Every comic you've read in 2016


Missy

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Spider-Man (Miles Morales) #2: GREAT issue, I loved this. I absolutely love how Peter was written. This is how he should be depicted, not as a goofball who after a hero career that's longer than most Marvel heroes still can't get anything right, but as an experienced and developed character who empathizes with the new generation of heroes. Bendis is seriously one of Spidey's best ever writers. Miles was great, particularly with his reaction to be bigged up online as a diverse Spider-Man. I want to feel iffier than I do about a white guy writing about that sort of thing, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel completely authentic. The only slight negative I have about it is that Miles' origin story is super-truncated. No clumsy discovering of his powers, no uncle Prowler. He just shows up in a costume one day. We don't even get how he got webshooters, which were given to him in the Ultimate Universe. That's a bit confusing but doesn't take away from a near-perfect comic.

Batman and Robin Eternal #22: Potentially my favorite issue thus far, at least since Cass' origin story. S'not perfect but very enjoyable, with a great scene concerning a Batman and Robin flashback concerning the four of them.

Batgirl #49: Terrific follow-up to #48's cliffhanger, with the realization of a fantastic new villain for Babs.

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Spider-Man #2: After a so-so first issue, this one nailed everything it reached for. Miles geeking out, the cutesy flashback, his frustration with the YouTuber, Peter's reluctance then acceptance of Spider-Man -- all of it was wonderful.

With Civil War II coming up, I wonder if Tony is going to try to mold another Spider-Man; that look on his face at the end of the scene with The Avengers is seeding something. 

Comics: 80

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Black Widow #1: This is the new Waid / Samnee book. All action, very little dialogue, no plot. I read it in four minutes. Even with the really great action, it's nowhere near worth $3.99. Wait for the next issue or the trade.

Comics: 81

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Midnighter #10: Comparatively, this book is $2.99 and it took me 15 minutes to read. Though I have no idea how the players got here, or even what their motivations are in the grand scheme of the storyline, I was compelled from cover to cover. Very stylized action peppered with solid character moments, and one hell of a cliffhanger.

This book is rated Teen+ by DC, and they're milking it for all it's worth. Two characters have a crowbar thrown threw their skulls, Amanda Waller uses the phrase "measuring dicks," and Midnighter calls the Suicide Squad "assholes." That's not a complaint, just an observation.

Comics: 82

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Carnage #1-5: Gonna review this on DM.

Clean Room #5: Not really sure what to think about this series anymore. I'm done with it, though.

Countess Bathory One-shot: well that was garbage.

Crossed Badlands #94: jeebus. Shit's 'bout to go down!

Are You Interested?: an album of Playboy-style cartoons by Dany. Pretty solid.

Devolution #2: ok, not as much promise as I had hoped. I'm out.

Gutter Magic #2: fucking solid. Really good.

Huck #4: Motherfucker. Swerved. Love it.

Illuminati #4: better in the end than the beginning.

Imperium #13: Oof...what's going on with this series?

Insexts #3: This book is so fucking beautiful. I could give or take the story in this issue.

Just Another Sheep #4: Great issue. Ending next one.

Kennel Block Blues #1: Not sure how to feel about this. I'll grab a second issue.

King's Road #1: This is super dense. INteresting premise.

Last Sons of America #3: holy shit. It's about to end explosively.

Leaving Megalopolis-Finding Megalopolis: ok single issue intro to the world.

Leaving Megalopolis: Graphic novel with a fascinating premise. I like Simone's story. Calafiore's art is the best it's ever been. I still wouldn't say it's more than good.

Leaving Megalopolis-Surviving Megalopolis #1: this is the better premise of the whole universe they created here. I'm in for another for sure.

Limbo #4: I think I'm quitting this to get it in trade. I'm sure it reads better that way.

Lucifer #3: this is fucking great.

Negative Space #3: I'm missing something. I'm out.

New Suicide Squad #17: Fucking hell. Bought this for Juan Ferreyra's art and it's gorgeous. A little not sure about the story or where it fits in, but I did randomly pick up issue 17. I'll be around for as long as Ferreyra is.

Comics: 246
Trades: 17

Graphic Novels: 11

Omnibuses: 4

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Green Lantern #50: Crazy, Parallax-infected Hal Jordan shows up to mess with N52 Hal Jordan because he's still bonkers over the destruction of his Coast City. The first half of the book is ugly. Characters are off-model, and locales are generic and over-sized; it's amateurish. Though the latter portion of the book is an improvement -- in that it looks like finished art -- getting there, art wise, isn't worth the trip. On the other hand, the writing is stronger in the opening pages. Hal and his brother have a heart-to-heart about life, fear, and parenting, but then the book becomes a giant Green Lantern fight and ends with "I'll get you next time, Gadget."

Maybe if you've been reading Green Lantern this will work for you, but the presentation never pulled me in. 

Comics: 83

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Black Widow 1: Waid pretty much takes a backseat and lets Samnee and Wilson draw a mostly dialogueless, action-heavy first issue. Interesting to see how Samnee does Widow's fight style, and you're dropped in in media res. No idea where it's gonna go, but it's got my attention at least. 

Survivor's Club 6: We're clearly getting to the part where they'll wrap up for the trade, some nice nods to peoples' backstories that have mostly gone unmentioned until now, and some good climax setup. Let's see if the landing sticks. 

The Sheriff of Babylon 2-4: Got these because my store was doing 20% off for a moving sale. I'm really interested in where this series is going. King is an excellent writer, and it's neat seeing how he builds slow dread here as opposed to, say, the creeping suburban dread of Vision. Glad to see this get extended out to 12 issues, and definitely going to get it on the trades. 

Single Issues: 49
TPBs/Collections: 16
Digital First Issues: 10

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Darth Vader #17: To paraphrase my thoughts from the previous issue, "The bulk of the story carries on from Darth Vader #16, however the cliffhanger reassures us that that the ending of Vader Down will be dealt with. Eventually. Overall it was skippable. Not bad by any stretch, just a 'wait for the trade' issue." The two moments worth seeing are the opening with the holographic Vader, and Triple-Zero making a joke about Vader being able to speak with the dead. The latter is powerfully sold by the art, because it conveys Vader's continued sadness over his beloved Padme without revealing said sorrow to the droid. 

Comics: 84

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Green Lantern #23.4: Written from the point-of-view of Lyssa Drak, this is an excellent Sinestro origin story and recap of recent events in the Green Lantern books. Matt Kindt does a superb job showing what really happened in Sinestro's past while twisting it to fit Drak's less-than-stable mental state; through Dale Eaglesham's beautifully realized pencils we're privy to the truth of each moment, while Drak's narration provides us her skewed interpretation of events. Though I very much enjoy what Cullen Bunn has done with the Sinestro series (more on that in a moment), I must admit I'd like to see Kindt as lead writer of Sinestro. He has a firm grasp on what it means to be a devotee, and Drak's informed-yet-outside look at a despot is a refreshing thing to see in comics.

Artistically, Eaglesham is perfectly suited for a book such as this. Despite having a down-to-earth grasp on human anatomy, his work has always seemed somewhat alien. However, by having him illustrate aliens (humanoid and otherwise) from a wide variety of planets, this "somewhat alien" look becomes an advantage of the highest order; while it allows us to see Abin Sur, Sinestro, and everyone else as being from somewhere other than Earth, they're features and expressions are close enough to those of Humans that we can relate and sympathize with them as they rise and fall throughout their lives.

If Kindt and Eaglesham were to create an Abin Sur / Sintestro buddy cop comic, I would be so in.

Sinestro #1-5: Between Magneto and this series, it's become clear Cullen Bunn knows how to write former villains as compelling (and sometimes sympathetic) characters. Much like Magneto, Sinestro is looking to aid his people. However, whereas Bunn's Magneto works (mostly) alone, Sinestro seeks to rebuild his army to achieve his agenda. His Sinestro is also compelling by virtue of the fact that he is not a good guy; Sinestro is a former and would-be hardline ruler. He reigns through fear, truly believing it's best for his soldiers and people. And that's what makes him so enthralling; he honestly believes he's justified in every action he takes. Through Bunn's eyes, Sinestro is not a madman bent on universal rule. Rather, he's a man bent on eradicating chaos, forming unyielding order from its ashes. His lack of compassion is his greatest strength and weakness; while it allows him to mold the greater good in his own image, he cannot comprehend how ruling with an impossibly tight fist strangles the life from all those in his grasp.

Dale Eaglesham carried over from Green Lantern #23.4, so I won't add more as it pertains to his artwork. However, Rags Morales joins the team for part of issue #3 and all of #4. Though there is an obvious shift from Eaglesham to Morales, their styles work wonderfully in tandem, in that Morales has a similar ability to make non-Human lifeforms spring to life with fear, rage, and hope. It also helps that Morales comes in at the beginning of a new act in this storyline. Too often there are artistic shifts mid-scene or fight, but here the change informs the story.

Without spoiling a thing, issue #5 is amazing in how it portrays the Sinestro / Hal Jordan relationship as a whole, but also Sinestro's guile and Hal's compassion. And the moment when Sinestro reveals what he reveals: whoa!

Sinestro: Futures End #1: Having skipped most of the Futures End storyline and tie-ins, I wasn't too keen on reading this oneshot. However, it provided an interesting look at what may come in the near future, as well as what Sinestro is willing to sacrifice to achieve his goal of a universe sans chaos. Igor Lima's Sinestro carries himself with a majesty. Even when the character is at rock bottom, Sinestro has self-power and you can tell he's scheming. Whereas I noted his greatest strength and weakness is his lack of compassion, his greatest weapon is not an assortment of rings but, rather, his mind. And all of that is conveyed here in both the writing and art.

One last note about Sinestro #5 and Sinestro: Futures End #1: If you are going to read these two, do not skip to the final pages. Let the stories build to those moments.

Comics: 91

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S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete Collection Omnibus: collects the Nick Fury stories from Strange Tales #135-168 and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1-15, along with Fantastic Four #21, The Avengers #72, Marvel Spotlight #31, and material from Not Brand Echh.

So this is about as a product of its time as anything could ever possibly be. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby saw The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and applied what they learned to Nick Fury, bringing him forward twenty-plus years from his WWII days and setting him up as the director of a (somewhat) top-secret spy organization. After a decent first outing, however, Kirby steps back, supplying layouts for many, many different artists from month to month (the better ones being John Severin and Don Heck). At this point, it's a pretty straightforward sixties spy title, with lots of secret gadgets and sneaking around, and reads a lot like a war comic where the Nazis have been replaced by HYDRA and its various subsections (A.I.M., THEM, etc).

Then there's Steranko.

Jim Steranko takes over art chores about halfway through the Strange Tales run, and while it takes a few issues to find his legs - he pencils over Kirby's layout for three issues before taking over entirely, even replacing Stan as writer and serving as his own colorist - once he does, this strip becomes every bit as groundbreaking as you've heard. He's not the world's greatest figure artist, per se: he's clearly aping Kirby, and his anatomy is downright Liefeldian most of the time. People don't look the way these people look. What Steranko brought to the comics is an incredible sense of design and pacing; his layouts are terrific even before he starts playing with the form, setting up panels as mazes the reader has to solve in order to follow the story, using splash pages (then double splash pages, and then a justly famous quadruple splash page then you would have needed two copies of the issue to see in full) that actually manage to get across the sense of awe he's trying to impart. Furthermore, he brought in elements of pop art, Op art, surrealism, psychedelia, and graphic design that make this just about the most 1968 a comic has ever been - seriously, one look at these issues and you know exactly when they were created - but it looks absolutely terrific and exciting. He greys Fury's hair, ditches most of the Lee/Kirby supporting cast (Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jasper Sitwell, frequent appearances from Tony Stark) and brings in Val and Clay Quartermain, neither of whom ever really do anything. (Dum Dum comes back pretty quickly, and the others return once Steranko leaves.) Furthermore, he gets Fury out of his suits and into the SHIELD bodysuit we're now used to, which really serves to modernize things.

Steranko left the book a few issues after it split off from Strange Tales, and from then on it becomes forgettable. Initially drawn by Frank Springer for a few issues before making way for some fairly terrible early work from Barry Smith and then Herb Trimpe before being quickly cancelled, the final issues go from vast overuse of the Hate Monger, who sucks, and then becomes a Warner Brothers cartoon where HYDRA tries and fails to kill Fury every month. The artists, particularly Springer, are trying really hard to do what Steranko did without understanding why it worked, so we get lot of fairly boring splash pages and concentric circles all over the place. Once the book ends, it gets wrapped up in an issue of The Avengers almost as an afterthought.

Totally worth my time for the Steranko stuff, and some of the early stories are fun enough, but the rest is kind of a slog.

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You know, that a run I've always meant to read but, for whatever reason, have never gotten around to. That might have to be corrected soon.

Sinestro #6 (Green Lantern / New Gods: Godhead, part six): The opening pages do a fairly decent job synopsizing the crossover to that point, all while keeping the book focused on the Sinestro Corps and moving the storyline forward. However, it doesn't tell us Highfather's endgame and why he's dispatched his New Gods to gather Lantern rings, so that was a bit of a hurdle. (Then again, maybe it had yet to be revealed in the previous five parts.)

Art duties are split between Dale Eaglesham and Martin Coccolo. Though the latter artist has a handle on the characters (I especially like his Bekka), a lack of depth during the multilayered battles creates an unintentional chaotic effect; there's a difference between all-out war and cluttered, and this, unfortunately, falls a little on the cluttered side. Not every artist can be Jack Kirby, but I didn't know where to focus. I should reiterate, though, that I do like Coccolo's work.

The cover by Guillem March is downright awful. It looks like Sinestro is about to take a massive crap on Umaraal Jarta. On the other hand, there's a two-page spread by Dale Eaglesham that I must own. It's fucking majestic.

Sinestro #7 (Green Lantern / New Gods: Godhead, part 11): Sinestro attempts to seduce Bekka to his army, the various Lantern corps regroup, and a trap is sprung.

One of the things I most enjoyed about Sinestro #5 was the Sinestro / Hal dynamic. From teacher and student to allies and foes, the men have a long, storied history. Due to this, there's a mutual-though-contentious respect. In this book, when John Stewart and Sinestro converse, it's quite clear there is no respect at all; Sinestro is nothing but a power-hungry tyrant to John, and John is a fly in Sinestro's way. The few pages they spend together are wonderful.

Really, though, the star here is Ethan Van Sciver. His projection of Sinestro is intimidating, Bekka is a warrior, John Stewart carries himself like a soldier, Highfather has shades of Darkseid, and the gradual build to the final moment made me appreciate the artist in a way I never have before. It's truly cinematic.

Sinestro #8 (Green Lantern / New Gods: Godhead, part 16): Sinestro leads a one-man assault on Highfather, which ends with Sinestro (seemingly) running away. Said conclusion is abrupt, which is off-putting because the pacing was great up until that point.

There's a moment where Sinestro simply walks into Highfather citadel, confronting the god as an equal, proclaiming himself to be the "the greatest Lantern." The sheer bravado is an awesome character moment, but, as expected, it doesn't do Sinestro any favors. It's a very fun scene.

Martin Coccolo gets to shine here. Though he continues to have minor issues with depth, his character are dripping with details and the one-on-one fights have impact.

Overall, I'm not sure I'll read the other 14 parts to the Green Lantern / New Gods: Godhead crossover, but these issues filled me with hope that the storyline is worth a shot.

Comics: 94

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Static #5-#11

If anyone's read the TPB that DC put out a few years ago, that collects the first four issue of the Milestone series written by Dwayne McDuffie and the "Rebirth of the Cool" four parter that came out once the TV series premiered in 2000. These issues go back to the original series which after issue #4 were only edited by McDuffie. Robert Washington III takes up writing chores and from what I understand writes the rest of the series. Out of the original four Milestone books (Icon, Hardware, Blood Syndicate and Static), Icon was the one series that McDuffie stayed on for the majority of the series.

Moreso than the recent Ms. Marvel, Milestone's Static really was the then-modernization of the Spider-Man formula. Virgil's not exactly a scholar, but he's clearly the most intelligent kid in his high school and uses humor to let everyone know it. His humor hides a deep insecure core manifested by everyday troubles like bullies, pressure at home (His mom Jean, dead in the show, constantly gives him a hard time) and anxiety with girls. Typical sounding stuff I know, but this series, started by McDuffie and continued by Washington III really has the book feel contemporary and realistic. It's definitely 1994 with very dated pop culture references, but the issues it tackles are done with a type of frankness and uncompromising quality that there's no feeling of any sermons given. Issues #5-#7 involve a terrorist named Commander X who's bombing Jewish temples and sparking race riots between Jewish people and black people. In any other series this would be a very expectant "Racism is bad mm'kay" story, and it does eventually get there, but it feels more organic and relevant to the times the characters live in. Both Virgil and Frieda argue about who has it worse in society, jews or blacks. It's a story that's not afraid to sully it's characters in order to make a point, and it does so pretty well in my eyes. Issue #8 starts off a tie-in issue with a Shadow Cabnet crossover, issue #9 is a done-in-one story with a Jaimie Madrox-type villain, and issues #10-#11 introduce Puff and Coil, who trap Static by spray-painting love notes all throughout Dakota, drawing him out and taking pictures of his beatdown. Throughout all of this Virgil is very smart and endlessly figuring out new ways to use his electromagnetic powers to his advantage, in really clever ways he never came close to showing in the cartoon. He often speaks through various loudspeakers or police radios with his powers. He douses Puff with gas which mixes with her acidic gaseous form and makes her fat. He traces cars with electro-halos and the like. It's really dynamic superhero stuff.

The biggest drawback to Static is the artwork. I'm not a fan of Denys Cowan's style and I don't much care for John Paul Leon either. It looks way too green professionally, where a lot of the major story beats can't be relayed in the art because the POV shots are always far away or in shadow. It's really annoying and always holds the book back. Otherwise this is really solid stuff.

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Sinestro #9: In his continued search for more survivors from Korugar, Sinestro is lured into a trap.

There's a moment where Sinestro is downright wicked to Mongul, yet I felt for the man when he failed in his attack. Though I'm not fully knowledgable when it comes to the Sinestro / Mongul backstory, knowing what Mongul's capable of (RE: For the Man Who Has Everything) makes me able to imagine what he's done to Sinestro in the past -- never mind the awfulness shown here. There battle is brutal and hate-filled. This is the most human we've seen Sinestro; though he might wish to abolish chaos, as well as his own compassion, the evil Mongul brings upon a handful of Korugarians reveals a side of Sinestro he tries to deny: he wants murderous revenge. And, in many ways, that's a form of compassion for the victims. For an issue that features a lot of superhero fighting, there's a deep layer of characterization going on.

Also, having read Sinestro: Futures End, when The Apex League showed up, I actually feared for the title character.

Sinestro #10: Within the grasp of Mongul, Sinestro lays his own trap.

Brad Walker's artwork (featured in both #9 and 10) will be a touch more familiar to average comic book readers, yet it serves the story and characters well. Sinestro, even when hanging upside down in an inescapable trap, is still the most powerful person in the room. In a lot of ways, he's The Doctor from the post-2005 Doctor Who relaunch: always in control, the smartest man in the room, and angry beyond your wildest imagination. When the art captures that, the book excels even with its flaws.

Also, that ending!

Comics: 96

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Sinestro #11: This issue proved what I wrote last night, in that Sinestro is very much a cross between McCoy's scheming Doctor and Eccleston's bubbling-rage Doctor. There's also a Pertwee-ish moment when Sinestro says, "Sometimes, the mastery of a weapon comes in the refusal to use it." That very much reminds me of the line from Planet of the Daleks where The Doctor wisely notes, "Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway." Maybe Bunn's adding in these Doctor Who-ish touches, or maybe I'm placing them on the character. Either way, it's a joy.

Brad Walker (with help from Geraldo Borges) does a solid job with the large-scale battles, the flow from page one to the double-page spread on two and three is cinematic, and his Sinestro is a force to behold even when bound. This "self-power," as I called it before, is what keeps me reading. Though he uses those around him to varying degrees, he never actually needs them; they're tools to be used up and thrown away, and that is very much conveyed in his posture and smug demeanor. Every artist has nailed that, and I'd place Walker in the top three, thus far.

Comics: 97

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Sinestro Annual #1: Titled "Sinestro's House of Mystery," Sinestro seeks out a traitor in his ranks while recounting the origins of his generals.

Cullen Bunn writes six tales here, with a different artist for each. While Martin Coccolo deftly handles the wraparound story, we see the talents of Daniel Warren Johnson, Victor Ibáñez, Andy Kuhn, Ronan Cliquet, and Mirko Colak as they depict stories featuring Bekka, Lyssa Drak, Arkillo, Rigen Kale, and Dez Trivius respectively. True to the title of the issue, each features varying degrees of terror.

For me, the most successful were those of Bekka and Lyssa Drak, but an interesting theme runs throughout: love.

  • Bekka can't control the powers which cause men and women to adore her.
  • Lyssa Drak's soul is turned dark after she is betrayed by a lecherous, jealous uncle and a smarmy conman.
  • Rigen Kale lost his love, gaining unwanted powers in the process.
  • Dez Trivius went mad after his would-be husband sought another for power and wealth.
  • Even Arkillo's tale is of love; devotion to his god set him on his path of destruction.

What Bunn's done here is to show that love and compassion can be twisted into fear and anger when turned against us. Though Lyssa Drak's is the only pure horror story, they're all very much horrific and relatable. Some of them needed a little more substance, but others were perfectly paced, creating a solid annual overall.

As a point of interest, as Sinestro digs into the murder mystery which kicks off the issue, he surrounds himself with his female generals: Soranik Natu, Lyssa Drak, and Bekka. This goes a long way to demonstrate Sinestro sees all those who follow him as equals, but I also get the sense these are the three he trusts the most.

EDIT: In addition to Soranik Natu, Lyssa Drak, and Bekka being his most trusted allies, it dawned on me that they, too, carry the issue's theme of love. One is his daughter, the other is a prophet who loves him, and the third is someone Sinestro seduced to his side despite her having powers of attraction.

Comics: 98

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Static #12-#21

A few fill-in issues by the likes of Kurt Busiek and Sholly Fisch which aren't bad but nothing special. I like Sholly Fisch for his Batman: Brave and the Bold cartoon comics stuff, but his issue about Static's influence on younger kids was a bit too corny for me.

Issue #16 starts a five part story which details homophobia at Hemingway High and Dakota at large, highlighted specifically on the violent gay-bashing of Rick Stone who was the basis for Richie Folely in the cartoon. Rick's been in the closet up to this point but teased endlessly by a mutual friend of his and Virgil's, Chuck, since issue #1. Static saves him and another guy coming from a teen support group for gays, learning in his costumed identity about Rick and wondering how to handle it as Virgil Hawkins.

In the case of teen superhero books, we've all seen them go through the motions of tackling "topical" subjects. Chuck Dixon's Robin did it a few times with gun violence, teen sex and Stephanie Brown getting pregnant. Even a writer as good as he couldn't escape coming off a bit cheesy. Static tackles these types of issues head-on, but the major difference is how it pulls zero punches. This series is not afraid to make Virgil look really, really bad in order to further get the point of reality across. He's really homophobic throughout these five issues, blaming Rick for being how he is and messing up their friendship, and worried to seem too close to his other male friends. It's stunningly frank. Even when Frieda yells at him and refuses to be friends with him over his homophobia, he just barely starts to turn around. This might read ridiculously on-the-nose today, but in 1995 in a book targeted especially at black audiences, this feels 1,000,000% authentic. Everything comes to a head in part 4 when a Skinhead group called the "Sons of Odin" attack a Gay rights parade, attended by Rick, Frieda, Daisy and her mom. Static shows up to defend them, where the leader is revealed to be Hotstreak who wants revenge from his defeat back in issue #3. Static puts Hotstreak down in a particularly gross yet funny and inspired way (he was suffering from a cold for a few issues), and leaves the scene as everyone's arrested, including some of the gay rights protesters but few of the Sons of Odin. Hotstreak bursts out of the Paddy Wagon and holds Frieda hostage demanding a rematch with Static (who's left) and ends up getting shot in the chest by Rick, who found a cop's dropped gun.

In part four the writing chores are given to Ivan Velez Jr. By now a new artist named Wilfred's been doing the chores for a few issues, and gets better issue-to-issue. #21 is a day at the movies guest starring the Blood Syndicate, and it's a particularly funny, low-key issue. The artwork's progressing slowly, but the writing's been consistently solid throughout. 

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Night of the Fire-Beast #1: garbage.

Ninjak #12: sometimes this book takes the long way around a moment or a major plot point and sometimes it works. Other times it doesn't I"m not sure about what they're doing here. Regardless, it's gorgeous. Just seems anti-thetical to storytelling in some ways.

Old Man Logan #2: Hrm...

Puppet Master #12: another prequelly story in the world.

Robin - Son of Batman #9: weird. Strangest issue of the series.

Shaft - Imitation of Life #1: THIS is what I'm talking about. I liked the original series, but it just wasn't Shaft to me. This fucking is.

Silver Surfer #2: This is terrible. Not even Allred'a art makes it worth reading. I'm out.

Slash & Burn #4: that "long way round" comment on Ninjak is the opposite of this book. I feel like this issue just pushed things wayyyyy too fast.

Comics: 254
Trades: 17

Graphic Novels: 11

Omnibuses: 4

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Superman: The Coming of the Supermen #1: Three new S-wearing heroes arrive in Metropolis, just as Kalibak and his minions attack the city. Meanwhile, Superman is visited by stranger with an unbelievable message.

This is the latest Neal Adams project, and I just don't know what to make of it. There's no rhyme or reason for anything, yet nothing feels off in terms of characterization. This might be a case of it reading better once the second issue arrives or in a collected edition.

Comics: 99

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I have the greatest respect for Neal Adams, but his recent works in the past six or seven years are pretty crazy. Batman Odyssey was a babbling mess, and his story about Wolverine coming to Charles Xavier and giving him the idea for the X-Men was ridiculous.

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Static #22-#26

This has quickly become like the best issues of Spider-Man where the personal stuff far out-interests me compared to the superhero stuff. Virgil's dad has a heart attack and there's a new teen female vigilante called Dusk who's very much a type of Spoiler/Black Cat foil for Static. Issue #25 is extra-sized and the best one thus far. Virgil and Daisy have been dating (off-panel) for a while, and when she's forced to move across town due to her grandmother dying, it's implied that she wants to lose her virginity to Virgil. Fairly straightforward approach on paper but the execution's solid, with the best artwork in the title thus far. It is a bit dubious however that Static's almost dating Dusk in his costumed persona and dating Daisy as Virgil. This has yet to be brought up, and I hope it will soon.

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Snow Blind #3: so weird for a series to get better with each issue. 

Snowfall #1: uhm...no thanks.

Squadron Supreme #4: fucking hell. This is fun.

Superman-Lois & Clark #4: still so damned good.

Comics: 258
Trades: 17

Graphic Novels: 11

Omnibuses: 4

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Vision 5: I'm gonna miss King when he leaves this book. Yes, the opening Shakespeare monologue is pretentious as hell, however, with the way it frames the rest of the book, and especially the litany of what Vision has saved the world from, and those last two pages, goddamn. Bellaire does an amazing job on the coloring front here this issue. 

The Mighty Thor 5: Well, damn. Great fight issue on all fronts, and a good twist to the gut to set up the new status quo going forward. Kind of love how the end of the actual story is a big ol' middle finger to the people who don't like lady Thor. (Though, wondering how soon it gets reversed.) And again, christ, Dauterman and Wilson make a real fuckin' pretty comic.

Gotham Academy 16: More in the yearbook series. I can take or leave Niimura's bit, but the first story with Maps trying to meet Batman is pretty cute. 

Insexts 4: A widening mythology, and some real goddamn pretty art, along with a great reveal? Please keep writing like this forever, Bennett, and keep Kristantina on art, it's great. 

Single Issues: 53
TPBs/Collections: 16
Digital First Issues: 10

Edited by Venneh
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All-New Wolverine #6: This was a solid conclusion to the opening storyline, and it sets Laura down a new path. Much like Logan had Kitty, Jubilee, and Hisako, Laura now has her own young woman to look after and train. Though we were given lots of satisfying answers to what's come before, some awesome surprises were revealed which raise even more questions. The art took a slight dip, in that it was a little rough around the edges, but I continue to love the look of this book. It's perfectly violent when it needs to be, yet it can be quiet and subtle, and all of the characters stand apart.

The Dark & Bloody #2:  Speaking of dips, what happened here? Nothing, that's what. Nothing new is learned, the characters stand still, and everyone has become a cliche of who they were in the first issue. The art still mostly impressive, but a few faces took me aback in how off-model they were. Hopefully this was an early misstep and not a sign of what's to come. 

Comics: 101

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The Black Hood #9: This was maybe the best issue yet. Solid.

The Dark and Bloody #1: Completely unmemorable.

The Last Contract #2: great. Lots of fun.

The Mighty Thor #4: Kind of bored and done with this series now.

The Shield #2: three months wait for this? I'm out.

The Steam Man #5: fucking spectacular.

Totally Awesome Hulk #3: Totally mediocre comic.

Ultimates #4: The absolute worst issue of the series so far. Terrible. I'm probably done with this too.

Comics: 266
Trades: 17

Graphic Novels: 11

Omnibuses: 4

 
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Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #4: took a long time to set up the standard for the series. I'll give it one more issue.

A Year of Marvels-March: Ryan Browne draws Ant-Man and Grizzly working during spring break. It's pretty great. I get now that this is a spotlight for young new talent and I appreciate that. I also appreciate that many of them won't be nearly as good as this one.

All-New All-Different Avengers #6: a sloppy end to this first arc. I'm interested in Avengers STandoff for I'll stick around for a little while.

All-New Wolverine #6: this felt really rushed in places and really drawn out in others. Weird. I like this series, so I'm not too put off, but it's certainly the issue I've enjoyed the least by a wide margin.

Comics: 270
Trades: 17

Graphic Novels: 11

Omnibuses: 4

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