Wrapping Wednesday: Micro Reviews for the Week of 08/19/2020

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.

There’s always going to be something appealing about tales of pirates both fictional and real. Pirates represent an idealized version of freedom, daring individuals who turned their backs on the businesses and governments that exploited them. But it was more than that. Pirates represented a certain level of egalitarianism, a place where who you were didn’t matter (as much as regular society.) So long as you could pull your weight, you could find a home on a pirate ship. This is an aspect of pirate life that Stephanie Phillips captures so well in “A Man Among Ye” #2, showing the appeal of becoming a pirate. While it was far from a perfect life, it gave you a chance to become someone different.

The majority of “A Man Among Ye” #2 follows Mary Read as she’s thrown headfirst into a pirate lifestyle she has no intention of joining. But the real meat of the issue is the conversation between her and Anne Bonny as Bonny explains why she became a pirate, running away from a life of marriage and domesticity that she didn’t want. She simply participated because it was expected of her. Bonny isn’t so naive to assume that simply because she’s a pirate, she’s accepted by her crew but she knows that by being tough and quick, she can stay ahead of her cremates. Phillips captures the charisma of Bonny, which is complemented well by the art of Craig Cermak. Bonny is passionate, confident, and a little mischievous all in a few panels, really highlighting what she finds appealing in a pirate lifestyle.

But Bonny isn’t just charismatic and playful, she has an intense side that comes out in the drinking contest with her mutinous crewmember. Cermak and Phillips capture multiple sides of Bonney making her incredibly likable, while simultaneously a threat. But you can see where young Mary is being drawn to the pirate way of life. It’s also not just interior threats, however. Cermak’s art captures the looming threat of a government beginning to take piracy seriously and cracking down on the aquatic thieves. While there are appealing things about being a pirate, there are real consequences for joining a crew. But, as the pirate king Charles Vane says, “you can’t hang our freedom.”

Final Verdict: 8.8 – “A Man Among Ye” #2 does an excellent job developing Anne Bonny’s character and expanding the world of pirates through strong writing and character design.

The moment I saw Jorge Molina’s gorgeous cover, I knew I wanted to pick up this issue. Is Carol’s little Accuser Corps as epic as I hoped for? Not really…but they’re alright, I guess. The costume color swap and glow in the dark hammers are fun novelties. It is nice to see Carol reach out to friends/supporting cast when she’s in a pinch. Asking for help from your fellow superheroes will always be more interesting than insisting you go it alone. At the same time though, it felt like nothing of significance really happened.

Hulkling reacts to the new Accusers. They charge into battle against some robots and mechs. The ‘mystery’ investigation, though it was never much of a mystery, is quickly resolved. Lauri-ell gets into some Earth hijinks. Roll credits.

The fight scenes aren’t bad. It’s pretty fun to see Hazmat creatively using her power because everyone else is content to just hit things and shoot energy blasts. Cory Smith makes sure they look good doing it though. This issue has solid visuals. My favorite panels were probably of Carol striking a Kree Sentry like she’s Thor or the entire crew coming together to serve Kree justice.

Walter Lawson as a villain is a fun idea with potential but again, nothing major happens here. The best bits were of Lauri-ell and the cat. The alien fish out of water bit isn’t new but Lauri-ell has an earnestness that’s heartwarming to see. The whole comic could have revolved around her watching reality TV and it would have been truly great. Truly great instead of…well, just alright like this comic is. A tie in with no bearing on the main event but still, a solid issue from a consistent run.

Final Verdict: 6.0 – I accuse this comic of being just okay and Lauri-ell of being a sweetheart.

In the opening scene of “Excalibur #11,” a notably smart structural decision is made. As the Excalibur team storms the Priestesses of the Green to “save” Jubilee, the priestesses lament that they won’t be able to explain themselves. Then we cut to a Tom Muller information page explaining who they are, then to the two groups actively commiserating. In about six pages, Tini Howard accomplishes something that usually takes half an issue of a comic. It’s a relatively small piece of things on the scale of the issue but its representative of a lot that works well about the book.

Instead of spending time on big fights (which, to be fair, are often very fun), Howard chooses to spend more time fleshing out characters and their dynamics, to great effect. Jubilee gets particular focus here, as we spend ample time allowing her to work through her frustration about her changeling dragon son (comics!) having been injured in a kind of beautiful way. We also get some more good :-A-:(pocalypse)/Rictor content, mostly about :-A-:’s last coven from about a millennia ago. And then we get some fun action as Excalibur forms the citadel. It’s a story at once simple and dynamics and folks, it works.

Marcus To and Erick Arciniega do solid work on the art, delivering a look that makes the “Excalibur #11” feel both like a normal superhero comic book and uniquely fantastical. The team does particularly good work when it comes to small moments. Jubliee crying in the weird tree prison; Betsy and Jubilee hugging goodbye; the team chatting with the Priestesses of the Green. These are the moments that make the comic sing and they do it well.

“Excalibur” is a very good, very fun, extremely weird comic and with issue 11, Tini Howard and co. only double down on all of that. More than ever, this book feels like a game of Dungeons and Dragons with an X-Men twist and that’s a very good thing.

Final Verdict: 7.7 – “Excalibur #11” is yet another strong entry for the Marvel’s Most Magic Mutants

“It Eats What Feeds It” #2 from Scout Comics is a hazy, seductive horror story heavy on atmosphere and light on everything else. That’s not to say that the plot or characters are meaningless, more so that Hoven and Crow take a pretty minimalist and direct approach to tell their story.

Here’s the rundown: in “It Eats What Feeds It” Kenny, the nonchalant semi-strapping young lad, takes on the job as a housekeeper for Francois, who is decadent, devilishly sexy, and everything you’d expect from an old-guard French Quarter dame. The catch, Francois is hungry: for attention, for love, for copious amounts of meat. This is how every love story starts, right?

Hoven and Crow make good use of this trope-y fair, laying both the dread and sex on thick. Dialogue is short and to the point, and the story moves forward with few hiccups. While neither Francois nor Kenny are exceptionally compelling, the side characters in “It Eats What Feeds It” #2 are full of life (for the few moments they remain living, that is). Gregg Trucks makes for a wonderfully grizzled, bayou Crocodile Dundee stand-in, and Bug, the foul-mouthed, deadbeat horndog of a bar hopper steals the show. While the central characters of “It Eats What Feeds It” #2 are streamlined, these two fellows pulse with energy, as chaotic as they are.

Iumazark’s sleek, simple illustrations highlight the straightforwardness of “It Eats What Feeds It” #2, and the whole thing has the essence of a naughty dream. Think Call Me By Your Name meets Duck Dynasty. The only complaint here is that the same heavy, green-gray haze covers every panel of the story — there’s not much variety, which could do well to complement various plot moments. But as far as setting a consistent mood goes, Iumazark hits the ball out of the park and into the gator infested swamp muck that envelops “It Eats What Feeds It” #2. It’s quite pleasant — really.

Final Verdict: 7.0 – Steamy, atmospheric, and easy reading horror for your next beach day, if you’re into that kind of thing.

“Lords of Empyre: Swordsman” #1 (hereafter “Swordsman” #1) takes us on a journey with Quoi and his father that’s rife with humor, heartbreak, and good action. Superhero comics deal in the archetypal, and while Marvel’s always dug into the more human side of the pillars of justice, “Swordsman” hits that perfect balance of deeply personal and epic storytelling that makes this particular mythology so compelling. Paknadel’s work here complements Quoi’s previous internal encounter with his mother, Mantis, in “Celestial Messiah,” and a comparison of the two yields a rich tapestry of familial strife and growing pains for our harbinger. One-shots give us a chance to build out the general hubbub and high notes of event books, and Paknadel’s work here digs deep into the bonds between these three characters to add nuance and pathos to the larger smash-’em-up.

Art-wise, Nachlik does an excellent job and takes a few artsy chances that pay off. There’s an excellent double-page spread depicting Quoi witnessing his father’s transformation, and a later page bathed in red, with Quoi framed by silhouetted panels of violence. Menyz’s palette is critical to the success of each moment, and the book features a grounded, earthy swath of colors that complement Nachlik’s detailed line. Maher’s work is excellent, as usual – crisp, clear, and economical, with some crunchy, foliage-inspired sound effects to round out the page.

Overall, “Swordsman” #1 delights with emotional impact, epic storytelling, and solid craft.

Final Verdict: 9.0 – “Lords of Empyre: Swordsman” #1 details the sins and sorrows of the father with honesty and heart.

On the first page of “Maestro” #1, there’s a profound sense of hope. Keown and Keith present an opening splash page of Hulk smashing a Sentinel’s head off that is bright and picturesque, while David accompanies this with Hulk’s internal belief that life “could not possibly get any better.” It’s great to see our hero thriving, but a sense of unease seeps into the pages that follow, exposing the hopeful artwork as a facade for a simulation. Seeing Hulk at his peak in the picturesque opening splash page shows us how far he is about to fall.

When Hulk breaks free of the simulation Peralta and Aburtov take over the artwork and there is a distinct shift in the issue’s direction. Peralta uses slightly thicker outlines to define the Hulk and his surroundings, as well as using an increased amount of shading to make him feel older, while Aburtov’s colors make the A.I.M. facility dark and gloomy. When Hulk reaches the surface the natural light doesn’t bring salvation, only a hauntingly beautiful confirmation of his worst fears. The distinct feel to each artistic pairing is utilized as a part of the storytelling to great effect.

David’s script lays the foundations for Hulk’s journey to becoming the Maestro and makes it accessible for readers familiar with the character, and those who aren’t, like this reviewer. The issue’s intro/recap, as short as it is, provides enough information to follow the events of the issue comfortably. David builds the layers of mystery surrounding the state of the world before letting M.O.D.O.K. inform Hulk of the reality. Their opening exchange feels tonally jarring and there’s repeated use of the far-reaching “they” which is clunky, but after Hulk learns the world’s fate, the comic starts to dig deeper. Hulk wonders whether the heroes would have stopped the destruction that M.O.D.O.K. claims occurred, but then recalls how the same heroes failed to stop Chernobyl and 9/11, concluding that they were powerless to save humanity from itself. The shift in Hulk’s thought process, and the inclusion of real-world tragedies, seems sudden but it makes the book far more compelling. Prior to this, the issue feels like many other alternate future stories, but the dark turn in the final pages promises an intriguing exploration of Hulk’s psyche is to come.

Final Verdict: 6.8 – “Maestro” #1 is an accessible first issue, with solid artwork, which fails to show its potential until its final pages.

WARNING: “Yasmeen” #2 is a fictional book about a girl from Mosul Iraq named Yasmeen who was captured by ISIS, sold into slavery, and must spend the rest of her life trying to cope with what happened to her. It is not a nice or fun book and certainly not for young children, but it is an important story that needs to be told.

If there is one thing that must be acknowledged about “Yasmeen” #2 it’s that writer Saif Ahmed knows how to show horrible things happening to people in a way that doesn’t feel cheap and exploitative. The story jumps back and forth between Yasmeen desperately trying to fit into a new and foreign American high school and her time as a slave in Iraq. We don’t see the awful things that the main character and her friends witness, but we certainly hear about them and see its effect on a young girl who is trying to fit in with her well-meaning but ignorant American friends. If the story has any problems, it’s that jumping back and forth between two different times can be a bit confusing, but once you read through it a couple of times it all comes together in the most heartbreaking and terrifying of ways.

While Fabiana Mascolo’s artwork doesn’t prop up the weaknesses in the story of “Yasmeen” #2, it does a brilliant job of enhancing its strengths. The pencils and colors give the book a delicate, almost hazy feel to the story and Mascolo pays special attention to the faces of each of the characters. Like the writing, we don’t see exactly what’s going on, but the twisted and grief-stricken faces that surround the main character ensure that we don’t have to. Also, there is a brilliant flashback scene near the end of the book that shows just how awful and long-lasting the realities and trauma of warfare can be, even when you’re thousands of miles away from it all.

As stated at the beginning of the review: “Yasmeen” #2 is not a nice book, but it is an important one that doesn’t shy away from talking about some very bad things but it does it in a way that is respectful, sad, and uncompromising at the same time.

Final Verdict: 8.8- While some of the artistic choices can make the story a little confusing to follow, it’s an absolutely gut-wrenching book that sheds a harsh look at something truly evil and awful.