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Wrapping Wednesday: Micro Reviews for the Week of 8/12/15

By | August 10th, 2015
Posted in Reviews | 2 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.

Age of Reptiles: Ancient Egyptians #3
Written and Illustrated by Ricardo Delgado
Reviewed by Michelle White

I’ve always been intrigued by Ricardo Delgado’ “Age of Reptiles”. I’d often spot this Eisner-winning series on the shelves, and wind up paging through the violent, wordless single issues. Now that I’m having a prolonged look at Delgado’s work, I’m finding my positive impression holds true: this is one weird and wonderful series, detailing small moments in the grand story of the dinosaurs and clawing your heart out along the way.

In a note to the first issue of this miniseries, Delgado wrote that he thought of his main character – a Spinosaurus aegyptiacus – as a cowboy; and if that didn’t show in the first two issues of this run, it’s painfully obvious now. This semi-aquatic carnivore – basically Crocodile 1.0 – is big and mean, but not without a code of honour and a certain dogged emotionality. These are put on show in a very dark and very affecting moment partway through this issue, setting a dramatic high water point for the last issue to follow through on.

Meanwhile, the art hits you over the head with its complexity; and while the dinosaurs are ostensibly the stars of the show, for me it’s the landscapes that carry the most heft. They’re as complex as fingerprints, full of wrinkles and furrows and whorls, and create a convincingly alien world. Ryan Hill’s colours set them all beautifully into relief; and while, on occasion, it can be difficult to distinguish the dinosaurs from their environments, for the most part, the backdrops make for wonderful eye candy.

Obviously, the dinosaurs can’t emote much – not facially anyway – and so dramatic cues come across mostly through posing. The lack of narration encourages you to study the figures closely, and the movements of Delgado’s dinosaurs are subtle enough to reward close attention.

Even though this run isn’t quite finished, I’m prepared to profess my love for “Age of Reptiles” generally. It’s unusual and beautiful to look at, and it plays with your emotions the way a velociraptor might toy with a baby sauropod. You’ve been warned.

Final Verdict: 8.0 – Big, beautiful storytelling in Cretaceous Africa.

Bloodshot Reborn #5
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Raul Alen
Review by Ken Godberson III

We now get to see more of Bloodsquirt and enter the Squirtverse.

Let’s just get it out of the way: Yes, Bloodsquirt is very reminiscent of Bat-Mite and the Squirtverse is a disturbingly child-ish version of the Valiant Universe, complete with it’s own Nin-Squirt, Eternal Squirt, Squirtwire. Ray Garrison’s “bloody buddy” even has Bloodhound and his own Top Secret Headquaters called “The Blood Bank”.

This issue is a bit weird.

Up until this point, the book has been very grounded with occasional bouts with weirdness, courtesy of Bloodsquirt. Here, we go off the diveboard and artist Raul Allen brings that here. Allen is reminiscent of David Aja in terms of his pencil work but it his color work (along with assist from Borja Pindado) that truly makes the issue work. It does bring childish innocence to the concept of gun violence, but with a sinister undercurrent that slowly builds up until it springs in a final confrontation between Bloodshot and Bloodsquirt.

Like I said, the concept of Bloodsquirt is reminiscent of Bite-Mite, specifically the Bat-Mite during Grant Morrison’s run of “Batman”. I think when the character was introduced, it was very obvious what the character represented and that is confirmed here. But the predictability of the plot line doesn’t change the emotional confrontation at the end.

Final Verdict: 6.8- A trippy conclusion to Book 1 in Valiant’s retooling of Bloodshot.

Darth Vader #8
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Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Salvador Larroca
Reviewed by Matthew Garcia

I’ll admit that I was more than a little surprised when Marvel announced Kieron Gillen was going to launch the new “Darth Vader” book. Everything I had encountered of his previously — from his plotting style to his humor to his characterization tics — suggested that he was better suited to handling a character like Princess Leia. (Imagine how much better that book would have been.) Now, eight issues in and settling into its second arc, Gillen has made “Darth Vader” his own, while Salvador Larroca seems game to depict every nutty and crazy twist thrown at him.

If anything else, “Darth Vader” has been a lot of fun. Gillen and Larroca don’t let themselves take the material too seriously and I think that, more than anything, gives this book the feeling of being distinctly Star Wars. This issue focuses on this heist on an Imperial transport and its aftermath conducted by Aphra and a bunch of bounty hunters on Vader’s behalf. No doubt it’s through Aphra that Gillen found the life vein into this story, and her daredevil attitude and knowledge that she’s probably going to end up murdered give this book it’s death-defying energy. Larroca balances between the dark and terrifying mood that a Vader book requires with Gillen’s more restless and goading voice. He relies on anamorphic layouts, but I think he knows that a book like this can’t be visually overly complicated.

Sometimes these elements don’t always come together, however. The book can sometimes drag, especially in expositional scenes or when Vader’s answering to the plebeian the Emperor put in charge. Even the space Sherlock Holmes started stretching it a little too far. Nevertheless, Gillen and Larroca continue to turn in a consistent and entertaining addition to the Star Wars Universe.

Final Verdict: 7.4 – Instead of a moody story, Gillen and Larroca have infused their book with this reckless spirit that only comes from taunting death.

Deadly Class #15
Written by Rick Remender
Illustrated by Wes Craig
Reviewed by James Johnston

What I’ve begun to appreciate about “Deadly Class” is how it’s not just another book about teenagers. Of course, the teenagers in this book are all trying to murder and/or fuck each other in their freshman year of ASSASSIN HIGH SCHOOL, so that already sets it apart from “Archie.” No, “Deadly Class” #15 captures the spirit of being a teenager in all its gross confused paranoia.

After Saya, Marcus’s crush/ex-fling began dating Willie, Marcus’s former BFF, Marcus has spiraled into a pit of self-pity and blame. His two former best friends are now coming after him(??) and it’s definitely their fault, as Marcus hastily explains to classmates who do not give a crap. But considering that Willie and Saya might be up to some devious scheming of their own, how can anyone say Marcus is the crazy one here? He’s the one who’s following them around with a gun and talking to an invisible LCD clown! Uh…

It’s weird that “Deadly Class” has taken a more personal route than its concept would seem to lend itself to. You’d think a school dedicated to the craft of murder would be the main focus of the whole comic, but it’s really been about Marcus and his classmates. In fact, it’s often about just Marcus as this issue plainly shows. But the focus on Marcus isn’t indulgent, it’s a white hot light that’s turning the school into a powder keg. At no point is Marcus our poor hero. He’s kind of a huge sick whose personal problems are getting in the way of other people’s life or death situations.

That said, it’s kind of hard to blame Marcus considering just how warped his psyche has been. His world is breaking down further and further, flowing between basketball court fights to one night stands at a breakneck pace. And that’s not even counting the colorful hallucinations he’s been having lately in space with Ronald Reagan. Wasn’t he supposed to try and kill that guy?

Final Verdict: 8.1 – Another solid entry from Remender and Craig. Kings Dominion never seemed like the safest school to begin with, but Marcus’s actions seem like they’ll tear everyone inside to pieces.

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“Groot” #3
Written by Jeff Loveness
Art by Brian Kesinger
Reviewed by Stephenson Ardern-Sodje

It seems like Groot is on the fast track to becoming the cutest member of the Marvel Universe right now. The Creature From Planet X is really managing to shine in his first ‘solo’ series, even though, hampered as he is by linguistics he works slightly better as part of a pairing.

Loveness is clearly very confident handling Groot’s unique vocal idiosyncrasies, and for the first two issues of this run our favourite tree has been paired with familiar friend Rocket Raccoon to act as companion and translator. Issue three sees him break away from these more recognisable roots (pun completely intended) in an unexpected team up with Norrin Rad (the Silver Surfer) and Dawn Greenwood.

Loveness manages this three-way character balance nicely, with the monosyllabic Groot sharing almost equal story time with empathetic Dawn and the ‘Surferizing’ (see cosmic soliloquies on existential loneliness) Norrin. Tonally, the two books fit together perfectly, and the result is a heavily comedic jaunt through space with a sweet heart at its core.

Kesinger could be a more perfect choice for this book, and he proves it yet again with his own, slightly more cartoonish, take on Allred’s Surfer and his plucky pal. This book is all about emotion, and Kesinger’s animated facial expressions all but jump off the page, allowing the story to oscillate wildly between comic and tragic without ever jarring.

What’s more, Loveness and Kesinger are leaping on with their take on Groot’s powers, with jumps in abilities that rival Superman for their tenuousness. In a more serious and canonised comic that might seem like a problem, but in the wacky world they’ve built for themselves it seems perfectly logical to see Groot growing exponentially to block cosmic lightning from hitting bystanders, or generating oxygen-emitting algae so that Dawn can breathe in the vacuum of space. Their version of Groot is clearly a supremely powerful character, and so the use of his powers for almost exclusively defensive and beneficial ends is not only bold, but thoroughly endearing.

While the previous issue felt a level of urgency to unite Groot with his buddy Rocket, this month’s installment hints that it might be a little longer before our favourite cosmic pals get back together. However, while Groot’s primary driver is still reunion, Loveness and Kesinger have proved that their Groot is a guy who can work with or without his furry friend. Kesinger’s inspired choice to embue some of his more passionate outbursts with visuals, giving the reader a real insight into what Groot means to say, allows readers to understand him with or without a conduit for his various Grootisms.

This is most definitely a book that knows its audience. While maybe not for everyone, fans of ‘Squirrel Girl’ and Dan Slott and Mike Allred’s ‘Silver Surfer’ will adore this cute cosmic caper.

Final Verdict: 6.8 Still not sure how ‘I am Groot’ can make me want to laugh and cry, but this book manages it month on month.

Midnighter #3
Written by Steve Orlando
Illustrated by Aco
Reviewed by Keith Dooley

Midnighter doesn’t know his own origin, yet he’s a character that has a definite mission and a (violently) firm sense of self. In “Midnighter” #3, writer Steve Orlando continues to explore these aspects of a character who is a crusader for the innocent while also attempting to maintain a personal life. That includes clubbing and dating. Midnighter battles human traffickers, has a particularly gruesome encounter with the villain Multiplex, and gets just a bit closer to discovering the secret of his past. Orlando smoothly juggles flashbacks and time shifts while telling a dazzling story that is both fast paced and successful at making us invested in such a complex hero.

Aco’s art is gorgeous and spectacularly detailed. From facial features to action-paced scenes, he gives his art a pulse that bursts with a unique dynamism. His use of panels is always inventive, whether it’s an intimate scene between lovers or the depiction of Midnighter’s power to predict every possible outcome of a situation. Aco gives us an immersive experience as we see Midnighter doing costumed vigilante deeds. When he inspects a girl’s bedroom, circles burst from the page and magnify clues. In a brilliantly chaotic splash page, Midnighter’s face and body language are gleeful as square panels brutally and beautifully depicting violence explode all over the page.

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Romulo Fajardo Jr.’s color palette lends a bright and vibrant tone to Aco’s art. It’s appropriate for a character such as Midnighter because he’s not simply a doom and gloom character that his name would suggest. He wants to bring light into other people’s lives, whether it’s victims of crime or the guy he’s currently dating. From the purplish pinks of a quiet night to the rich colors of that aforementioned violent splash page, Fajardo’s use of color is as complex as the contributions of Orlando and Aco.

Orlando is building up to some revelations that are sure to give even more depth to our hero. “Midnighter” #3 has an excellent mix of world and character building. This story is about a hero on a journey and this creative team is doing a superb job so far of keeping us more than interested in what is going to happen next to Midnighter.

Final Verdict: 8.0 – A surprise guest at issue’s end is just icing on an otherwise delicious issue.

Neverboy #6
Written by Shaun Simon
Illustrated by Tyler Jenkins
Reviewed by Alice W. Castle

The beauty of comic books is that they are vessels of pure imagination. Anything a writer can imagine, they can write. Anything an artist can imagine, they can draw. Anything a creative team can come up with, they can put it down on paper and tell their story to the masses. It’s always fascinated me when creators tell stories about creation and imagination and the beauty of stories. “Neverboy” is one of those stories and Shaun Simon and Tyler Jenkins have told the story of an imaginary friend not ready to let go of the real world and return back to the land of imagination. In this sixth issue, Neverboy’s story comes to a close, but unfortunately, for a story that prides itself on imagination, the conclusion is pretty by the numbers.

The real standout of “Neverboy” is the artwork by Tyler Jenkins and colourist Kelly Fitzpatrick. Together, they bring the world of “Neverboy” to life and with Jenkins’ shaky, sketchy linework and unconventional layouts, the effect of the worlds of reality and imagination blurring together is felt throughout the book. Fitzpatrick uses a bright, vibrant colour palette to keep the fantasies of children in the book feeling like they were spawned from the innocent minds of children and brings an innocent quality to the world that is being usurped and corrupted by the story’s antagonist. Simply, “Neverboy” is a gorgeous comic and Tyler Jenkins’ unconventional art style is a perfect fit for a world where what’s real and what isn’t is never quite clear.

However, I was pretty disappointed in how this story concluded from a story standpoint. I never felt that Shaun Simon went far enough with the concept of a world of imagination and in this issue, the way Neverboy deals with the threat to that world is, while thematically appropriate, quite predictable. Everything played out exactly as you think it’s going to and that leaves the resolution here feeling pretty hollow for me as the story never gave us a good enough reason for the characters to end up in the places they did. For a series that started out with so much promise, the ending felt quite unsatisfying in how easily wrapped up everything was.

Final Verdict: 6.0 – While the art is gorgeous, it doesn’t have a strong enough story to back it up in this unfulfilling finale.

The Omega Men #3
Written by Tom King
Illustrated by Barnaby Bagenda
Reviewed by Brian Salvatore

Each month, “The Omega Men” reveals another piece of its intricate puzzle, much to the delight of the reader. The book is truly unlike anything that DC is publishing, and this month adds a new character, and a real sense of swashbuckling adventure to the series.

The real star of the book – no offense to writer King – is interior artist Bagenda, who is doing exceptional work on the interiors. His working within the 9 panel layout is a gorgeous throwback to a bygone era, but also an exercise in patience and subtlety. Many of the pages show only small, incremental changes, especially in the 9 panel grids, and when the book expands into the larger panel work, the book explodes with action. The diversity between the styles within the book is fascinating and really fun.

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Another highlight has been the rejuvenation of Kyle Rayner. While I’m still not in love with the Kyle/Carol romance, King has really given Kyle a new purpose and energy surrounding him – this is really unlike any other iteration of Kyle, and yet it feels like a mature step in his growth and development. While no scene in this issue matches the bloody Green Lantern logo from last week, Kyle’s situation grows more and more fascinating each month.

Final Verdict: 8.2 – A continually strong and exciting book.

Skullkickers #100
Written by Jim Zub
Illustrated by Edwin Huang and Misty Coats
Reviewed by Walt Richardson

The hundredth issue of “Skullkickers” is here, as hard as it to believe — it distinctly feels like it has been less than half of that. Unlike a lot of finale issues, this one is neither stuffed with extra pages nor a one-off, post-climax concluding issue. As such, the story beats are fairly predictable, especially in light of the referrals to archetypes and the like in preceding issues. It’s not all by-the-books, though; one moment that centers on Kusia is enough to take what would otherwise be a rather generic “meta” idea and turn it into something that carries actual meaning — and serves as a reminder that she is just as much a main character as either Baldy or Shorty.

As much as I enjoy it, though, I don’t really read “Skullkickers” for the plot — its humor is the main draw, and there’s surprisingly little of that in this finale. There are a few chuckle-worthy moments, such as the return of the Cosmic Bull, and a lot of smaller jokes that keep a smile on your face as you make your way through, but there isn’t anything that reaches the hilarity the book has had in the past. This is one of the difficulties with comedy; when everything is wrapping up, jokes often fall on the wayside. Zub does his best to keep the right balance of plot and humor, and while the end product is still an entertaining read, we are left thinking “man, I wish it wasn’t over” rather than “what a great finale!”

The book is still visually gorgeous, though. Huang has gotten better and better over the years, and Coats by this point knows how to make his figures pop off the page (I am also pretty sure that the soothing cosmic backgrounds in this issue are hers, but I’m not sure). The parade of characters from alternate universes that spans a few pages shows off Huang’s knack for design (and if it wasn’t in the script, the two rolling pins for Chef Rex show he’s just as clever as Zub), and for a comic that doesn’t actually have any fully depicted fight scenes there is a surprising amount of dynamism in each panel. While Zub’s sense of humor is of course a major part of what makes “Skullkickers”… well, “Skullkickers,” the two-page and full-page spreads near the end of the book are enough to get me reminiscing about what a great, quirky little series this has been. While I know Zub has a few other things going on, I’m interested to see what the future has in store for Huang.

Final Verdict: 7.0 – A fun finale that doesn’t quite have the same charm as its preceding issues, but that still manages to serve as a solid end to an excellent series.

We Stand On Guard #2
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrated by Steve Skroce
Reviewed by Jess Camacho

The first issue of “We Stand On Guard” left me wanting a lot more than we were given. Vaughan, is one of the best writers in the medium (and a personal favorite of mine) but that issue didn’t fully connect with me. “We Stand On Guard” #2 is a bit better as it gives Amber much more of a voice than the debut. Amber, now with the Canadian freedom fighters, gets brought to their safe house. We don’t get to see where it is and neither does she because they still don’t fully trust her. This issue does a lot of explaining like the first one did but the ending has this story really heading somewhere and it’s enough to keep you on board for more. Vaughan is the master of single issue cliffhanger endings and this issue is really no different. We also get to meet some of the opposition (the Americans) and they’re pretty much what you’d expect – dedicated to the mission and clueless about the human element. Things are a little cliche but it could be a lot, lot worse.

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Steve Skroce’s art is fantastic and worth the cover price alone. I love the way the snow falls and how it looks on top of the characters and the objects in each scene. Everything is fabulously detailed down to arm hair and wrinkles on skin. The character designs are great and futuristic without being unbelievable. The fashion feels like a natural progression and the technology, like weapons and one character’s mechanical arm, feel like something right out of Pacific Rim.

Final Verdict: 7.2 – Only a tiny bit better than the first issue but it still leaves a lot to be desired.

Will Eisner’s The Spirit #2
Written by Matt Wagner
Illustrated by Dan Schkade
Reviewed by Kevin McConnell

It is hard to believe it has been 75 years since “The Spirit” first ran in 1940 for a newspaper. At the time Will Eisner had no idea that he would achieve legendary status with this creation as well as countless others contributions to the world of comics. To say that anyone trying to have an impact on “The Spirit” like Eisner did would be selling them short. It is an impossibly tough act to follow. And yet Matt Wagner, a legend in his own right, found a way to carve out his own take on the iconic character.

This issue begins at the grave of a recently deceased Denny Colt the civilian persona of masked hero The Spirit. Ebony White & Sammy Strunk are on the case of what happened to The Spirit. The two detectives realize very quickly however that this is going to be a very complicated task and it might lead them to places they might not expect. Additionally, The Spirit’s other ally in Commissioner Dolan is starting to see what life is like without The Spirit around and it is not a pretty sight. It becomes clear by both of their stories that The Spirit is missed greatly and the reason as to why he is gone is a question they all needed answered.

This is a bold move for a book featuring an iconic character who really isn’t even in the book. Wagner is not tipping his hand as to what happened to The Sprit just yet. Instead the focus is on all of the other characters. Having this air of mystery adds to the mystique of the book which is set in the 1940’s to further add to the ambiance. Wagner does not pull any punches with the character’s motivations, they are all on the same side of cleaning up their fair city. But where Ebony White wants to find out what happened to his dear friend, Dolan wants to get things back to how they were before all of this went to hell.

Dan Schkade’s art along with Brennan Wagner’s colors drive this film noir type world to great heights. Central City is in a blue hue that perpetuates the darkness and even when there is light everything appears to be grimy to the point of wanting to turn the lights off. It is such a mood enhancer to the point I felt my inner film noir narration in my own head while reading along. There is such a great sense of Central City’s seedy underbelly that is captured so well. Schkade keeps it simple making all of the action clear and making all the little 1940’s style details come through clearly. Brennan Wagner’s color choices are perfectly rendered having the drab world the police and detective inhabit feel dark and complex as it should.

All of these pieces make for a great tale of a legendary hero who has gone away without a clear reason. That particular take on “The Spirit” feels fresh and classic at the same time. The creative team fully understands the history of Denny Colt and his alter ego to the point of making it seem like he is more important than ever before. If and when The Spirit finally does arrive it is going to be an event which is exactly what a character pushing 80 years old need to stay relevant.

Final Verdict: 7.7 – While he is not featured, The Spirit inhabits an excellent modern deconstruction of the legendary hero.


//TAGS | Wrapping Wednesday

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