaux, aka the first Blade Runner, about to go full John Wick on some invisible assassins. Introducing an action element that isn’t an emphasis in any of the films establishes “Blade Runner Origins” as a futuristic genre-bender of mystery and action-adventure. Perkins, Brown, and Johnson’s central character diverges from his successors in several ways: he’s more emotional and psychologically tortured, he’s angrier and, most importantly, he is more violent.
Instead of a reluctant fighter, Moreaux hungers for an outlet to release his pent up frustrations. This is shown plainly when Dagnino cuts in for a closeup of Moreaux smiling, relishing the moment before entering battle. He is different from his successors because of his time as a soldier before becoming a detective. His pedigree in violence reveals itself in the way he brutally dispatches his assailants and he carries himself so confidently that he even blasts one off a balcony without even looking.
Dagnino, Lesko, and Campbell keep the franchise-faithful look going strong for this issue, landing the art direction of this world. The further forward we move in the franchise, the more neon it gets, and the more free the creators are to create any kind of technological or building design they want. However in “Origins,” there are no personalized companions or hundred foot tall holograms. Each panel boasts thoughtful choices as to fashion, architecture, and props. Combining the aesthetics of our current era with technology of the future is a tricky act, but Dagnino and Lesko have found a way to do it tasetefully. The neon lights still exist, but they’re not gaudy and ubiquitous; inside buildings, there are still standard screw-in lightbulbs circling vanity mirrors and movie posters from the 50s lining the walls.
The writers dimensionalize Cal and add an action-adventure element to the series. The characters are complex, expressive, and interesting. With Cal Moreaux, the creators are crafting a seminal figure in the Blade Runner universe and, perhaps, in science fiction.
Continued belowFinal Verdict 9.6 – If you’re going to check it out, do not proceed without first reading issues #1 and 2.
Eternals #4
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Esad Ribić
Colored by Matthew Wilson
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Quinn Tassin
So the thing about Kieron Gillen is that he’s, like, really really good at this comics stuff. He has a knack for writing books that are epic in scope and intimate in feeling. That’s particularly helpful when writing a series about immortal warriors who readers likely don’t have pre-existing strong connections to. And perhaps no artist is a better compliment to a series like “Eternals” than Esad Ribić, whose grand, gorgeous style is unmatched and never not a great hook. So four issues into a series about a group of characters most don’t care about, and many more have never heard of, of course this is a deeply intriguing, fun comic that makes you perk up when you see there’s a new issue.
Now, there are a lot of Eternals so it stands to reason that there’s quit a bit going on here between figuring out who’s working with Thanos and Ikaris’s protection of Toby Robinson, and a brief history lesson. Gillen ably moves between these stories, making the wise decision to give each a distinct portion of the issue. He has a great sense of each character’s voice, the most delightful of which is the Machine by a mile (and maybe even by a 5K). The narration of the Machine with its wit and insecurity around being broken is a creative way to bring in an audience conduit without creating a brand new blank slate character. Then, of course, there’s the fact that each new turn in this large scale murder mystery is more intriguing than the last. Thanos is written brilliantly here and put to better use than he has been since Hickman’s “Avengers” run and thee internal politics of the Eternals is fascinating.
Ribić and inimitable colorist Matthew Wilson are, again, the perfect art team for this series. Ribić’s art is impossible not to get caught up in. He captures birds eye views of cities, ancient battlefields, and otherworldly landscapes with gusto. Every location he brings you to feels engrossing and awe-inspiring. He illustrates each character with real care- they have wrinkles in their clothes and their muscles move in all the ways that real world muscles do (although their glamor muscles are certainly, uh, massive). Wilson’s colors bring all of this to life, giving Ribić’s more realistic style the proper treatment- it all feels bold and cinematic in the ways you want but with that more tangible than the average superhero book.
Final Verdict: 8.6- “Eternals” #4 is yet another great entry in what has all the makings of another home run for Kieron Gillen
The Girls of Dimension 13 #1
Written by Graham Nolan
Illustrated by Brett Blevins
Colored by Gregory Wright
Lettered by Carlos M. Mangual
Reviewed by Matthew Blair
“The Girls of Dimension 13” #1 is written by artist Graham Nolan, who shows a tremendous knack for writing for a slightly younger comic book audience and getting a lot of information across to the reader very quickly and naturally. The pacing of the story is incredibly fast and Nolan does a great job of establishing the personalities, abilities, and motivations of each of the characters in a very short period of time and through organic action and natural dialogue instead of walls of exposition and text. If the book has any problems, it’s that the first issue is too quick and limited by a pretty short page count, but when the principal complaint is that there should be more story, it’s certainly not a bad thing.
The artwork for “The Girls of Dimension 13” #1 is provided by Brett Blevins, who brings an art style that is perfect for the book’s presumed young adult audience. On a macro level, Blevins enhances the magical adventure feel of the book by making the magic used in the story look fun and psychedelic. On a micro level, Blevins does have some issues with anatomy feeling a bit stiff and all of the character’s faces kind of look the same, but he still manages to give each of the girls their own personality and charm. The artwork is also complemented beautifully by Gregory Wright’s colors, which make the book look rich and gorgeous to look at.
Continued below“The Girls of Dimension 13” #1 is a fun and bubbly comic for young adults that isn’t afraid to introduce a bit of mystery and danger to the setting. It’s an interesting comic with a great premise and it will be a lot of fun to see what happens next.
Final Verdict: 8.2- While the pacing might make the story feel a bit weird, it’s still a story filled with a lot of potential for fun, mystery, and magic for a lot of young adult comic book readers.
Godzilla: Monsters and Protectors #1
Written by Erik Burnham
Illustrated by Dan Schoening
Colored by Luis Antonio Delgado
Lettered and Designed by Nathan Widick
Reviewed by Conor Spielberg
Telling Kaiju stories in a comic book medium has underlying problems the creative team must overcome. It must make the monster feel larger than life while showing it in action, but not overuse splash pages. It must tell a satisfying story (or part of a story) in 22 pages without showing little of the Kaiju. And most difficult of all, it often has to make you care about the humans in the story so it doesn’t feel like they’re padding out the book with things that don’t involve a giant monster fighting another giant monster.Thankfully, Burnham, Schnoening, and the rest of the creative team manage to overcome these obstacles with a fun story and unique art.
The issue manages to feel fresh, despite being a licensed property; with an art style reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon. There’s point of view character, being a young boy named Cedric adds to the feeling of child friendly fun, something that is increasingly rare in comics. The story is framed around Cedric’s vlog which justifies some necessary exposition and promises the reader that Cedric will become more relevant later on.
The character’s designs are all distinct and expressive; the school teacher is nerdy and earnest with a vibrant, enthauthusiatic grin who always has an animated pose in each panel. The CEO of Linval Corp screams ‘evil business’ with a silver streak in jet black hair and an arrogant grin. Godzilla’s design harkens back to his original look. Thanks to Cedric’s narrative device, they make it clear early on that Godzilla is ‘the good guy’ while Linval Corp is ‘the bad guy’.
Despite the fact that reading a comic book intended for children is a rare and welcomed effort, the dialogue does stray into the juvenile at times. Whether this is merely a by-product of the early stages of the story, or a necessary sacrifice of targeting a story towards a younger audience, it does diminish the more threatening nature of a Kaiju story for better or worse.
Final Verdict: 7.2 A welcomed stylised take on Godzilla that leans into its campier tones with a modern update
Justice League #60
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Ram V
Illustrated by David Marquez and Xermanico
Colored by Tamra Bonvillain and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Lettered by Josh Reed and Rob Leigh
Reviewed by Alexander Jones
Brian Micheal Bendis is often criticized for writing superhero team books that feature plenty of snarky dialogue and a thin plot. “Justice League” #60 continues to carry a lot of the same issues from previous Bendis runs like his “Avengers” work. “Justice League” #60 has a lot more firepower on the artistic front thanks to David Marquez. Bendis continues following his recent trend of crafting villains who are bulky and antagonistic but not very well developed. The issue’s antagonist Brutus falls snugly into this category and doles out awkward jokes and contrived battles occurring randomly throughout the DC Universe. The quips written in the issue can be painfully overwritten in certain moments. There are many throwaway sequences like the one where Ollie says “Sure” as a joke responding to Batman. Bendis is clearly having issues establishing a team dynamic and trying to figure out what makes a character like Naomi different from Batman in terms of dialogue.
I would argue that the real star of the main feature in “Justice League” #60 is Tamra Bonvillain’s colors. Bonvillain’s sunset-soaked hues are the perfect compliment to Marquez’s subtle artwork. The vivid shades of purple stayed in my head long after I closed the final story page. Marquez’s impressive layouts and detailed artwork highlight a difference in quality between the art and script of “Justice League” #60. The final page of rubble has a strikingly gorgeous hint of purple from Bonvillain. While the facial details between the heroes can be similar, Marquez makes a clear effort to ensure that each character is acting out a compelling emotion. Sequences where the script drags have really creative layouts that keep the attention of the reader. Bonvillain nails the glowing hues of Naomi’s costume strikingly well.
Continued belowWhile the main feature in “Justice League” #60 is flawed the same can’t be said for the backup story featuring writing from Ram V and art from Xermanico. The issue is able to meld elements and characters from the main feature with ease. This story has just the right tone and serves as a better example of snarky superhero comfort food with a few obscure and fan-favorite characters. Xermanico’s art is astonishing in the tale. Xermanico is able to terrify with a familiar villain that will intrigue new readers. The panel composition and morose ending are executed incredibly well by this team. The last sequence is haunting, violent, and the perfect ending to a story that started with a few lighthearted jabs. Xermanico finds a strong balance between terrified expressions of horror and interesting body language when the team is discussing their mission during the opening sequence. The pacing of this story sequence contains aspects the main feature is missing. “Justice League” #60 is a mixed bag. Marquez and Bonvillain produce really strong work while Bendis crafts an uninspired script for team-based superhero titles. Hardcore DC readers and “Justice League: Dark” fans should not hesitate to purchase this issue but I would not recommend “Justice League” #60 to the average reader.
Final Verdict: 6.4 – The quality of the artwork and backup story in “Justice League” #60 is held back by a weak script in the main feature.
Nightwing #79
Written by Tom Taylor
Illustrated by Bruno Redondo
Colored by Adriano Lucas
Lettered by Wes Abbott
Reviewed by Jim Malakwen
With just a single caption on a gorgeous splash page, Tom Taylor accurately expresses Grayson’s inner thoughts and gives Bruno Redondo the opportunity to use the entire page to illustrate Dick’s journey from circus acrobat to costumed crime fighter. The next page reveals the technique has been reused in a dynamic double page spread that recaps Dick’s tragic backstory and his years at Wayne Manor.
The storytellers then address the lingering plot points from the previous issue. Dick confides in Barbara that he has doubts about just what to do with the enormous wealth now at his disposal. The revelation that he always felt that Bruce could do more for Gotham as a philanthropist than as Batman motivates him to feed Bludhaven’s poor and hungry with his newly acquired funds.
Taylor and Redondo, having worked together multiple times on titles like “Injustice” and their recent run on “Suicide Squad,” consistently produce some of the best DC Comics at the moment. Redondo excels at rendering Grayson’s fast, agile and graceful fighting style in the action sequences. He also incorporates sound effects in his panel compositions that both enhances the impact of the violence and makes the pencils much more dynamic. Finally, Adriano Lucas’s vibrant colors bring Bludhaven to life and help distinguish the city from the much more gloomy, gothic Gotham.
“Nightwing” #79 ends ominously with Heartless still on the loose. With the looming threat of Blockbuster still on the horizon, the reader will be left eager for the next instalment in this promising series.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – A satisfying installment that clarifies Nightwing’s motivations and introduces a terrifying new villain.
Nomen Omen #14
Written by Marco B. Bucci
Illustrated by Jacopo Camagni
Colored by Fabiola Ienne
Lettered by Fabio Amelia
Reviewed by Elias Rosner
It’s hard to know, with translated works, where to place the blame for coherency issues. Throughout “Nomen Omen,” there has been a stubbornness on the part of the dialog to cohere in a manner that felt natural, rather than forced. Lines were poetic and, most of the time, clear in their purpose, but they remained off to the ear, infusing the work with a sense of unbalance and oftentimes obfuscating the meaning of certain scenes. The penultimate issue of “Nomen Omen” suffers for this reason, as the threads woven throughout the rest of the series are pulled in preparation for the final confrontation. Whether this was present in the original Italian or is the product of translation, the slight friction it introduces has made following the mystical elements, which are key to understanding the ending stakes beyond “beat up big dragon to save Manhattan,” a chore and slippery at best.
Continued belowIssue #14 is a good example of how the series feels overstuffed and wonkily paced. It doesn’t feel like there should be only one issue left, especially with the action being split between Becky being caught up after her resurrection, the aforementioned Dragon fucking up Manhattan/Arcadia, the group with the Bernandati, and the queer book group participants. Rather than feeling like a culmination, it’s a scattering of plots and character development that are ramping up being funneled towards a chaotic final battle. That said, the book looks as good as ever, especially when Ienne gets to let loose with the colors on Camagni’s art.
Camagni’s B&W work is good but it is never as sharp as it should be, so details get muddy and lost, likely due to the screentones not doing enough to differentiate aspects of the scenes, especially when there are multiple people in one scene. The linework is excellent, however, and the contrast of the mundane and the magical has never looked this striking. There are layers to this book that I’m sure more patient readers have picked up on and have found more enjoyment out of it. I want to love watching these characters overcome impossible odds to defeat this BIG FUCK OFF DRAGON but I’m just unable to muster the engagement.
For those who are more invested in “Nomen Omen’s” story, who have connected with its themes and understand its narrative & magic system more than I, they will find this an action-packed, feast for the eyes with plenty of crowd pleasing, resonant moments. For me, however, the moments have failed to cohere and despite the fist pumping moments (like Wicked Witch of the Phone vs. Red Fuck Off Dragon,) I find I understand less and less with each new revelation. Perhaps that is just me, or perhaps I am just a B&W character stuck looking at a colorful world.
Final Verdict: 5.7 – “Nomen Omen” is not a bad series but its 14th, and second to last, issue acutely highlights its structure and pacing problems. Those who grasp its magic system & thematic reaches will get far more out of it than those who have been frustrated by its sometimes obtuseness.
Orcs #3
Written, illustrated, colored, and lettered by Christine Larsen
Reviewed by Matt Sherman
Christine Larsen does a great job writing cheesy humor that can gives both young and adult readers a good laugh. The arguments between the orcs are so much fun to read as the family and friends argue and call one another funny names. The art also compliments this goofy comic; Larsen creates funny facial reactions to our mischievous orcs. Silliness aside, the art is also very pretty to look at.
Larsen does a great job in both the character’s designs and the world around them. The art style is easy on the eyes yet provides a really interesting and pretty view to look at when our characters are venturing through the woods. As for the colors, they aren’t anything eye opening. Simple and mostly laid out in flats, the colors are adjacent to this simple style of art yet doesn’t add anything to it.
“Orcs” #3 overall continues this series excitement and adventure while providing good laughs for all readers. It’s a fun comic for those who want something a little less serious.
Final Verdict 7.0 – A fun and adventurous comic for everyone, that’s easy to read.
Way of X #1
Written by Si Spurrier
Illustrated by Bob Quinn
Colored by Java Tartaglia
Lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Luke Cornelius
The best way for this reviewer to describe “Way of X” #1 would be to call it a deep dive. In the hands of other creators, the page count of this debut issue might be mishandled, or just simply feel unnecessary, but Si Spurrier’s script utilises it to maximum effect. Spurrier opens the issue with Professor X being troubled by a nightmare and seeking Nightcrawler in response; this intriguing thread also closes the book to give the issue a neat bookended feel, and one that returns an absent mutant to the fold. Between the bookending scenes is an exploration of where Nightcrawler fits in on Krakoa, or more specifically, where he feels he fits. His perspective exposes the darker side of Krakoa’s resurrection protocols and the culture that it is founding. It makes for an incredibly captivating read and Spurrier keeps the pacing of the issue relatively slow, though it isn’t without action sequences, to really drive home the spiritual elements of the book.
Continued belowBob Quinn’s artwork in “Way of X” #1 is equally good, if not more so, because he ensures that the visuals are as engrossing as the script’s subject matter. The long exchanges between characters feels visually enriched by his panel layouts, with smaller movements and differing camera angles keeping panels feeling distinct and engaging too. The issue itself has a wide range of tones and Quinn manages to navigate them with ease; one page starts with a feeling of divine elation, before it is undercut with a moment of gross-out humor which quickly brings a moment of sadness on the following page. It never feels unintentionally jarring thanks to Quinn’s compositions.
Stylistically, the book feels congruous to the other defining works of the Krakoan era thus far, which aids the book in feeling like another crucial chapter in the tapestry of the ‘Reign of X.’ A large portion of this is due to Quinn’s linework and his compositions echoing some from “House of X,” with the rest a result of Java Tartaglia’s colors retaining the luscious green tones of Krakoa and the bright orange glows inside of Arbor Magna. When Tartaglia lets loose in an almost colorless Crucible panel and the nightmare flashes, it’s incredibly striking and demonstrates even greater potential to be manifested in later issues.
Final Verdict: 8.7 – “Way of X” #1 is a masterful deep dive into the growing culture surrounding Krakoa’s resurrection protocols.
