The Theatre List 12/8 – Yes that is right, I want you to buy 14 books

I am astounded at how many books were worth buying this past week. In fact most of the Secret Wars titles were interesting and making headways into their conclusions. One I haven’t recommended is Attilian Rising because it didn’t read well throughout but the crux of the story was well written and fitted nicely into the Doom tale. There was one exception to positive comic haul and that was Batman. This may come as a surprise to some people but through general conversations I have found some have found the run slowly petering out. This issue did very little for me and the characteristic heavy dialogue pages were a chore to read and I remain unconvinced at Gordon as Batman. His own anxieties are what frustrate me and the introduction of Bruce already show that things will change soon enough. The conceptual elements to an amnesiac Bruce may be worth exploring but the Batman-making machine soon put an end to that. I never imagined I would enjoy a Superman book over a Batman book but that certainly happened this week, and it is surprisingly refreshing. Perhaps I am just getting tired of Batman…

DC

Action Comics #43

Check my entry for Aaron Meyer’s Honour Roll! August 12th Releases

 

Gotham Academy #9

Another wonderful issue, hitting those exuberant youthful notes we have come to expect from this comic. The fantasy detective plot runs throughout this book with that added radiance of an exciting and entertaining case. Olive is surprisingly not necessarily the most interesting character but her secrets keep us ready for more reveals.

Marvel

Secret Wars #5 – THMJ5CH2TKTC

The loss of Stephen Strange has hit Doomstadt hard and Doom may have bitten off more than he can chew. In a single issue Hickman has laid the seeds of his downfall with interesting scenes from the Molecule Man, the Cabal and most importantly, Valeria.

Secret Wars: Master of Kung Fu #4 – FMCBRJ1V9U9N

This was a great little book with Talajic drawing excellent kung fu sequences. Though it may be the classic master returning to claim his birthright, it was very well written and had some great touches of character development.

Secret Wars: Mrs Deadpool and the Howling Commandos #3 – THMPJSDLKRHA

Don’t get me wrong, having Deadpool interacting so comedically with Frankenstein is not the only reason why I am recommending this book. I have an adoration for the dry wit and menace of Shiklah and the commandos are also very well characterised and entertaining.

Secret Wars: A-Force #3 – FMC2C7LB52BK

Even though this may be a straightforward women’s team versus the female Thors, the slow plot twists and character development are well thought out. Molina draws battle ready heroes with the panache and intimidation required. There is an interesting concept evolving in that there is supposed to be unity amongst the women, but ultimately that naivety proves devastating.

the unbeatable Squirrel Girl #8 – FMCETTUM5GXG

I have no idea how this book manages to be so amusing when more comedic concepts in other titles fall by the wayside. Squirrel Girl is still wonderfully entertaining but Loki was the star of this book, especially as he spent most of the issue with a giant feline head calling himself Cat Thor. Just brilliant.

Secret Wars: Planet Hulk #4 – THMKZW3TR477

Steve Rogers on the hunt for a fallen Bucky is story I will always be buying. Having him fight multiple Hulks with Doc Green is even more engrossing but that was before you seen the giant splash page of Devil Dinosaur: breathtaking. Oh and there is an excellent twist at the end.

Secret Wars: Years of Future Past #4

This was a very surprising book. Not only has Marguerite excelled at writing a classic mutant genocide story, she has done it with some very surprising twists and villain evolution. I am very happy to see Mike Norton doing a great classical job on the X-Men.

Independent

Velvet #11

You may think every issue consists of Velvet entering a train/plane/building in either a disguise or espionage suit to discover a truth that bears very little relation to the death of X-14, whilst wooing yet another undercover spy, but there are few books better written, better drawn and better coloured out there.

Injection #4

Warren Ellis still has us hooked with some very enjoyable backstories to the main characters of the book. The plot is still coherent and the characters read quite fresh but in case they fail, there is still the amazing artwork and colouring.

Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1

I shall be reviewing this book because it is brilliant. I enclose my tweet:

Descender #6

The A.I. revolution continues with not only background exposition of the man who created them but also the rebel robot forces fighting for their existence. A strange reversal of the classic Terminator trope but Nguyen’s art still looks great.

Shutter #14

As Kate finally meets her grandfather…you thought I was going to say father then didn’t you? Nope the family still grows, but to what avail? The art and colouring is still very rich and visceral which keeps me reading, even if the story starts to stagnate.