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.
Titans: Beast World #1
Written by Tom Taylor
Illustrated by Ivan Reis
Inked by Danny Miki
Colored by Brad Anderson
Lettered by Wes Abbott
Reviewed by Quinn Tassin
“Titans: Beast World” #1 is a prime example of opening an event with a bang. In an industry that was recently plagued by frequent ostensibly universe-rocking miniseries, this issue packs multiple issues worth of high-stakes, large-scale, action-packed storytelling into the introductory chapter off “Beast World.” The issue does admirable work balancing the ongoing threads and tone from the main “Titans” series with some of the more clean slate demands off an event while delivering a huge amount of story very quickly.
The scale of the threat is immediately clear- One of Saturn’s moons, Titan, is a prison for a bigger, badder version of Starro that Starfire’s planet once fought. Brother Blood has a scheme to set it free and conquer earth. The Titans lead the superheroes of the DC Universe to hold it off, while Beast Boy takes on Starro form so he can take the super-evil conqueror down himself. All of this happens at a break-neck pace that certainly leaves every non-Titan in the lurch, character-wise, but it’s almost too fast to notice. The beats focusing on Dick’s leadership, Beast Boy and Raven’s relationship, and the Titans’ new standing in the universe are solid enough that you can excuse it all.
Also, it helps that it’s all awesome. Ivan Reis is a veteran at illustrating big DC events and he can handle the scale of this issue easily. The writing is competent but it’d probably feel a lot more thin without the very capable art team flexing its muscles so much. That spread of Garro is breathtaking, full of small, careful details, and can genuinely only be described as epic. The issue is full of moments that would demand full pages in another comic and that level of care is brought to each panel in “Titans: Beast World” #1. Be it Shazam fighting Wonder Woman, the heroes fighting the other star conqueror, or the protection of people on the ground, the visuals of this issue are constantly impressive, engaging, and exciting.
There are certainly moments where “Titans: Beast World” #1 falters. Brother Blood’s Church of Eternity speech starts out with an interesting angle, applying the way that bad actors use nihilism to turn people toward their causes. Wealth inequality, climate change, and artificial intelligence all get name dropped as he describes a plan to colonize Titan. But then, things quickly pivot to evil in a way that makes it hard to get why things were framed that way in the first place. That same issue comes up in the Titans-led meeting, where Batman starts to step in, only to immediately fold when he gets pushback. It makes sense that this would happen, but in context it doesn’t actually feel emotionally impactful or necessary.
The end of the issue is where the “Beast World” of it all really starts to make sense. After winning the battle, it becomes clear that the war is very much still being waged. A comically evil (no pun intended) character named Doctor Hate appears, wipes Gar’s mind, and uses his Garro abilities to send mini-Garros to infect the people of Earth and turn them into anthropomorphic beings. The purpose of the move is unclear but Lion Black Adam is definitely cool to look at. In terms of character and plot, the sequence is a bit tough to evaluate. It’s rushed and where Gar’s mind-wipe should be devastating, the whole thing is so sudden that you’re asking questions more than you’re processing what’s happening (especially about the Amanda Waller name drop). Garro’s invasion, too, is nearly-frightening, but it’s so fast that it’s hard to completely appreciate.
Continued belowFinal Verdict: 7.4- “Titans: Beast World” #1 is commendable for its sheer ambition but it’s missing some of the fine details that could make it truly great
X-Men Blue: Origins #1
Written by Si Spurrier
Illustrated by Wilton Santos and Marcus To
Inked by Oren Junior and Marcus To
Colored by Ceci De La Cruz
Lettered by Joe Caramagna
Reviewed by Gregory Ellner
Rewriting origin stories can be a losing battle in the best of times. Things get muddied, characters’ personalities warped into completely different people, and more. However, with the revision of Nightcrawler’s origins under the writing of Si Spurrier, those problems are nothing to worry about. Barring the aggravating narration by the small Bamf (who is completely irrelevant to the entirety of “X-Men Blue: Origins” #1 in the first place), the rewrites are rather true to the character of Mystique and others around her, even taking cues that drive her closer to what her creator, Chris Claremont, had intended in the first place. The tale is enough to wrench or warm hearts, when it is not brutal or otherwise disturbing, and delves into elements of Mystique’s powers that are overlooked far too often, reclassifying her powers in the process by examining how deep her impersonations can go.
The illustrations by Wilton Santos and Marcus To, coupled with the inks by the latter alongside Oren Junior, craft a very emotional experience. With a story harkening back to darker times and delving deeply into trauma, the thick inking helps to draw out the heightened emotional experiences of Raven Darkhölme herself. It is admittedly more difficult to see what her son Nightcrawler is feeling through his Spider-Man-based mask, but the expressiveness of the various human or humanoid faces, with varying degrees of difference from un-powered humans, helps a lot to truly showcase the depth of trauma as much as love.
Ceci De La Cruz’s colors are deep in their use of light and shadow, and especially in the use of various shades of blue. For Mystique and Nightcrawler especially, it is important to get that kind of coloration right, and when coupled with different times of day and varying light situations, along with a vibrant world in general, the result is entrancing and highly intriguing.
Final Verdict: 8.0- An interesting story bringing back to the original intentions of several characters is aided further by amazing artwork and colors.
