Superhero Comics!

[Dhi]

Sorry, that one was a joke, Pickle Rick isn't really coming to the X-Men as far as I know.

Doctor Doom is on the cover of today's Excalibur #23, where the solicitation says he's on a mission to Otherworld. It's coming together for me this morning that this is all building up to the Darkhold series I was excited about, bringing Scarlet Witch back from the dead, and probably using all this omega-level sorcery to change the Marvel universe in ways that include undoing Krakoa and the colonization of Mars.

If I'm correct, this is a DC Crisis sort of move to undo Hickman's damage to the X-Men. It would explain the genesis of the upcoming Inferno event, as the Darkhold is certainly demonic, and it would feature Excalibur prominently in one of these massive events, which I believe is a first.

Hellions has also been alluding to Inferno through visions of Madelyne Pryor, and we have two different Sinisters due to shenanigans with Otherworld. The tainted Sinister is currently with a team of nightmarish Arakko mutants who certainly fit the bill of goblins. You know, as the impetus for the whole Inferno event. Those mutants first appeared in Hellions #6.

So if I'm writing this, Doctor Doom wields the Darkhold to undo the changes to Mars; bloodthirsty Arakko mutants come streaming back through the X-Men's Krakoa gates to various locations on Earth; Manhattan is among the places invaded in a big Inferno; Krakoa is destroyed; humanity distrusts and reviles mutantkind more than ever.

Overall this seems like something with potential, but I don't think I want to follow a book like Hellions into Inferno, so I'll be dropping that one after #14.

[Dhi]

Oops, my bad! Yesterday's Excalibur was #22, no Doctor Doom just yet. That's next month.

I'm enjoying Excalibur a lot. The team is tying up loose ends in Otherworld when things go sideways, as they do. Each of the cast is coming into their own as a sorcerous power ala Justice League Dark. This week Gambit ends up with Saturnyne's deck of tarot, which he releases the mystic potential of when thrown. Such a cool idea, and such a great use of Gambit.

Saturnyne and Betsy's antagonism is soooo delicious, I love it.



In the Claremont days of X-Men, before Psylocke became Japanese, Betsy Braddock was my favorite X-Man. Saturnyne and Betsy is reminding me a bit of Betsy/Spiral, a queer-coded D/s relationship back when these things were all over Claremont's writing and nobody read much into it.



While Betsy isn't quite back to the same person I loved in those early stories, the flavor is as close to old school Betsy as you can probably get without regressing the character. Betsy/Spiral and Betsy/Saturnine are fun to think about.

But the Betsy lore cuts even deeper, to the oldest Alan Moore stories and S.T.R.I.K.E. Psi Division. Pete Wisdom is assembling a team of psi-ops to rescue Excalibur from Otherworld, and who are these naked dripping people? They're some of Betsy Braddock's oldest allies: Tom Lennox, Vicki Reppion, Kevin Mulhearn, and Alison Double.



Tini Howard seems to see Betsy the same way I do, and these characters will help to ground her in ways the X-Men she once played vacuous ninja arm candy to just can't. Betsy as she exists now needs purer relationships.

[Dhi]

Hey how come Babs constantly has a mouthful of fast food now

[Kadigan]

Maybe it's like the Ocean's movie, where they're trying to show she's so super busy she just eats whenever.

[Dhi]

Picked up like 15 books this week, after I don't even know how many at the convention last week, so I definitely have a collection at this point.

On the Marvel side, just Moon Knight and Marauders. Moon Knight seems cool. I, um, don't know the character well enough to say much more than that, but this seems like a good place to start reading to complement his upcoming Disney+ show.

Marauders 22 is a callback to Marauders 2 in a couple of ways and if you're old enough or X-fan enough to recognize the woman in black, the cover gives away the whole game.

Marauders #2

Marauders #22

This self-contained story is intrinsically about Emma Frost's better qualities, which are also reflected in the side story featuring her daughters.

Marauders #2

Marauders #22

Although I'm not super thrilled about the retcon involved, it's a strong Emma Frost story and introduces the potential for some very interesting future Hellfire Trading Company stories.

[Dhi]

Some more Darkhold one-shots were previewed today-ish, with an emphasis on the monkey's paw wish twisting. Neat!

Are you fanged, or are you food? The world is divided into humans and vampires – and Blade, the one who walks between them both…and kills with equal impunity. After reading from the cursed Darkhold, Blade and a cadre of other heroes were meant to enter Chthon’s dimension and stop the ancient god from destroying the Multiverse. But reading the book has changed all their lives and histories…and for Blade, the consequences are far-reaching. Vampires rule the world, and he rules over them all. But there are some heroes left—and Blade is not as omniscient as he thinks.

Ryan North turns his talents to a brand-new genre! Called forth to face the dread god Chthon, Iron Man reads from the ancient ill-fated text the Darkhold…and it changes the course of his entire life. The armor that has saved him countless times is about to become a prison — one whose only escape is a fate worse than death. The brilliant comedic mind behind The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Dinosaur Comics brings you the body-horror tale of the century!!

[TheLaughingOne]

hahahahah, moonknight is one of my favorite characters. in straight comics and meme form.
He is... Insane, and a big thing that goes back and forth is on if the god he follows is actually real, or if he is just insane. Otherwise he is one of the most brutal fighters of Marvel, and quite possibly completely normal human... Who some how just wont die.
My fvorite thing is taskmaster has fought him a couple times, and now pretty much refuses no matter the payday, part because its worse then fighting deadpool in
A: The chances moonknight might cut off your face is never 0.
And 2: he is very fearful that knights fighting style of "Defense is for pussies" might get written in and... yeah.

Fave comic is basically a filler one, but shows off the more general not quite "I follow a forgotten egyptian god" style. Plus his costume here is freaking awesome. https://imgur.com/a/amHvmqf (moon knight #5 (2014)

and on less... well, slightly less crazy and violent notes!!



yyyyyeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

[Dhi]

Love that Harley and Ivy! So have you read the new Moon Knight?

On the DC side this week, Grant Morrison presents an aging, fading Superman in Superman and The Authority, faced with a world where the Justice League became more style than substance, where evil festered beneath the surface and ultimately persevered when Earth's greatest heroes failed. The first issue sets up a number of mysteries I want answers to, and proposes to explore the 5G universe of Dan DiDio which thankfully never came to pass. This is a must read for me.



Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #2 shifts flavor from True Grit to Star Wars as Supergirl and Ruthye take to grungy spaceports and interplanetary watering holes in search of a bad man. The art is gorgeous, Supergirl through Ruthye's eyes is a thoughtful exploration of the character, and Tom King's writing can drive home a point.

https://i.imgur.com/vevpG6r.jpg
(linked because Ruthye seems to be pretty young)

Then, Nightwing tells the story of Dick Grayson's half-sister, a character we've just been introduced to. Although it's a retcon, the way her mother is inserted into history feels organic and true to the history of the Graysons. It gives Nightwing new story potential, new intrigues, new stakes, and I love it. Tom Taylor's run is great so far, although there's going to be an interruption soon for Fear State crossovers.

Flash Annual 2021 sloughs the muck DiDio raked on the character of Wally West and canonizes him as the Flash of the modern age, after so many missteps and false starts. The last few months have been my first time reading The Flash, and although I keep meaning to drop the title for a lack of lasting interest in the character, it's been well worth the read every month.




Bendis' Justice League is all over the place and the Bendis-speak is becoming irritating, but it has fun moments. I'm mostly reading for the Justice League Dark backups by Ram V.



Look at these other neat things coming in October! Nubia & The Amazons get a book at last, and Basketful of Heads gets a sequel!



Gotham City Sirens return in the pages of Catwoman and Harley Quinn, so I guess I'm buying like 6 Bat books now, oh well!



Also featuring Ghost-Maker, like that's a bonus.

[Foxy DeVille]

For a wee bit of superhero randomness, yesterday Britney Spears posted a pic of the Star Sapphire Corps on IG and Paris Hilton voiced her approval...

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRr7DM9AGbX/

Now I want the two of them to get violet powers rings.

[TheLaughingOne]

Love that Harley and Ivy! So have you read the new Moon Knight?

Yeah, it was just a random find and liked it so figured i should share:3

And sadly no, i havent kept up on many comics save a few rare non-superhero ones. I get on weird kicks and look up older things of characters, and see if maybe they got new stuff but yeah, a big part of me fell out of superhero comics with how things would seem to get rewritten completely ignoring old lessons and events with a new writer because "I HAVE A COOL IDEA BUT ONLY WORKS IF THIS GUYS A VILLIAN AGAIN!" or so forth. Plus just questionable story routes as well. I do still like them, and as said pick things up on occasion when something snags my attention, but, well. My attentions already rather scattered.

hehe, honestly my attentions kinda picked up again from chatting with you some, and RP ideas springing to mind in vague shadowy forms.

[Dhi]

I gave I Am Not Starfire a read today, and it's a whole lot better than Mariko Tamaki's previous YA queer graphic novel, Poison Ivy: Thorns. This one has pulled down a ton of hate, and for bizarre reasons that feel superficial and unfamiliar with either Mariko Tamaki or her work. So, not exactly in good faith.

Also picked up Superman: Son of Kal-El which puts Jon Kent in the role of Earth's Superman. It's another great positive vibes story from Tom Taylor, which leaves Jon thinking about how to fix the world in a way more meaningful than punching villains and putting out forest fires. I like the idea, but with Papa Superman still active across several books I'm going to have to suspend my disbelief.

Hoping to see the Legion appear in this one, maybe as a backup? Saturn Girl and Jon Kent were an item just six months ago.

Black Cat (vol 2) #8 is unfortunately probably the death knell for that series. I've been enjoying it a lot, but rumor is sales are tanking and this Infinity Stones crossover event seemed like a smart way to draw in readers and show them that the book is fantastic.



But both the recent Annual and issue 8 promise developments on their cover which the story inside does not deliver. Felicia isn't even stealing the stones yet, instead she's stealing this Ripley Ryan character who has merged with the Reality Stone. While I'm excited for it as a Black Cat reader, it is misleading, so this is not a good strategy to promote the book. Black Cat is meant to be ongoing, but realistically I think we're looking at another 12-issue run. And maybe that's fine.

DC's Milestone revival is growing a little bit with Static #2 and Icon and Rocket #1. Is anyone else picking them up?

[TheLaughingOne]

I read "I am not Starfire" earlier today, and it wasn't that bad! Never read any of their other work but this was pretty good. I love the aspect of Legacy Children, and the mix of not having powers, or many other physical matches was a good thing.

We have seen the issue with more secret characters, but in this its the issue of how is it for a child whos parent is quite openly a hero and not human. I could understand what mandy was going through in all she was dealing with.

And 99% of the complaints i heard were more your standard bitching to bitch with no real point or anything to them.

Spoilery stuff!!

My issues were minor and nothing big at all, like blackfire deciding to do the whole combat thing at mandys school. In front of a crowd.. Yeah, the Titans were gone... but what if Wonder Woman showed? As maxwell lord can attest, she will straight up end a bitch if she feels its justified. Granted she likely wouldnt here, but thats a risk I would avoid myself. Then again Blackfire isnt the brightest bulb in a box full of coal at times it seems..

With it was well... Starfire needs someone to help with communication, not that Mandy is the greatest. This is more an in character thing, that actually makes sense then actual problem. At no point did Starfire think it was a good idea to warn her daughter that her powers might develop later in life, and that they dont get them when born. It would have saved her a lot of grief. But that could just be that neither of them are master communicators.

And not an issue, but I continue to find it funny that human DNA continues to be a supercharger when mixed with some alien species.

All in all it wasnt bad at all!

[Foxy DeVille]

DC's Milestone revival is growing a little bit with Static #2 and Icon and Rocket #1. Is anyone else picking them up?

Once they get a few more in I'll binge on 'em. When I went electronic finally due to moving/pandemic I found myself losing the new comic book day sense of immediacy and preferring to read more in bulk. Loved Milestone's first run.

[Dhi]

In the newest Previews, Valiant's Harbinger finally has a release date of 10/27.

   

I also found something that appeals to me from Zenescope after your recommendation a couple of months ago, GrandAdmiral.

Things couldn't be worse for Tamara Brazile. A highly decorated and venerable police detective with almost fifteen years of experience on the job, her world comes crashing down after her husband is murdered at the hands of a serial killer she had been pursuing.

And to make matters worse, she is diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer before she has a chance to bring the killer to justice. But as fate would have it, she is given a second chance at life when she discovers that she is a descendent of an ancient race of DJINN (genies), with the power to cure herself and others.

However, there is a catch: She can only keep the power so long as she helps a pair of evil djinn intent on bringing an ancient evil back to life and aid them in a coming war. A war which could usher in an age of misery and strife for mankind.

Thoughts on the casting of Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon for HBO Max's Batgirl movie? I don't see the resemblance, either to Barbara Gordon or to J.K. Simmons who is ostensibly playing Jim Gordon.

[TheLaughingOne]

oohhh... I can totally see Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, though Gary Oldman is also perfect for it...


I do have to admit... I cant help but seeing him also starting up the bat signal, waiting for him to show up, and start demanding "PICTURES OF SPIDERMAN NOW DAMN IT!!!"

[TheLaughingOne]

Just random find i came across....



*ahem*

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheLaughingOne]

Another cute harley/ivy comic!!



Though.. i think harley missed her landing... short by a couple feet....

[Dhi]

Wow, is that from the upcoming series? It's seriously exceeding my expectations.

[TheLaughingOne]

I beleive so! Guy who posted it on discord server didnt list a source of how he got it.

[Dhi]

It's out on DC Universe Infinite, a month before print! I'll read this tomorrow, it's too late tonight.

[TheLaughingOne]

Ooohhh, that explains it!

[Dhi]

I hadn't been feeling comic books as much for the past couple of weeks. This week's books turned that around for me.

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series - The Eat, Bang, Kill Tour #1 is amazing and I'm loving it. It's not in print until September, but DCUI subscribers are getting it a month early.

https://www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/comics/book/harley-quinn-the-animated-series-the-eat-bang-kill-tour-1/9ec8e5e3-74e5-4a1c-b274-9f5a0c8a3d20/

If this is the beginning of a strategy to get people subscribing, it's worked on me. I've been thinking about cancelling, now that I'm more into current books. If HQTASTEBKT releases a month early on the service, that's worth the $8 to me...not to mention all the other stuff I might want to read.

Where to begin? The book is hilarious, but the art is also beautiful, leaning into the show's style and taking it places the animated medium cannot. The writing, the art are clear labors of love, and the colors at DC have been gorgeous since March. I wish I knew more about the coloring, the inking, the lettering side of things, but when it all works together so well, I definitely take notice.
It's also risque. Very risque. The chemistry between Harley and Ivy is every bit as risque as I would expect to see in indie queer romance books, and it hits differently drawing from DC's talent pool and familiar characters with what seems to be a significant budget...this is the intermission for a very successful, very lucrative animated series.

A small but brilliant touch is Harley's internal dialog with her psychiatrist self, which analyzes her own behavior and relationship with Ivy. This kind of self-awareness is routinely missing from queer books, where characters behave erratically, self-destructively, frustratingly, and this is rationalized as damaged, quirky, emotional, but that shit is weak. Here Tee Franklin offers accountability to Harley's motives and thought process. She has my respect. I want to follow her writing.

Also funny, sexy, and deliciously smart is Elvira Meets Vincent Price #1, which was a gamble for me because I haven't really liked anything else from Dynamite. Cassandra Peterson is beloved in my corner of the world, and as I'm reading I'm struck by just how endearingly genuine it is.



The story so far concerns Vincent Price's lost film, Rise of the Ram, so I feel like it's in good hands with deep horror cuts and perfect characterization. What a beautiful surprise! Vincent Price dangles the mystery, Elvira is consistently funny, both characters are charming. This book hits just right and I want to follow the series for sure.

Also on my steadily growing horror list, The Nice House on the Lake #3 explores the character of Sam Nguyen, "The Reporter," as he obsesses over the nature of the place and provides organic answers to audience questions. Sam discovers a place apart from the Nice House which we've previously seen in the introduction of Ryan Cane "The Artist". There's a reveal I don't want to spoil which adds an enticing new dimension to the story. Every issue has been great.

Another one was The Me You Love in the Dark #1, about a young artist who rents a haunted house in hopes of being inspired. This one didn't resonate. There's probably a ghost, and we don't know what's happened to the prior tenants, but it's something bad. I mean to keep reading because it might yet click for me, and the atmosphere in the art is lovely.



Batman #111 starts out in a weird place as we're asked to root for Miracle Molly, but it's way too early for that- Tynion needs to not foist her on us so blatantly, or readers will turn on her. The ending, though, is a stunning twist for those who've been following.




For context, without spoiling, back in January-February there was an event called Future State which featured a possible future for the DC universe. I enjoyed it, many did not, because when we shifted back to the current era many books, including Batman, seemed to be taking aim directly for that possible future. If you didn't like the stories in Future State, then you might not like the direction Batman is headed next, basically. And while Batman seemed to be hewing pretty closely to what Future State laid out, this twist swings it in a very different direction.

Since quite a bit was centered around Batman and Gotham in the Future State stories- almost everything being connected in some way- this all but confirms the expectations of Future State are going to be subverted, starting with the upcoming Fear State book. Is this in response to feedback, to some people not really digging the cyberpunk dystopia flavor? I don't know, but this is close enough that it still makes me happy, and I think it's going to make a lot of other readers who've been on the fence happy too.

[Foxy DeVille]

Watched a min-doc on awful person/deranged artist Fletcher Hanks. Would have liked more on Fantomah than going on about Stardust as she's the more historically significant characters but it was still interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkObU0Jz4Yc

[Oniya]

So, just spotted this on NPR Possible spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends #6

Not spoilers regarding villains or crime (and it's probably not even a major plot point) - just something about Tim Drake.

[TheGrandAdmiral]

I loved Dinah's dress in that issue...