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Wrapping Wednesday: Micro Reviews for the Week of 08/26/2020

By | August 31st, 2020
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.

Batman: Three Jokers #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Jason Fabok
Colored by Brad Anderson
Lettered by Rob Leigh
Reviewed by Gregory Ellner

It has been roughly four years since the revelation of there being three different Jokers. Quite a lot has happened in the DC Universe in the interim… but let’s just ignore that for now, turning back time to deal with a very different Gotham City, a very different Batfamily threat. Devoid of the intervening context of the years since his “Justice League” run, Geoff Johns crafts an interesting mystery involving three different takes on the Joker. The intrigue of different characters having varying levels of information on the Joker, coupled with their different, yet similar, experiences with him, helps to tell the first part of this miniseries swiftly and effectively.

Jason Fabok’s highly detailed and excellent artwork is on full display for “Batman: Three Jokers” #1. This expertise is perhaps best shown in the opening pages, where there is a multitude of close-ups on various wounds to Batman’s body side-by-side with the incidents that caused them. Despite the Caped Crusader’s calm demeanor, the bites, slices, and burns are disturbingly visceral, very definitely showing what a decades-long fight against supervillainy can do to a human being. His use of facial expressions, from Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon’s respective anger to the calm seriousness of one Joker as contrasted against the over-the-top, almost jolly act put on by two others, helps to set the stage for how each person deals with the emerging threat of three different joke-based criminals all at the same time.

Working hand-in-hand with Fabok, Brad Anderson’s colors are used just as well as they were in the likes of Johns’s “Justice League” and “Doomsday Clock,” having been further refined to a style associated with Gotham City in the “Batman: Earth One” graphic novels. Colors are put together in a way that helps add a liveliness to the goings-on of a Gotham night, while still showcasing a very dour outlook by the city’s protectors themselves.

Final Verdict: 8.0 – If one can get past the fact that this story is very much of a different era and connected to elements long-since abandoned, there is an interesting, relatively fast-paced tale to be told.

Canto II: The Hollow Men #1
Written by David M. Booher
Illustrated by Drew Zucker
Colored by Vittorio Astone
Lettered by Deron Bennett
Reviewed by Jodi Odgers

The first volume of “Canto” was the story of one mechanical knight’s journey to save the one that he loved. From the beginning of “Canto II: The Hollow Men” #1, the scope is much wider. The ever-charming protagonist returns, resplendent with companions, a people who adore him, and a quest to save them all.

“Canto II: The Hollow Men” #1 evokes the feeling of a lost tome of folklore, as well as its preceding arc, did. It begins with a brief retelling of the major events of “Canto”, delivered both through a more neutral, historic lens and an emboldened tale spun to inspire all with Canto’s bold, heroic acts. This instantly breathes life into the book and reminds new and returning readers alike about what they need to know from Canto’s first adventure. We then are reunited with Canto and meet his colorful cast of compatriots before the issue wraps up by setting up the noble quest that Canto and his friends will have to complete to maintain their new-found freedom in New Arcadia.

Drew Zucker’s art for “Canto II: The Hollow Men” #1 serves to further draw readers in. The design of Canto and his people remains both as unique and as timeless as it was in the first arc. There can be some visual confusion about who is who in more brisk scenes due to the fact that all of the clockwork characters are molded from the same core design, but Zucker and colorist Vittorio Astone ease this somewhat by giving each of the major party members their own color scheme and unique visual traits.

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“Canto II: The Hollow Men” #1 serves as a welcome return to Canto’s world, and solid set-up for the rest of the arc. The art and writing are heart-warming as ever, and the larger scale adds deeper implications for the events of this arc, at the cost of a little of the strong emotional connection to characters that the narrower focus of the first volume of “Canto”. I eagerly await the next chapter in the adventures of the most heroic hunk of metal in all of New Arcadia.

Final Verdict: 8.3 – Canto returns with friends and a new, grander adventure in an issue filled with introductions and re-introductions.

Daredevil Annual #1
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Penciled by Manuel Garcia
Inked by LeBeau Underwood
Flashback Art by Chris Mooneyham
Colored by Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Alec Frazier

“Daredevil Annual” #1 has missed the mark. It completely changes the origin of this famous character, all the while adding needless clutter to an otherwise superb backstory.

This issue hardly focuses on Daredevil at all. Instead, it focuses on Matt Murdock’s brother Mike, who had been accidentally created by the Inhuman Reader in Daredevil #606. Mike has fallen into criminal tendencies and seeks the answers to a past that does not even exist. The character of Mike Murdock started off as a joke in the early Daredevil comics of the 1960s. A poorly-written gag, Mike was an alternate identity created by Matt Murdock to throw his coworkers off of the suspicion that he was Daredevil. In the previously mentioned issue, the Reader looks into Daredevil’s memories and past and accidentally creates Mike Murdock as a complete person. What had started off as a poor joke now becomes a rather tasteless reality. Daredevil Annual #1 makes things much worse, by enabling Mike Murdock to claim a past of his own and giving him validity within the Marvel universe. What ultimate purpose does this serve? It only seems to make character and plot dynamics unnecessarily complex. Mike Murdock is far from the only problem with Daredevil Annual #1: the issue also bluntly and needlessly retcons a number of other issues, such as Matt Murdock’s past with his family, friends, and neighbors, and his history with the Owl.

The art of Daredevil Annual #1 is rather superb despite the story it tells. The lines are bold and powerful, and the shading is quite decent. There are even echoes of the superb work of Joe Quesada in his work in the flawless “Daredevil: Father”. There is also a great degree of similarity to the work of Lee Weeks, Michael Lark, Stefano Gaudiano during the Ed Brubaker run on the Daredevil comics. One gets the feeling that if the artists were paired with Daredevil Annual #1 different and more nuanced writers, the content would improve significantly.

“Daredevil Annual” #1 comes across as a rather shocking violation of the pre-existing trust the reader has given the creative team. There are still ways to rectify these issues, but they become much more unlikely and far-fetched. Then again, the idea of Mike Murdock ever being a real person once seemed an impossibility…

Final Verdict: 4.3 – Quality art, but a story that suffers from a large amount of retconning and violation of the source material.

Doctor Tomorrow #5
Written by Alejandro Arbona
Illustrated by Jim Towe
Colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Hayden Mears

Bart Simms is an incredibly typical protagonist, and that actually ends up working in his development’s favor. As the youngest iteration of multiverse hopper Doctor Tomorrow, the Bart we’re acquainted with has tons to learn, and writer Alejandro Arbona and artist Jim Towe remain committed to making his journey as valuable for readers as it is for him. And with “Doctor Tomorrow” #5, the pair delivers a final issue that’s more than worth the protracted build-up.

The finale finds an older, heroically refined Bart facing off against his villainous alternate self, the one who tires of heroics and leans into his darker inclinations. Sound vaguely familiar? Well, it may be, but that doesn’t make what Towe and Arbona delivered any less impressive.

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Towe keeps pace with Arbona’s brisk script without neglecting any of its emotional beats, showcasing an efficiency that’s as apparent in his art as it is in “Doctor Tomorrow”’s overall approach. Arbona moves quickly and effectively, and Towe is more than equipped to keep up. His panels prioritize reaction over action, a creative choice that the story’s breathless pacing actually necessitates rather than complicates. His art is fairly minimalistic, with uniformly smooth faces and softly-drawn expressions. And that transitions smoothly into the next point: Emotion is the centerpiece of every panel, and it’s through his focus on Bart’s facial expressions and emotional reactions that Towe is able to communicate the book’s intrinsic tenderness. Arbona almost has to keep up with him. But together, they make a solid team.

As fun as it is, “Doctor Tomorrow” #5 occasionally restrains itself where it shouldn’t and suffers for it. Despite Towe doing his damnedest to paint a menacing picture, the villain never feels worth taking seriously. The impact of the final battle doesn’t wind us as much as we wanted it to, which is forgivable considering the focus here is on our Bart, not that dastardly copy from a universe we barely see.

Flaws aside, “Doctor Tomorrow” #5 is a series-capper made better not by its payoffs, but by its promises. Arbona and Towe have set a precedent with this heavy-hitting 5-issue series, and it will be interesting to see how other creators honor this vow to keep telling great “Doctor Tomorrow” stories.

Final Verdict: 6.5 – With “Doctor Tomorrow” #5, Arbona and Towe craft a strong, stirring, and occasionally uneven finale that’s as emotive as it is action-packed.

Locke & Key: …In Pale Battalions Go… #1
Written by Joe Hill
Illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez
Colored by Jay Fotos
Lettered by Shawn Lee
Reviewed by Elias Rosner

The Locke family kinda sucks y’all. I don’t mean that the characters are poorly written or that their story is uninteresting. No, I mean they’re all garbage people. OK, maybe I should rephrase that. The men/boys of the Locke family suck eggs. Father Locke (Chamberlin) is deeply misogynistic and paternalistic and controlling of his family’s actions in the name of “protection” while Son Locke (John) is manipulative and callous, willing to use the keys in some pretty invasive ways on his family. It’s a wonder the Locke family even survived until the generation explored in the first series.

“In Pale Battalions Go” is the start of, what I presume is, ‘World War Key,’ an arc long-teased from Hill & Rodriguez as a return to the world of “Locke & Key.” Thus far, this issue has done what all follow-ups need to do admirably: justify its own existence. Rodriguez’s art and paneling would be enough on its own if I’m being honest, clearly the work of someone who knows how to enrich every panel without cluttering them, ensuring the backgrounds are full and solid and the foreground characters lively and meaningful. Fotos’ coloring adds a soft touch to this Great War-era world, refusing to wash it out but also ensuring that it remains grounded, save for the occasional touch of magic, which pops and crackles with a thin, otherworldly color.

“Locke & Key” is like a finely tuned clock and while I can point to every piece, like Lee’s lettering and the care he takes to frame the panels with his balloons, allowing figures and the words they’re saying to breathe, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. I just hope Hill can do better by his female characters, giving them more agency than here. Mother Locke (Fiona) and Sister Locke (Jean) do little, the former literally having it taken away, leaving us to wonder if Jean’s protestation of choosing to write the letter is real or manufactured. It’s not a great look but one issue is not enough to judge the whole. Plus, it firmly establishes just how much I want to see John learn a hard lesson.

As for satisfying newcomers and former fans alike, there is enough revealed and enough concealed that both will want to know more. The world already had me from the previous series while the characters are (mostly) new, making it an exciting reading experience even as I have quibbles about whether or not I want to follow this garbage child as he runs away to fight a war with weapons he does not understand. Weapons that want to be wielded, in the hands of someone who wants to wield their power without a sound reason why just a vague notion of “destroying the enemy.”

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That’s a dangerous prospect. The promise of exploring that idea is one I am looking forward to, however.

Final Verdict: 8.0 – “Locke & Key” is back and never looked so good. The story may be just getting started but it has firmly established why it should exist. For a series as tight as the original, that should be commended.

Suicide Squad #8
Written by Tom Taylor
Pencils by Daniel Sampere
Colored by Adriano Lucas
Lettered by Wes Abbot
Reviewed by Quinn Tassin

BREAKING NEWS: Tom Taylor’s incredible run on “Suicide Squad” keeps pace with its eighth issue. “Suicide Squad #8” is maybe the most simple, straightforward issue we’ve seen so far and it doesn’t pack quite the same foot-on-the-petal, relentless energy of the issues preceding it, we’re still talking about Tom Taylor here. With issue 8, we get the story of Wink and The Aerie. It’s all a classic “girl gets experiments on and gets powers,” “girl meets another girl with powers,” “girls stage escape from the island where they’re being experimented on” plotline. All joking aside, the issue’s simplicity is certainly its weak point. While it’s nice to get more attached to these characters and there’s a smooth tie-in to the major arc, it’s also not necessarily a uniquely compelling narrative and the rest of the series has been.

Daniel Sampere’s got the DC house style down pat in his pencils and I say that in the best way possible. Art like his is exactly the type the exemplifies why house style exists- when executed well, it’s dynamic and fun and lends itself to comics incredibly well. Adriano Lucas’s colors blend perfectly with Sempere’s pencils, bringing the whole issue even more life. The (successful) island escape stands as a particularly exciting sequence; the fighter jet explosion/explosive kiss double whammy being the most effective moment in the issue by far.

“Suicide Squad #8” is decidedly a filler issue. Plot developments that could easily be covered in far less time are drawn out and we really don’t move far forward overall. But this is a filler issue of the best variety; it makes us feel closer to our characters and more importantly- it’s very very good.

Final Verdict: 8.0- “Suicide Squad #8” is just about everything that one could want out of an interlude

X-Factor #2
Written by Leah Williams
Illustrated by David Baldeon
Colored by Israel Silva
Lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Reviewed by Alexander Jones

There’s so much going on in the X-Men Universe that it can be hard for readers to keep up with every new development and series. Despite the vast amount of comic book spin-offs currently in the line, “X-Factor” is carving out a separate space shockingly well. The sophomore issue of the series avoids a slump and brings “X-Factor” to an unexpected new direction. Author Leah Williams ties Aurora into the back of the story with an interesting plot device. Williams takes the time to explore what her introduction back into the team means for the rest of the cast while easing this new incarnation of “X-Factor” into a familiar X-Men setting. The issue has a relatively large cast of characters that have unique personalities and it is surprising to consider how successfully Williams is able to juggle the roster of heroes.

David Baldeon’s art has the right energy for the issue but the wrong level of precision. His characters are wonderfully expressive but the anatomy on the figures is lacking detail. A lot of the female characters have the same kinds of expressions and facial characteristics as well. The colors from Israel Silva bring the issue down slightly as well. The shades on Krakoa keep the mysticism of the setting intact but the hues on character clothes specifically expose some of the blemishes in Baldeon’s art. While the execution may not be there in some instances, I really appreciate the complicated page layouts and some of the posing and staging on-panel. It is also really fascinating to see how Krakoa can accommodate an art style like Baldeon without losing a sense of identity.

Even with the visual inconsistencies of the issue, I still have no reservations about recommending “X-Factor” #2. The plot is dense and adds something to the overall Krakoa narrative while keeping a sense of identity for “X-Factor” itself. Leah Williams crafts an incredibly busy script with a fan-favorite X-Villain that will get fans talking. The way some of the individual characters still acknowledge continuity and their relationships is very impressive. I really like the more animated approach to the art but the colors suited Baldeon’s line better. The diverse set of the story also makes this title feel different from the other books in the line. In future issues, I would like to see the story keep the same tone while continuing to refine the visual direction.

Final Verdict: 7.5 – “X-Factor” #2 is a well-written title with some visual inconsistencies holding the quality back.


//TAGS | Wrapping Wednesday

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