Superhero Comics!

[TheLaughingOne]

I actually havent read any of the knights stuff, was wondering more bout what other people thought and if it would be worth starting.

and yeah! i had given it a read, but only now does the giraffe thing really make any sense as i see it again (the tongue)

And had thought to offer to post your questions at the AMA for ya, but its a day i work and with new schedule im pretty much out all day from it:T

[Foxy DeVille]

Human Target is a pulpy crime noir with fantastic attention to detail and translation of noir cinematography to the page. I cannot wait to see Elsa Charretier's take on the layouts, but in the meantime it's a must read for me all on its own merits, before even factoring in the JLI.

Just read the first issue and it's off to a heck of a start. I had high expectations with the author and subject that got easily met.

[Dhi]

Betsy Braddock x Saturnyne is definitely happening.



"She (Saturnyne) truly doesn't deserve you."



At great peril, Betsy dives after Saturnyne during the battle for Avalon and performs a midair magical girl transformation in perhaps the gayest splash I've ever seen in an X-Men book.



"For all her faults..."



We see a side of Saturnyne previously reserved for Brian, Betsy's brother, the man she could not have. All of Saturnyne's efforts to control Betsy have failed, and yet when Saturnyne was helpless, it was Betsy, not Brian, who threw herself on the grenade for the queen.

My own exquisite eye for femslash aside, what a fantastic issue of Excalibur. We see Tom Lennox and the other members of S.T.R.I.K.E. from Betsy's past acclimating to Krakoa, over dinner with Betsy. We get a sense that romantically Betsy has moved on, but sorely needs those old friendships. We see her very aware of Kwannon's ability to find intimacy with fellow Hellion Greycrow. Everyone is terrific. For an issue which seemed slated to be a big Lord of the Rings battle, this was a very character-driven issue.

And while I'm anxious to see where Betsy ends up next, a new X-team for 2022 was announced, sort of!



Secret X-Men will be by Tini Howard and Francesco Mobili, starring all the rejects from the recent poll. It's only a one-shot, but it's something!

[Dhi]

Back from our local weekend con, and so many treasures. Justice League Europe 1-29, Snyder's Justice League 1-26, Mark Texeira's Ghost Rider, Cave Carson 1-6, Mother Panic 1-12, Leah Williams' X-Factor, Castellucci's Batgirl, V's Catwoman, silver age Legion, Bermuda 1-4, WildC.A.T.S. '93 and '00, Alan Moore's Voodoo, and a whole long box of '90s comic books that are definitely not valuable but should be fun to rummage through.

I picked up this Spider-Woman statue which I've always wanted, and for 60% off. Neat!



And discovered that Rebecca Guay did a Green Lantern story titled 1001 Emerald Nights, so of course that came home with me.



Plus the new issues and volumes from local indie projects, of which we have quite a few!

Part of my interest in WildC.A.T.S. and Voodoo and the Wildstorm universe this weekend is because we continue to see these characters teased out in current DC stories. We have Stormwatch villain Bendix in Son of Kal-El, Grifter in Batman, Apollo and Midnighter in Authority, and this week in Superman vs. Lobo #2, this unexpected crossover.



I also checked out Al Ewing and Ram V's Venom #1 this week and I don't understand what the fuck is going on. Everyone else seems to like it? I'm giving it a shot, but probably not for long.

[Dhi]

The Fear State event still has an Omega issue to wrap things up, and some tie-ins like Catwoman next week, but as far as I'm concerned, it ended this week with Batman #117.



My run with Batman also ends here, because I know the book's direction is about to change and I'm just not interested enough in Batman to follow. The story Tynion was telling here specifically appealed to me, and there were some delightful extras, too- Jorge Jimenez's top tier sequential art, the return of the Batgirls, and Harley and Ivy becoming canon, to name a few.



Batman 117 also has a Batgirls backup which I'm loving, and I suspect Batgirls and Ghost Rider will probably be what clicks most for me in 2022.



Every book or just about every book this week has a second Batgirls backup which is being shown in its entirety on some of the news sites. Since it's freely available and DC seems to really want to get it out there, it feels safe to post the whole thing here, and share what's got me excited.



At Marvel, authorial menace Karla Pacheco is reviving Spider-Woman's oldest friend Lindsay McCabe in order to ruin that too. Up next, according to solicits: was this run's Jessica a clone the whole time??? As a rule, I try not to bring negativity to the discussion here, but this woman is ruining my life.

[TheLaughingOne]

Oh lord.. please be joking. They should know better then to combine spiderman and clones..

[Foxy DeVille]

At Marvel, authorial menace Karla Pacheco is reviving Spider-Woman's oldest friend Lindsay McCabe in order to ruin that too. Up next, according to solicits: was this run's Jessica a clone the whole time??? As a rule, I try not to bring negativity to the discussion here, but this woman is ruining my life.

Such mixed feelings as I loved the nearly-depowered Jessica in Madripoor during the early issue's of Wolverine's solo series. Such pulpy fun. Bringing back Lindsay for clone stuff? Not so much.

[Dhi]

It is pulpy fun. The action recently has been creative and exceptional and it feels like that's the identity Pacheco and Perez are aiming for. It's the kind of book I should adore, but I just...can't get on board with tearing down everything wonderful about Jess and replacing it with rage.

[TheLaughingOne]

Well. Finished batman reptilian.

Aint a god damn thing worth while in the entire comic. Arts crap, storys crap, pretty much all of its just... yeah.

In the end "batman" is quite possibly one of the worst prick versions ive seen with him telling a thug he has blackmailed into spying for him, the used as bait for giant killer alien monster mutant thing, which then kills the guy a few moments later, disemboweling him horribly (also telling the guy "no point in trying to stuff it all back in, hes pretty much dead) "batman doesnt kill people." Im working so hard to forget that i cant remember the second part, but it boils down to a justification that its not his fault, its the giant monster who he used the guy as bait for.

Then hands over half exploded killer alien to government spook with a bland "you better not use that to make a bunch of super soldier monster things. Cause im the one who will have to clean it up when everythi g goes wrong."

There... is nothing redeeming about this comic. Its trash on the level of injustice.

There are a couple other hero comics, and horror ones been getting into, and are good, or goodish, but will have to post that info when i get home tonight.

Take care people! A happy thanksgiving to those that celebrate it, and an excellent good day to those that dont!

[Dhi]

Sorry Reptilian didn't do it for you, but I want to hear about what does!

There are a lot of books on my list for tomorrow, but in the meantime I wanted to call out some of the old books I rediscovered from that comic con reject bin.

Defiant's Dark Dominion is one I completely forgot about, probably because the company was only in business for a year. Jim Shooter and Steve Ditko put together a concept for a hero who could sidestep into a psychic realm and do battle with demons responsible for mental maladies. The creative use of color representing that Dark Dominion jogged my memory right away. It's a concept I still love in characters like Shade and Betsy Braddock and Mindf**k; I love the psychic plane as a battlefield for mental health. Dark Dominion was only ever 10 issues but left a lasting impression on me.



Steve Ditko also contributed to Magnus, Robot Fighter, one of the original Valiant titles. It had a totally unique retrofuturism vibe and hit a great balance of pulpy science fiction fun and interesting questions which went on for I think almost a hundred issues. There was a revival for a 12 issue series as recently as 2014 which I know starts out fantastic, and I think anyone who enjoyed the ideas presented in Nier: Automata would enjoy Magnus.





Gen 13 had a lot of spinoffs back in the day, and one of them was this fantasy reimagining of the team. It was a one and done story, but this cover was iconic.



Mantra was an interesting book. A male-identifying warrior spirit becomes trapped in the body of a woman, and although it's definitely drawn for titillation, the attention given to inheriting the roles and responsibilities of womanhood seems sincere. That is, up until Marvel bought out the imprint and replaced the character with a teenage girl, whitewashing any kind of trans element, and burying the property after six months.



I think I've mentioned before the Legion of Super-Heroes Five Years Later omnibus, which is so far my only omnibus. But a second volume due in April was just announced, this time featuring the Mark Waid era which holds up well today. This is exactly the era I've been watching out for at comic cons, so I'm excited.

[TheLaughingOne]

Well! Since you asked so nicely!!!

One that caught my interest in horror is "Cult Of Dracula"
which has weird sort of modern remake of sorts.. A special agent named "Malcom Bram" isinvesting a cult compound where an event called "The Cult of Dracula Mass Suicides" in which the bodies of a massive number of cultists are found torn to shreds. It also seems to cut back to the past as  Mina Murray visits the compound to interview the leader of the "Ordo Dracul" cult, Robert Renfield. Im only one in before i had to go to work, but its interesting so far, with many of the characters sharing names of Stokers characters and others. weird sort of buildup, and justmight have its own head a smidge up its ass, but im going to continue to see how it goes.

Another is called "Hailstone" which takes place in wild west civil war era, town in Montana called Hailstone finds itself deep in a winter storm so heavy no goods can get in or out, and recently people have been going missing while out trying to find something to eat in the forest. The newly built Union Army factory is refusing to offer any real help, only a bit of food, but no soldiers to help with the searches. So the sheriff takes a group of men out in the storm at night to try and find the lastest missing person, only for them to be attacked by wolves.. And something else. This tickles me just right as i love a good wild west story, the arts good, and its got an interesting feel to it. Got my hopes up!

I continue along with Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, following the infamous doctor as she tries to fleece the people of the universe, and not get killed by those same people. With the new "crimson dawn" it feels.. ok, though i thought the series ended well enough last time, and at times it feels like its dragging out just a bit much, though still fairly enjoyable.

Army Of Darkness 1979 is a good one, its basicly Army of Darkness meets Warriors, with ash plopped down in the middle of a bunch of those strange almost cartoonish gangs fighting for control, as a single gang called "The Warlocks" seems intent on taking over the world, well, their leader does, the rest just want some pizza and a little more turf, killing off the competition by use of the Necronomicon. Ash finds himself in charge of a gang called "The Half Deads" who are based on looking like zombies, making for a bit of a funny twist, while the other gangs go after him... Because. They seem to think he has some power that will let him beat the warlocks, and want it for themselves so they can take the book themselves. Good read and funny, blending the two subjects quite well.

Refrigerator full of heads, which i mentioned inthe past is shaping to be interesting, and hopefully wont come out as something bland trying to carry on the idea and ruining how things ended in the last one..

Batman Vs. Bigby! A Wolf In Gotham im enjoying. Sadly this is another example of fuckhead batman, though not as bad as reptilian. That said as he decides to throw down with bigby and way he is treating him, i wouldnt feel any remorse if batman was to get torn apart. We see gotham police are... Not smart. Giant wolf bursts through walls rescuing bunch of civilians? SHOOT IT!! SHOOT IT NOW DESPITE THE FACT THAT BULLETS BARELY EVEN SEEM TO ANNOY IT!! then get pissy when a visiting detective tells them to help the civilians trapped under rubble and in danger... And assume that the civie telling them the wolf saved them is actually stupid and doesnt know what he is talkingabout.  Now we know why so many criminals get off easy. gotham police arent just corrupt.. they are stupid. It does have one nice little thing where batman mentions that the thugs he has imbeded in the villians gangs Do get to retire (if things dont go wrong) with one guy owning a nice little island in belize, pretty much anything he wants provided for.

Oh. and of course after hearing about the wolf, and how it rescued people, batman decides to kill it. Granted it did kill a bunch of evil assholes. Even better is how the "robins" hear it talk, and Robin seems to dismiss it as being unlikely. whoever hear of a talking wolf...?

those are the things im currently reading at the moment, wel, that i havent given up hope on... Trying to find Hulk #1, the new series after Immortal hulk and see how it goes. and a couple others whos names slip my brain.
Hope people can find something that gets some interest going!

[Dhi]

I'm hearing mixed things about Hulk. It's not something I plan to read, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on it when you find a copy. There were some in the store today, but not much of anything else. Shipping problems hit all but a few of the books I was expecting.

I did get Stephanie Phillips' Harley Quinn #9 and felt like revisiting something I said back in March.

Harley Quinn #1 is new this week. The story, with controversial art by Riley Rossmo, tries to paint Harley in a sympathetic light post-Joker War by showing her in a vulnerable place, bullied, spit upon. I'm not sure how these villain-to-hero stories are ordinarily done in comic books, but to me this seems particularly uninspired.

We're shown a wall where Harley makes plans to seek forgiveness from the various people she's wronged. One of these is an envelope for "Pam," which must be Poison Ivy. Harley says that she's not ready for that one yet, which means that we're not looking at a real canon Harley/Ivy relationship even now.

Since that's the case, I have no intention of buying any more. No thanks. At least DC is up front about it, instead of making it a cliffhanger that drags on for 20 issues.

While I did drop the book, I ended up picking it back up more recently for the Sirens and filling in the gaps out of a sort of compulsion. In the end, it took 9 issues instead of 20, and by now I think Phillips and Rossmo have hit their stride. This issue is dense, it's energetic, it's funny, it's emotional, it's full of payoffs including terrific insight into Harley and Ivy's relationship. I was not expecting this.





But I'm glad I came back, because it did turn out to be something special.

[TheLaughingOne]

... well. i found it. and i read it. and... honestly i hate it.

I know they cant disrupt the status quo with how things ended in immortal hulk, but... their reset doesnt explain why things reset, and even then just shears off in such a random and stupid direction that... yeah.

immortal hulk and new hulk spoilers

So at the end of immortal hulk, its revealed that The One Below All is essentially the hulk version of One above all, and after the events of what happened, banner has managed to find balance with Savage hulk, Devil hulk, and Joe Fixit. which of course is bad for business in marvel. so hey had to reset it... But in this they just mention "santa fe" and... some how banners turned hulk into a mech. completely dominated the mind, locked away savage hulk, wrapped body in armor, and pilots it all weird mecha style "in itshead" its... Really stupid...

[Dhi]

So Ewing had a great Hulk run and Cates had a great Venom run, then they traded books and immediately negated each other's work. Typical boys!

Darkhold: Wasp was somewhere in the middle of the other Darkhold offerings so far. As a horror story it's competently done, but in the style of something like House of Mystery, which is quite tame for a tale starring an Avenger. The teasers for Wasp had me believing it would be something like Marguerite Bennet's Insexts instead; a body horror where Victorian lovers stumble into secrets of metamorphosis and become drawn into a world of 19th Century monsters.



Insexts is better in every way, and I would heartily recommend it over Wasp. There's a hardcover collection due out January 19th.

The kiss between Harley and Ivy is being echoed across Batman, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman here at the end of Future State. We've come a long way since the near-miss in Harley Quinn #25 last year. I feel lucky that my foray into comic books has coincided with DC finally taking this step, and at a time where there seems to be no shortage of lesbian stories.



And while I'm sure there's a lot of pushback from old guard who hate queer stories, I don't believe those folks actually spend much money. Every week my partner and I are voting with our dollars. We like this, and hope to see more in 2022.

I'm also reading Death of Doctor Strange, where Marvel is inviting fans to vote on who should be the next Sorcerer Supreme. It's definitely going to be Clea, right? It's going to be Clea.



Clea here is talking about the entity behind the Three Mothers, who scour realities in search of nourishment for the devourer of magic. The idea is pretty similar to one from 1988's Excalibur #16, part of the Time-Crossed Caper storyline. I'll let the splash panels speak for themselves.



This was a Claremont story largely about the loneliness of Rachel Summers. In the end, the creature tries to devour Rachel's Phoenix Force and is consumed by it. Now I'm not saying this is definitely what's happening here, but Marvel has just introduced a new Phoenix host and slipped her into ongoing events Heroes Reborn and Devil's Reign, so there's an effort to establish her importance in the Marvel universe.

I regret that I haven't really looked at the new Phoenix Song: Echo until now, but when I'm out tomorrow I plan to pick up the first issue and see if the stories do intersect at all.

[TheLaughingOne]

Yup. Thats part of why Duggan ended Despicable Deadpool

And spoilers for that comic here

By him ODing on the drug Tabula Rasa wiping out all his character development so it ended on his own terms, and let the next person have a "tabula Rasa" deadpool to work with.

Caused some stir among fans who werent happy to see the change, but I get it. and this is a big example of just Why.

Catching up on "Suicide squad: King Shark" and its... meh still. big fight between Avatars of animals to find out which species gets to reign supreme next, king sharks chosen for sharks. Paired up with Defacer a low level not really much of a villian just a angry tagger girl who spraypaints and crashes art and such in protest. Got put in Bell Raye by waller after messing up nightwings statue when he ghosted her (while possessed by a ghost) cause... Waller. I think i whinged on about this before.

stuff that happens and is spoilery

Now comes with the sudden twist that defacers Mentor, pigeon, a pigeon themed "villian" who did much like defacer in trashing art as form of protest... EXCEPT NOW!!!! its the last of a super race of anti gods that the universe spawned as an anti-body against gods. And only they can kill gods, and only gods can kill them... ... Which im sure darksied and many others would happily call complete bullshit on considering past lore. Pigeon is SSSOOO powerful waller has used it as a threat against etrigan, some bison shaman guy, gentleman ghost thief dude, and other supernaturals cause, weirdo dressed like a pigeon, or now is part pigeon... cause pigeons poop on statues. to remind the gods of their place... ... Scuse me, i need to find alcohol. Either way, as i remember im taking my "Meh" down to trash. the concepts interesting, but just goes stupid with the pigeon, waller now not even TRYING to act like sane person (is randomly kidnapping and having people put in belle raye for no reason other then she wants them there, makes deals with shark gods to train their son (king shark) to be a super killer that works for her, and so the father has a good powerful child to go do this beastly fight junk... To overthrow the natural order. I take it back again. Its trash. that a pigeon pooped on. and not a very powerful one..

In stuff that hopefully isnt trash, "Night Of The Ghoul" follows a father and his estranged son as they track down an old film director who put out this movie from WWII of nazis fighting weird monsters that was just so realistic... And find him in a mental hospital/care facility with creepy staff... You've likely already figured out where this is going just from that. But sometimes old predictable shlock can be nice. im hoping this is one of those cases.

one called "fight girls" thats actiony, and cheesecakey as women compete in challenges to become solar systems new queen.. And then die in gorey messes torn apart by whatever. Its... back and forth, and not really sure where its going aside from showin off muscular attractive women fighting some, then getting bitten in half by a dinosaur, with lots of Detail. most that detail being gore.

and something even more squick

that the king makes baron harkonnen from the Original dune movie look down right majestic and handsome...

Its done by Frank Cho, and honestly i still know little about comics the names familear, but not sure of what has worked on or the other details. .. oh, and its done. i give it a solid.. meh.

Hailstone, which i talked about not to long back was short, but Excellent if you like a good Weird West story, i totally suggest getting it if you can and like the type.

Started on "hellboy and the silver lantern club" in which hellboy and his dad are told stories of old victorian group that had run ins with the supernatural/science while doing their own research stuff at a sort of "Gentlepersons" club, mainly meetint to eat and banter and all. Actually quite entertaining and makes for a good anthology series, good marks and i suggest it if you want some good ole timey action stuff.

One called "Human remains" which... i cant tell what the point is. arts a bit.. eh, story thus far is rather incomprehensible with no real solid thread i have been able to follow.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

At some point humanity is "attacked" by monsters that appear from holes in reality and start butchering people fast and messily (literally just exploding into geyser of gore and bits) when they show emotions or scream or anything. Not always, but most the time. It kind of follows the paths of several people slowly converging, while showing how the human race is pretty much just trash and blah blah blah. Tries alot for shock value and doesnt seem to want to have set rules of just What, why, and how things are happening.

... I see a new x-o manowar... and im tempted.. but i liked the original, and this seems to have changed a bunch of it around pointlessly... will have to see.

My comic thoughts done there.

And yeah! You gonna win this war Dhi! Its so... Stupid that people are complaining about new stories, and freaking out that people get respresentation and acknowledgement in things.. I mean, christ, come on. And yeah.. lot of the loudest bitching i hear comes from people who dont even read comics.

[Dhi]

I like Frank Cho. Fight Girls was recommended to me at the shop this week, but when I checked out an issue before...I didn't really understand the point of anything that was happening, and I didn't feel like Cho's art had the space to breathe that it needs. It felt stretched out and self-indulgent. I think I'd rather see what Cho is doing on the other side of it.

Human Remains I've been buying for Peter Milligan, who wrote Shade the Changing Man and is usually more hits than misses for me. The cartoony art is a strange choice for such a gratuitous horror story, and the first issue didn't click for me, but after the current issue (#3) it comes together. The slices of life intersect, we experience meaningful loss, and it's hinted the monsters may be more antibody than predator. Against what? What is out there?

Hailstone sounds cool, but is it ever going to be available in print?

[TheLaughingOne]

Yeah, the comic feels like it should be part of some larger series, like a brief spin off or something for people that know whats going on, as nothing at all is explained. The art is gorgous, but yeah, it just doesnt have any meat to it, despite all that it shows off.

Ill probably try another issue or two of remains, but... eh. Aint feeling it. To me thus far all its shown is "HumANs aRE ThE MONstErS!!!" In a very banal way.

That said, found one comic that is interesting. "Harden" Ishmael is a vet recently returned home from iraq, who was part of some shady/shadowy project but cant remember much of it. But he living with his sister and neice, and big problems include some persistant hackin cough thats getting worse, likely from the war, and members of his old gang making threats to drag him back in, or make his family pay... Oh, and hallucinations of slaughter and monsters, and a welling rage that keeps growing stronger.

Its very actiony, but with some good character moments, and mystery as to what is going on. No idea if it goes beyond 2 issues i read, but i hope there is, though kinda doubt it. Its amazons comixology thing as well as brimstone, so i dont think they are getting physical release, which makes me sad:T

[Foxy DeVille]

The Human Target is so... dang... good. Just being able to write a noir story about the JLI is impressive, that it's this great is amazing. And the art is perfect for it.

[Dhi]

There was a page I felt worked especially well to frame the JLI within this story without taking anything away from either. Let me see if I can find it later today.

[Foxy DeVille]

There was a page I felt worked especially well to frame the JLI within this story without taking anything away from either. Let me see if I can find it later today.

Groovy. I also just finished Batman: The Detective. Nice self-contained story and I was glad to see the "classic" Ducard and not the New 52 mess they made of the character. The Knightmare-esque look was pretty cool too....

[Dhi]

This was the page out of Human Target #2 that tied the tones of JLI and crime noir together for me. I know a lot of JLI fans are terrified of what Tom King is about to pin on beloved characters, but I think he understands the appeal.





And I think Greg Smallwood understands the appeal of Ice. Smallwood's work is being praised all over, but in my second read through I'm noticing how Smallwood captures Ice's eyes so perfectly.



I must've had some kind of crush on Ice back before such a thing occurred to me. I can remember being very attuned to her friendship with Fire. There was never any subtext that I was aware of, but they fulfilled one another's emotional needs and I liked them together.

Phoenix Song: Echo is unfortunately soulless. As someone unfamiliar with Rebecca Roanhorse's other work this strikes me as very pedestrian, as though Roanhorse guesstimated what beats a comic book should hit and nobody in the industry offered any feedback at all.

Far Sector just released in trade, and like America Chavez I waited for the collection to read. At just a couple of issues in, I'm blown away. Geoffrey Thorne's version of the character pales in comparison. It isn't fair of me to say, because I like everything Thorne is trying to do, but I can't help but imagine how much better that run could be if it were more like this.

Jo Mullein is an ex-cop at odds with the failings of authority and a weary view of people. In search of purpose she accepts an unconventional job offer to become a Green Lantern for a year, and- I gather- test out some kind of prototype ring. The sector she's assigned is Far Sector, a locale so distant from Earth it has no designation code. Here she must help emotion-shunning aliens to solve the first murder in centuries of peace. I've heard the run introduces some pretty interesting ideas, and I'm not there yet, but I love what I see so far.



I think I may have caught hints somewhere that Jo is a queer character, and that part of her character- so many beautiful aspects of her character- are the study of Far Sector. Something that caught my eye in this panel is the site Jo is browsing, "Tales of Our Own," a clear reference to fanfic site "Archive of Our Own." It's not exactly Elliquiy, but Jo is definitely one of us.



Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, if you haven't already seen it, is an absolutely gorgeous work of art beyond compare. Kingdom Come is still making waves 25 years later for its fully painted interiors, and I really think this book has that kind of potential. You have to pick it up.

[Foxy DeVille]

I must've had some kind of crush on Ice back before such a thing occurred to me.

It was kinda hard not to. Look at the adorableness!



Far Sector is so lovely, which might be odd to say about a murder mystery in space but it was a visual feast.

Read the first issue of King of Spies and it gets a tentative thumbs up from me. Doesn't exactly tread new ground, especially for Mark Millar, but the story has protentional as long as he reigns in his inner edgelord and really develops it. Like the opening flashback was a bit of an eyeroll but things stepped up when it moved to the present. The protagonist bears a striking resemblance to current-era Pierce Brosnan and his silver fox facial hair so wouldn't be shocked if Millar is chatting with Netflix about an adaptation already.

[Dhi]

I had some exposure to Mark Millar recently, going back through the Wildstorm library to 1999's Authority. I don't think his work is for me, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.

[Foxy DeVille]

I had some exposure to Mark Millar recently, going back through the Wildstorm library to 1999's Authority. I don't think his work is for me, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.

His Authority work was hot garbage. In fact I think the first several years of his career that didn't involve Grant Morrison were mainly hot garbage mixed with moments of talent showing through. Like Wanted had a great concept which he then buried by giving it a racist and misogynistic lead with the inner dialogue of the world's most pretentious incel. Oooo... a Batman and Robin gay joke! Way to both boring and repulsive, Mark! That said, he seems to have somewhat gotten past his multi-decade adolescence  I liked Starlight and Jupiter's Legacy a lot, Super Crooks was fun. Kingsman stuff is a mixed bag to me, general good but some bits of Millar being Millar. So if something of his sounds interesting I'll give it a shot as opposed to previously running away screaming from it. Still wouldn't wanna be stuck sitting next to him on an airplane.

[Dhi]

My favorite book this week is definitely Giant-Size Black Cat, the ending to one of Marvel's best in 2021.



I'm also following Inferno and Devil's Reign, both of which had chapters this week.

Devil's Reign is essentially Outlawed, Civil War I and II, etc. This is a story Marvel likes to tell. Bringing back the Thunderbolts was an interesting idea, but I think even a writer as innovative as Chip Zdarsky is going to find little new to explore with this tired formula of Manhattan's heroes becoming fugitives.

Inferno, on the other hand, moves the collapse of Krakoa forward by bounds. All of it is character-driven, which is impressive. Emma Frost does the sensible thing and takes what Charles and Erik have shared with her right to Mystique and Destiny.



Now knowing the secret of Moira the Living Reboot, they quickly outmaneuver Charles and Erik and seem to take both out of action. Next issue proposes to tear down Hickman's Krakoa and prepare a new ambling direction for the X-books.

Which is now confirmed to include Peter Milligan and Michael & Laura Allred's X-Cellent! Yay!



In 2022 I'd like to get into Fathom. Recently I picked up Fathom: The Core #1, believing it to be some kind of jumping on point. Instead, it's volume 8 or so in the ongoing saga of this character, and I'm quite lost.



The idea of Fathom as a marine biologist appeals to me, and I'm starting to think of her as something like an oceanic Swamp Thing. Volume 7, with art by Siya Oum, has a trade coming out January 11th. I'm thinking about picking that up, and then maybe checking out the older trades. Has anyone read Fathom?