Star Wars Doctor Aphra #11 Featured Reviews 

Wrapping Wednesday: Micro Reviews for the Week of 8/9/17

By | August 14th, 2017
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

There is 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.

Baby Teeth #3
Written by Donny Cates
Illustrated by Gerry Brown
Colored by Mark Englert
Lettered by Taylor Esposito
Reviewed by Kent Falkenberg

Halfway through “Baby Teeth” #3, Sadie mentions that before Clark came along she’d read all the parenting books and had some semblance of confidence that the tribulations facing her as a new parent wouldn’t be anything unique. Of course, her local bookstore was probably short on copies of What to Expect When You’re Expecting the Antichrist.

It’s a shame. A guidebook like that might have given her some shrewd advice. For example, if she’d only skimmed the chapter “So Your Baby’s Developed a Taste For Blood… Your Blood,” she would have known not to substitute her own with that of her ex-junkie sister’s, as that’s a guaranteed way to open a roiling, crimson hell-portal in the sky and unleash a demonic purple raccoon unto the world.

Actually, that’s unfair. Not about the art, though. Gerry Brown does fantastic work; his design for that hellspawn has a look of pudgy, deer-eyed wonder that falls just on this side of adorable and reaffirms the veins of jet black humor that Donny Cates seems to inject into the script – Heather asking Siri for directions after pummeling information out of some teenagers is classic. No, what’s unfair is calling Heather a junkie, although she was quick to produce a sterile syringe and length of rubber tubing when Sadie asked for blood. It’s almost as if they were waiting on standby. In “Baby Teeth” #3, Cates shows very clearly that Heather has demons of her own (violence, drug abuse, etc.), but he never lets this characterization feel alienating. “[She] was not a great person,” Sadie says, “But she was an incredible big sister.”

Cates and Brown are setting up the story partially as an examination of nature versus nurture in regards to anger, violence, and the like – Cates almost says as much on the first page of the issue. While shading in some backstory for her sister, Sadie tells Clark how Heather was just born angry, born cold. Against these words, Brown draws a pubescent Heather on skates remorselessly holding her hockey stick to the sky like a battle axe, while some other kid is laid out on the ice with a mouth busted to red mush. When it comes to Clark though, we have no indication whether he’s inherently innocent or evil. Sure he called forth a demon, but the little man was just hungry and being given a poor substitute (and I’ve got to say I’ve seen good kids do worse when they’re given Multi-grain instead of Honey-Nut Cheerios).

Visually, Gerry Brown is on top of his game. There’s just the right amount of sandpaper feel to his sketchy minimalist lines to properly evoke the tone of Cates’ script. And as always, when things get moving, Brown injects his panels with a visceral bite. Near the end of “Baby Teeth” #3, Heather jumps into her Bronco and peels out of the driveway. Brown’s knack for depicting motion lets us feel it jostling on old shocks and leaves us with the scent of spent rubber in our noses. And while Brown’s art is smooth in that regard, Cates’s script stumbles in few spots. The narration sounds stiff at times and falls into the trap of simply describing what Brown has so eloquently illustrated.

Still, this was solid issue. “Baby Teeth” #3 feels like the first in the series that’s comfortable with both horror and dark comedy. There’s a definite sense that it’s starting to come into it’s own. And I can’t wait to see where it goes as it transitions from these initial baby steps to a full blown sprint.

Final Verdict: 7.5 – Cates is right, though. A hungry baby can seem the devil sometimes.

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Divided States of Hysteria #3
Written and Illustrated by Howard Chaykin
Colored by Will Quintana
Lettered by Ken Bruzenak
Reviewed By Kate Kosturski

It’s the aftermath of a devastating biochemical-nuclear attack that has left New York City in rubble and uninhabitable for decades. Unlike 9/11, this attack continues to divide the United States into strict identity boxes, perpetuating what writer Howard Chaykin calls the “second American Civil War.” in “Divided States of Hysteria” #3 the President attempts to unite the nation, and the man responsible for the destruction of New York City, Frank Villa, puts his master plan to find redemption and track down those responsible with the most unlikely Suicide Squad from River Run, the country’s most infamous prison. Through interviews, we get to know this motley crew a little better, as their training for whatever Villa has in mind commences – but there are forces on the other side of the world conspiring against Villa and his minions.

Everything about this book screams that last word in its title – “Hysteria.” Chaykin’s language is extremely economic; nothing wordy going on here – the script is strict and to the point. One feels as if the characters are in a perpetual state of shouting, amplified by Bruzenak’s letters, all caps with emphasis in key places. Quick cut scenes keep up the pace – in one page, the action goes from Texas to Minnesota to Miami, with one panel for each locale and nothing more. Quintana’s colors and Chaykin’s illustrations give the feel of watching a 24 hour news network – from the grid layouts to the social media tweets in watermark on several page to what appears to be both a mishmash of random characters and non-Western alphabets acting as de facto panel dividers. There is nothing calm about this book – you read it in a perpetual state of anxiety, dread, and intrigue. If you’re any sort of nervous type, you may want to keep your Xanax or some chamomile tea handy. (Though there are some lighthearted moments worked in; I got a chuckle from seeing the phrase “President Taylor Swift Retribution” as part of a tv chyron and the appearance of the Hydra logo on a t-shirt.)

Based on the letters at the end of each issue, readers from all sides of the political spectrum are finding different meanings in this book, which appears to be what Chaykin intended – I’m still figuring out my own interpretation. He’s a writer that takes an opinion and makes you have an opinion (with no two being the same) – the most apt metaphor for our post-2016 election state.

Final Verdict: 7.0 – Those looking for escapism need not apply, and those overly fearful of the current geopolitical state won’t have their anxieties lessened. If you’re somewhere in the middle and have enjoyed television programs such as Designated Survivor, this proves a worthy complement.

Generations: Phoenix and Jean Grey #1
Written by Cullen Bunn
Penciled by R.B. Silva
Inked by Adriano Di Benedetto and R.B. Silva
Colored by Rain Beredo
Lettered by Travis Lanham
Reviewed by Michael Mazzacane

What is the point of this? A good question to begin any sort of critical inquiry. It’s also a bad one to have considering its Marvel PR’s job to sell these books to readers. Two issues in and absurdist comic book fun of seeing two Phoenix fight Galactus aside, there’s a distinct lack of emotionality in the end product. Which should be the point for a series that is opening every issue with a bold proclamation telling the reader not to think about the ‘how’ of it all but emotional epiphany the newer generation has interacting with their namesake.

Jean Grey the Younger’s revelation regarding gaining a measure of control of her/their fate, just rings hollow, mostly due to Cullen Bunn’s script. R.B. Silva, Adriano Di Bendetto, and Rain Beredo come together to make an artistically beautiful book. Together they make images that read as less shiny versions of Adam Hughes art. The fault lies in Bunn’s script which spends too much time in Young Jean Grey’s head actively pointing out “this is crazy” and the need for information, not showing us the thematic through action which will nicely echo later in dialog. It doesn’t and could be construed in such away as perpetuating the cycle Jean Grey the Younger finds herself in.

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Bunn’s circular internal monologue obscures the most interesting part of the book: seeing Jean Grey not weighed down by the fact she is Jean Grey. For a change, she to simply gets to be. Either lounging on the beach reading a book or going out to the club. She is unmoored in away her duplicative self has never allowed to be, because comics. While the cosmic art the team creates is bold and energetic, these moments of normalcy are the real highlights of the book. They’re just cluttered by words.

This issue does continue the gesture towards a narrative view of heroism and action that is much simpler. The good girls simply are good because of their actions, even the destructive Phoenix Force. That is a nice, nostalgic, notion but also one that can only exist in this ahistorical setting. Once Jean Grey zaps or whatever back into place, it’s time to pick up the pieces from “Secret Empire.” She can’t be her younger-older self, she knows too much. Readers know too much. And this issue didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, except remind me that oppressive comic book fate is the worst.

Final Verdict: 6.5 – Really fun art and the germ of an interesting story about a woman dealing with fate, just wish there was a better structure around it.

Justice League of America #12
Written by Steve Orlando
Illustrated by Ivan Reis
Colored by Marcelo Maiolo
Lettered by Clayton Cowles

After spending so many story-arcs centered around macho, high-powered villains that are mismatched for the team, “Justice League of America” #12 finally kicks off the journey into the microverse to search for Ray Palmer. The issue even features the triumphant return of the artist that kicked off the series: Ivan Reis! Reis’ grandiose penciled matched with Steve Orlando’s dedication to checking back with each member of the team finally showed how this comic can be quirky but tense and intriguing at the same time. Orlando highlights recent developments of each team member, really showing how they have lives and hobbies off-panel. This characterization is thoughtful and well implemented for each cast member. Orlando continues to mine the incredible dynamic between Batman and Lobo before zipping into some much needed personal time with characters like Ray Terrill.

Of course, the comic is still centered around Ryan Choi’s search for Ray Palmer. It is very interesting to consider how DC has committed to Palmer’s lab-based characterization that set the series apart from DC CW television Universe that features a heavy Palmer emphasis. Watching Choi science around with the rest of the team gives this comic a better dynamic than Orlando has introduced in previous issues. Better yet, this comic doesn’t waste time throwing the foot on the gas pedal. The League gets a chance to explore what happened and we get a tease at what’s next for the storyline overall in this comic. If anything was really dragging this incarnation of “Justice League of America” down in the mud over the past few issues it was a lack of focus that this issue finally brings back to the series.

Ivan Reis gets expressive in the issue while doubling-down on the sci-fi tropes that make comics great in the first place. His exploration into the Microverse is mind-numbing while each character boldly stands out from each other, emoting on every panel. Reis’ pencils don’t feel posed here, but better fleshed out and dynamic. A fight scene towards the end of the comic shows some aliens with their mouths gaped open, giving readers the impression that something happened before and after the beautiful page of art. The last page is drawn with all the bombast needed to make readers demand the next issue as as DC can possibly release the book.

This search for Ray Palmer has finally renewed the focus of “Justice League of America” and the entire cast and creative team seem to almost tackle this issue like a soft launch for the series. Characters are reintroduced in their civilian clothes and the entire cast embarks on a huge sci-fi mission that all starts here. The comic is a great place for new readers to jump onto the series and finally becomes an outlet for Orlando to run wild the cast of misfits he assembled for the title in the first place. I couldn’t be happier to jump onto this promising series that finally seems intent on living up to its full potential!

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Final Verdict: 8.0 – “Justice League” #12 is a fresh start for new and old readers addressing a lingering DC Rebirth loose thread!

Riverdale #5
Written by Tessa Leigh Williams and Brian E. Paterson
Illustrated by Thomas Pitilli
Colored by Andre Szymanowicz
Lettered by Janice Chiang
Reviewed by John Schaidler

Other than a brief appearance in the middle by Archie, “Riverdale” #5 focuses exclusively on the loutish ladies’ man Reggie Mantle and lead pussycat, Josie. In theory, that’s not a bad thing. Both Reggie and Josie are well established secondary characters who can easily command our time and attention, given the right story and circumstances.

Unfortunately, this isn’t really it.

First off, the story itself is a bit mundane and predictable, despite balancing some nice moments of subtle humor with interpersonal drama and genuine vulnerability. Reggie becomes obsessed with the beautiful, popular songstress and sets out to win her heart – or at least spend some time with her. Josie continually fends him off until the two find some surprising common ground and share a tender, empathetic moment. In the end, they may not be a couple, but clearly they will be good friends.

It’s a very teenage story about some very teenage characters. In fact, with a few minor tweaks to the script and a more classic visual style, this could easily be a full-length story in the newly revamped “Your Pal Archie” – but it’s not. Instead, it screams the name “Riverdale” on the front cover, implying that this will be a darker, edgier look at Archie Andrews and the gang, in line with the hit TV series. And while the book is vaguely aligned with the show – especially in terms of the updated, more diverse cast – there’s very little “edge” to it at all. Quite the opposite, actually. In fact, it’s rather quaint. So anyone hoping to further explore the dark underbelly of this seemingly idyllic town and the teenagers who live there will be sorely disappointed.

Artistically, the book doesn’t seem to have found its visual identity, either. Obviously, it shouldn’t mimic Dan Parent’s “Your Pal Archie” reboot (with it’s classic, happy-go-lucky feel), but something congruent with Fiona Staples’ or Veronica Fish’s work on “Archie” or Chip Zdarsky’s work on “Jughead” would be nice. Instead, there’s almost no visual continuity with this book and any of the others in the Archie multiverse. It stands completely on its own, separate from all the others.

The line work seems a bit tentative and undecided and the colors seem dingy and murky. To be honest, it starts to feel as though – in order to give the book a “dark” or “serious” tone – colorist Andre Szymanowicz dug into the earthy greens, browns, grays and mauves that are the antithesis of the Archie aesthetic.

Final Verdict: 6.3 The plot and tone of “Riverdale” #5 seem misplaced, as though lifted from a different book in the Archie comics line. Fans of the TV show will likely be disappointed, whereas fans of other Archie books may find it hard to place. Hopefully this book finds its identity soon.

Secret Warriors #5
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Illustrated by Javier Garrón
Colored by Israel Silva
Lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Forrest Sayrs

There is something satisfying about the big, bombastic team book. “Secret Warriors #5” absolutely fits that bill, but there’s a surprising amount of actual storytelling taking place here too. In a book that has felt mostly like a cobbled-together effort to get some more mileage out of Moon Girl and Ms. Marvel, Matthew Roseberg has managed to make something surprisingly compelling: a story that uses a big crossover to reclaim a bunch of characters from other crossovers.

This issue owes a lot to the team chemistry Rosenberg has been establishing from issue #1. The fact that these characters didn’t know each other prior to Secret Empire is a huge asset, because all the internal team conflict comes from a much more organic place, as opposed to the ill-conceived family drama of the current Avengers. It does take the ‘Warriors’ a while to come around to being a ‘team,’ but the payoff is great.

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Speaking of payoff, we get to have our cake and eat it too, because the big team fight scene also includes a timely helping hand from the Avengers. It’s a really good looking spread, making great use of the book’s gunmetal pages to accent colorist Israel Silva’s top-notch flame work. Javier Garrón almost gets to pick up where he left off on “Inhumans vs X-Men,” and the multi-team fight gives him some more space, and power sets, to show off with. It’s just a really fun sequence.

It’s hard for me to articulate how much this issue does to reclaim some characters that have been kind of drifting. Specifically Karnak and Daisy/Skye/Quake, who have both been floundering in the wake of crossovers and other continuity nonsense. The Inhumans in general have needed a better book after the mess of “IvX.” After reading #5, I think “Secret Warriors” might just be that better book.

Final Verdict: 8.5 An extremely satisfying, classic comic story that leaves the door open for great things to come.

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #11
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Kev Walker
Inked by Marc Deering
Colored by Antonio Fabela
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Reviewed by Matt Lune

It’s safe to say that Aphra has been spinning a lot of plates in her life, which is only appropriate for an archaeologist/smuggler running from the Empire. While it’s absolutely a case of Aphra losing the sense of control and calm composure she seems to crave, it’s satisfying for us as readers to see the consequences of her actions. Gillen is doing a great job in this arc of allowing the personal motivations of every character to flow in a way that seems logical and natural, while converging a number of long-simmering plot points into a well paced and enjoyable issue.

Doctor Aphra has been holding a high stakes, low profile black market auction for the sale of the ancient Jedi A.I. she lifted in the first arc of the series. Last issue saw this A.I. hijack the body of a killer droid and run amok, continuing that rampage here. Simultaneously, Gillen is proving he’s more adept at spinning multiple plates than Aphra is, as her own killer droids – fan favorites Beetee and Triple-zero – have been circumventing her orders in a wonderfully fun dance, which sees them defy her specific instructions and betray her to the Empire, all while not technically disobeying her. As a fan of those twisted takes on R2 and threepio, it’s extremely gratifying seeing them service the ongoing narrative whilst remaining nothing but true to themselves.

With so much going on, artists Kev Walker takes the reigns on this issue and produces an exciting and thrilling chapter of the story. The entire auction has devolved into chaos at this point, with all of the separate smugglers, thieves and murderers trying to escape, kill each other or kill Aphra. This means that, with a lot going on, it’d be easy to get lost. Walker, however, not only manages to maintain a clarity of action across the page, but the choreography from one panel to the next is superb and incorporates such a disparate cast of characters that it’s a testament to his skill that he makes the book so engaging and understandable throughout.

Gillen’s taken the “Doctor Aphra” series in a fun direction so far, and this issue is further proof of concept. It’s refreshing to find a book so thoroughly committed to an old fashioned sense of adventure, and in this arc, Gillen is adding a weighty sense of responsibility to Aphra’s journey. Since the beginning of this series she’s had to face the fact that running away from her past isn’t exactly working. It’s always been with a sense that she’s in control of her present, though, but even that is taken from her in this arc. Still, if that sounds like a downer, take heart that with Walker’s thrilling art and Gillen’s old-school sense of “Indiana Jones” style adventure, the series keeps itself elevated above the darker “Darth Vader” book where Aphra found her origins. There’s also an ominous cliffhanger to cap off this issue that promises a confrontation that’s been a long time coming.

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Final Verdict: 7.5 A lot of Aphra’s decisions are coming back to haunt her in this issue, and the payoff is satisfying.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X #2
Written by Ulises Farinas and Erick Freitas
Illustrated and coloured by Michael Dialynas
Lettered by Shawn Lee
Reviewed by Frida Keränen

The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X” miniseries is delightfully digging into the wilder sci-fi aspects of the Turtles universe. In the first issue the green heroes visited a planet with emotion-based physics, which was pretty innovative. This time, they meet General Krang’s ex-soldier Anemon on a beautiful planet populated by beasts resembling deep sea fish.

Artist and colourist Michael Dialynas does a great job with this issue. The light and glowing pastel colouring is really what conveys that the setting is supposed to be very beautiful like the characters say, while the artwork itself focuses a bit more on the characters. IDW Turtles has had many side characters of the “cute little critter” type, and this issue has one too, in the form of the eye-like creature Eymo. Both Anemon and Eymo are fun character designs. The page layouts are pretty basic but work well.

Plot-wise this tie-in issue isn’t very important to the happenings of the main “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” title, but it’s a good story by two writers who don’t have a lot of experience with this universe. The interactions between the Turtles are a delight to read, even though this isn’t an issue focusing on their relationships with each other. On the other hand, Kala and Zak feel like pretty useless characters in this mini-series since all they do here is drive the ninja teens around with their ship and don’t even have any lines in this issue.

The biggest flaw in the writing is that the inspired speeches at the end of the issue feel a bit awkwardly ham-fisted, even though they are about important themes. Otherwise the issue wraps up well with a fresh twist about the relationship between Anemon and the Eymo creature that I didn’t expect at all.

Final verdict: – 8.0 A nice little story with good art for anyone who likes the sci-fi facet of Turtles.

The Unsound #3
Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated and Colored by Jack T. Cole
Lettered by Jim Campbell
Reviewed by Nicholas Palmieri

How should you react when a comic engages you, when there’s haunting art and quality scenes, but you can’t see the point? When the comic is a good read in the moment, but beyond the moment doesn’t amount to much? That’s the situation I’m in with “The Unsound” right now.

Bunn’s script brings us from strange scene to strange scene, nicely paced so we can fully experience each moment. He likes to introduce simple rules to the strange worlds we enter, which bump up the tension as characters do or don’t obey them: make sure you don’t remove the mask! Beyond these moments, though, I don’t see the overall point to the story. Why should I care? Yes, people are dying, and there’s a secret to the hospital that we’re uncovering, but why does any of that matter to the reader?

Cole, who is fully in charge of “The Unsound”’s visual duties, gives every moment a life of its own. In the issue’s opening scene, his coloring turns his already physics-defying fantasy dimension into something downright extraordinary, the alternating beige and pink and lime-green Escher-like structures contrasting against the grayish-purple background. His character designs are expressive enough that we can read more on their faces than their word balloons say. At the same time, those designs are concrete enough that when one character starts deflating and razors pour out of his body, the scene comes off as aptly horrific. Each scene gets its due, far beyond anything Bunn could have described in his script.

And again, we’re back to that script. A big part of my issue with “The Unsound” probably has to do with the number of characters introduced in such a short amount of time, such that the scenes of horror have been given precedence over development that could have endeared us to the characters more. Without that anchor, though, “The Unsound” leaves behind some fascinating art and odd scenes that never mean as much as they could.

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Final Verdict: 6.5 – A collection of fantastic visuals and engaging scenes that never personally connect.

The Wicked + The Divine #30
Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Jamie McKelvie
Colored by Matthew Wilson
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Elias Rosner

One of my favorite parts of any Kieron Gillen work is the transparency with which he works. Between the backmatter and his newsletter, you can glean a lot of insight into the way he creates his comics and how much of a formalist he is; case and point, this month’s pretty dark issue of “The Wicked + The Divine.”

Now, tonally, it’s pretty much on par with the rest of the Imperial Phase – filled with dry, British humor (like the break-point text reading “NO REST FOR THE DIVINE TOO”) self-righteous and arrogant gods, and a looming sense of unease. However, instead of being bathed in Matt Wilson’s beautiful neons, half the comic is spent in the dark, all the colors muted to be different shades of grey and blue. It’s an issue that feels like the calm before the storm, although the metatextual reason for this (if Kieron is to be believed) is that he agreed to set this issue in darkness as recompense for the large amounts of 9 panel grids he forced Jamie to draw in prior issues.

Even though we sit through most of the issue in darkness, McKelvie does a great job of making those scenes clear. There is no background to act as grounding for the conversation between Dionysus and Morrigan so all we’re left with is their positioning. It could have been so easy to make these panels confusing and static but Jamie makes the most of them. He keeps the characters dynamic, even though Dio doesn’t move much, and focuses in on the character interaction and their facial expressions, paying close attention to the distance between the Dio and the forms of Morrigan as well as Baphomet.

We also learn more about Baphomet and, behind the smile always half hidden in darkness, we get to see a broken man stuck in a dark, dark place (both literally and figuratively). We’ve reached the point in the arc where things’ll start ramping up so the respite here to build our characters outside of the main plot is welcome.

One other moment that stuck out to me is the ending of the issue. If memory serves, it’s the first time we’ve seen Persephone cry. The Imperial Phase has been characterized by this anger bubbling underneath the surface and it’s telling that here, the angriest character up until this point, cries, while all the rest act out of their anger. It ends this issue on a note that makes me worry (in a good way) for what is coming next.

Final Verdict: 7.9. Wicked and Divine continues to be consistently great and is fast approaching what I believe will be an explosive and bloody conclusion to this arc.


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