So I was wrong. The return of Bruce Wayne was not to come in a moment of forced desperation from the Justice League or Gotham. He sees the Joker and then is worried for Gordon and his friends and suddenly he wants back in. Aside from the delightful scenes of Alfred trying to ignore the knocking, the comic was perfectly adequate. My own concerns of the writing have existed from day one, i.e. the fact that it is always too full of dialogue. The fantastical element of the story has not been to my taste for the last couple of arcs and the belittling of Gordon’s Batman is pretty harsh, even within this issue itself. I quite liked the change in style of Robin: Son of Batman with Fawkes on the book, but it was more a pleasant change in style as opposed to any real innovation in story. Tokyo Ghost remains a book I dislike and have no belief in as a narrative or character exposition. I shan’t be reading the next arcs and this does sadden me given how much I promote Remender’s independent writing. The second arc of Wolf began and it felt completely different from the first. Not only has the story moved on quite far from the last one but the change in artist will take some getting used to. Marvel had a reasonable week but I was not too interested in the latest Surfer story, and I wonder if I have a personal limitation on how much twee Surfer Dawn relationship turmoils I can read. If it was not for the great Allred’s I would have dropped this after the Secret Wars arc. Starbrand and Nightmask, New Avengers and Hellcat issues were fine comics but lacked an originality in storytelling so I struggle to recommend them. Before I finish it is rare I can stop reading a book just because of the artwork, but seeing yet another female character drawn by Greg Land lick her lips, disgusts me.
Marvel Codes
Silver Surfer #1 – THM9DGIEK149
Silver Surfer #1 – THM8KWV47V4B
Marvel
Ms Marvel #3 – THMIUM0ZKEFL
Just fantastic as always. GWW manages to bring inventive use of Kamala’s powers in order to get herself out of a seemingly average jam. This is why I love this book. It reminds me of how Waid and Samnee utilised DD’s powers, but with the joyous teenage growing pains taking this book to the highest of accolades.
Captain Marvel #1 – THMNURU2YL7W
It is good to read a story again about Carol. He usage in other books as a heavy hitter is boring and I miss her own internal monologues. Of course i’ll miss Kelly Sue’s writing but Fazekas/Butters have started well and Anka is alway brilliant on expressive and emotive art. A great start to a Marvel solo book, at least they seem to get those kind of comics right more often than not.
The Astonishing Ant-Man #4 – THMG1G49SS1E
The internet app based villain story was topical but not of interest, but seeing Scott reunite with Cassie was fantastic, and written very well. This book is slowly developing it’s raison d’être, odd considering the previous incarnation definitely had one. I am also excited to see what role Giant-Man is going to play.
Independent
Fuck Fairyland #4
I still make sure I obtain the adult variant of this comic because it is so much more fitting of the book on the whole. The conversation between Gertrude and Cloudia is just hilarious, an amazingly written humorous angry conversation. Still not tired or bored of the swearing child, and her adventures are still keeping me amused. However Young’s art is just wonderful.
The Legacy of Luther Strode #4
What I particular enjoy about this book is how far removed it is from the initial two stories. This one has a more mythological air to it and Strode is more Samson than he was a broken and bandaged anti-hero. Petra’s petulance is the one constant that keeps this book firmly grounded. Moore is glorious on the artwork and I enjoyed the desert fight which was simplistic and immaculately detailed.
Nowhere Men #7
I worried whether I would enjoy this book given the time elapsed since the last issue. I was relived because it felt the same and was just a great read. The additional supplements of the culture of the times are still great adjuncts to the story. Taylor is decent on the art and Bellaire keeps the colours as characteristic as they have ever been.
Wayward #13
The epic ending to the battle of good and evil came in this issue. The fighting was really well done and beautifully cultured as the writing often is. What is impressive that there is an insidious malcontent theme to the arc and a betrayal is imminent. There are few books are unique and aesthetic as this one.
Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #6
Ill be honest with you, I am not sure there is much to this story. Amongst all the clever nuanced descriptions and metaphors, I wonder deep down how great the story actually is. It is about overcoming your insecurities and accepting the person you are. However Gillen is very good at hiding that, but I could be completely wrong. I still love the story art and characters though.
House Of Flying Scalpels 