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 Blue Flame #4
Written by Christopher Cantwell
Illustrated by Adam Gorham
Colored by Kurt Michael Russe
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane Elhaou
Reviewed by Conor Spielberg
The conflict shown in “The Blue Flame” stifles the optimism often associated with science fiction and superhero genre and asks if humanity is worth saving at all. Strangely, these complex and difficult questions make the issue all the more optimistic. This optimism pushing through the pessimism is shown in Adam Gorham’s design of the Blue Flame in comparison to Sam recovering physically and emotionally traumatised from a mass shooting. Adding to this is Kurt Michael Russe’s bright coloring when off planet compared to the duller, depressing tones we see on Earth.
The opening page shows the mass shooting in blotchy gutters that obscure the traumatic images and makes the reader feel like they are about to pass out. The second page shows Sam wallowing in a graveyard with mountains of text listing off all of the names of the victims of the shooting. Hassan Otsmane Elhaou makes Sam look like he is being swarmed by their names while the reader’s sense of pacing is slowed down to this one moment and feel the longevity of it.
Much like the opening two pages, this comic feels like the entire creative team is getting the opportunity to do quality work in order to elevate that story being told on each and every page. The contrast of Sam being forced to defend humanity against advanced alien species, while we are shown Sam at his most disillusioned, questioning if there is any good in humanity, leaves the reader with a sense of impending dread. Yet Christopher Cantwell reinforces that despite Sam’s cynical attitude, he is still a heroic character at heart. Even more impressive is that the physical conflict is the least compelling part of a superhero comic
Final Verdict: 8.2 – Stellar work from all involved. The book is critical of the genres it emulates while clearly having a fondness for them.
King Spawn #1
Written by Sean Lewis and Todd McFarlane
Illustrated by Javi Fernandez, Stephen Segovia, Marcio Takara, Philip Tan, and Brett Booth
Colored by FCO Plascencia, Andrew Dalhouse, Marcelo Maiolo, Peter Seigerwald, and Dave McCaig
Lettered by Andworld Design and Tom Orzechowki
Reviewed by Henry Finn
King-Sized might be a more apt title for “King Spawn” #1, the long-awaited evolution of the Spawn Universe launched by Todd McFarlane many moons ago. More of an anthology than a single-issue, we are treated to five stories that allow both new and old readers to find something they like. Along with McFarlane comes a stable of top-notch artists to help expand his universe in a way that fits McFarlane’s voice and aesthetic seamlessly.
Writers Sean Lewis and McFarlane tackle the title story together in a way that feels organic and true to the character. What stands out in this issue is how quickly they turn up the stakes, kicking off the plot with a mass school bombing that lets you know that the evil that Spawn is facing is at a magnitude not seen before. It’s a bold proclamation of the new era to Spawn’s Universe that seems to be pushing the boundaries and reminding the faithful followers that going bigger doesn’t mean they’re sacrificing what makes Spawn unique in comics. The panels are filled with unapologetic darkness, both in tone and with some of the violence depicted.
Main artist Javi Fernandez establishes the tone by thoughtfully laying out his panels to maximize the script’s pacing. A key moment such as the school blowing up starts with a splash-page of the explosion, followed by 6 panels stretching out the moment. We see the blast from a bird’s-eye view and then up close in intimate detail, freezing and zooming in on horrific details such as children’s drawings flying in the wind to make sure we understand the stakes. It creates a sense of urgency to Spawn’s quest for vengeance.
Continued belowThe backup stories are complete and full of life as well, which makes this book feel more like a well-curated anthology rather than a main A story with extra material just to keep us busy. What is great about these shorts are that the writing and the art all perfectly compliment each other so that every story feels part of a larger tapestry of darkness. Each story takes a different route in the format of their storytelling, for instance “Haunt” jumps through time showing the titular hero learning the hard way the pain of trusting the wrong person, best shown as a before and after scenario. “Nightmare” provides us a glimpse into a secret world, a moment we are witness to before being ushered out into the street. “The Hero” presents a classic linear gothic horror story with a twist reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe. “Gunslinger” is more of a summary accompanied by a narration that provides exposition, giving new fans a chance to imagine a bigger backstory.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – A beautiful way to kick off the ongoing Spawn Universe and deserves a look from new and old fans alike.
Spider-Man: Life Story Annual #1
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Penciled by Mark Bagley
Inked by Andrew Hennessy
Colored by Matt Milla
Lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham
Reviewed by Alexander Jones
It is always fascinating when writers in superhero comics have characters that they love to return to over a long career. Author Chip Zdarsky has shown a love of Newspaper Publisher J. Jonah Jameson for a couple of years now. Zdarsky’s Jameson fascination paid off in “Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man” #6 with artist Michael Walsh. Zdarsky is returning to his “Spider-Man: Life Story” mini-series for a brand new one-shot starring Jameson. The harrowing twists and turns throughout the issue will intrigue new and old Spider readers. Jameson goes through a lot in this issue which serves as an excellent companion piece to the mini-series. Artist Mark Bagley is back with Zdarsky to add something special to the ‘Life Story’ imprint Marvel is cultivating.
Mark Bagley does not romanticize Zdarsky’s dark script. Bagley leans into the personal trauma and gives Jameson and his friends harrowing expressions. Bagley’s art is not quite perfect. Bagley’s faces are too similar between the various men in the issue. Readers might have a hard time telling characters apart if they were just referencing faces alone. Bagley’s page structures are also too conventional considering his vast amount of experience at Marvel. Bagley is more ambitious here as an artist compared to his past material. Bagley has shown improvement here, illustrating that he has the ability to tell a more restrained story with this level of confidence.
Jameson’s character is examined in a lot of depth throughout this issue. Zdarsky explores Jameson’s darkest thoughts and fears through his sobering internal monologue. In addition, the harsh conversations Jameson has with the supporting cast members in his life show where his shortcomings are as a person. Zdarsky gives Jameson so much inner conflict that readers can’t help but feel bad with Jameson while lamenting the bad ideas that led him down his new life experience. The biggest shame of “Spider-Man: Life Story Annual” #1 is that it eclipses the entire main series and will be heralded by me as one of the most exciting comics Marvel has published under Zdarsky’s name.
Final Verdict: 8.7 – “Spider-Man: Life Story Annual” #1 is able to capture an entire lifetime of a Spider-Man supporting cast member with a refreshing level of honesty.
Syphon #2
Plotted by Mohsen Ashraf
Written by Patrick Meaney & Mohsen Ashraf
Illustrated by Jeff Edwards
Colored by John Kalisz
Lettered by Troy Peteri
Reviewed by Alexander Manzo
“Syphon” #2 is an issue where the main character, Sylas, is beginning to learn the truth about his powers and the strength that it takes to both carry them and use them correctly. Patrick Meaney and Mohsen Ashraf’s character has good intentions of relieving others of their pain, but hasn’t figured out how to take care of himself. By meeting Antonion, a man who not only knows of his powers but offers to help teach him to harness them, it feels like perfect timing. The truth of the situation is more along the lines of Antonion stalking the powers and finding an easy target like Sylas to hopefully manipulate him into stealing people’s joy and happiness, so long as it means making a profit. Meaney and Ashraf have put Sylas in a situation where he must figure out what he feels is right and necessary; it’s a chance for the reader to figure out if they will root for Sylas or be against him. The writers have done an excellent job of putting his personal life on the back burner of priorities, so he’s usually lashing out at those he loves or works with.
Continued belowThe art by Jeff Edwards and colors by John Kalisz are an excellent collaboration for this magical superpowered themed story. Every page is filled with so much detail with background or detailed images from the characters’ pasts, but it’s never overcrowded or too much for the reader. The club scene in the story is exciting because of the angle of Sylas and Antonion that has the reader focused solely on the two characters rather than seeing the details of the hectic club. As it progresses, we see a few other characters, but it’s that decision only to show so much keeps the reader focused on what the team wants them to see.
The color choices by Peteri make the images really come to life when Sylas is using his powers and its bright blue hue catches the eye of the reader. Throughout the story, this mystical magical element would not be as successful without the color choices to take it right off the pages.
Final Verdict: 8.7 – It was on the shorter end and seemed to progress rather quickly but still very enjoyable and helping establish character motivation and moving the story along.
Winter Guard #1
Written by Ryan Cady
Illustrated by Djibril Morissette-Phan and Jan Bazaldua
Colored by Feredico Blee
Lettered by VC’s Ariana Maher
Reviewed by Brian Salvatore
Marvel’s fun with Russian superheroes is well documented, and with the recent success of Black Widow, it’s not a surprise that the Winter Guard are getting their own miniseries. The first issue splits its time between the United States and Russia, to show both a Winter Guard story and the fallout from said story. Told in a non-linear fashion, the book attempts to set a mystery and let it play out over four issues.
The difficult is that the mystery is nowhere near the most interesting thing about the title. Ryan Cady has a really good sense for how to translate these characters from Cold War creations to the modern age, and each character the reader spends a little time with gets less and less clichéd as time goes on. There are opportunities to tell nuanced stories with these characters, but with half the first issues’ running time spent on Avengers business, characters come and go without time to fully invest in their stories or develop their characters much. And so, when one (or more) of them fall, it doesn’t have the emotional impact that it should.
The bulk of the issue is illustrated by Jan Bazaldua, and the work is dynamic and fun, but lacks a certain level of uniqueness, both in terms of setting and costume design. I’d have loved to see Bazaldua had leaned a little more on making the Winter Guard characters stand out a bit from their Western counterparts. When working with a group like this, there’s every opportunity to turn up the silliness or oddity of costume design, and the book plays it fairly straight, sadly. That said, Bazaldua’s work is more compelling than the prequel story by Djibril Morissette-Phan, which is much more of a paint-by-numbers story, visually, with little flair.
Final Verdict: 5.8 – There’s a lot of fun here, but as long as it is bogged down in the Avengers and the look of American heroes, it remains a less than thrilling read.
