The Theatre List 15/6 – A summer of discontent

What a strange week, a lot of comics came out and I struggled to recommend many of them. Before I come to the books in detail I wanted to talk about Tom King’s Batman which I enjoyed reading but have not recommended. It was quite an odd first issue in that there was a setup change which deliberately played on a vulnerable Batman in order to set up new powered heroes of Gotham, actually called Gotham and Gotham Girl (very uninspired names). It was a significant shift from the invulnerable type of Batman that Snyder brought. The emotional aspects were a little heavy and the action was ludicrously enjoyable but the art was quite stilted. As a first issue it was reasonable but the art really pulled it down but it has brought excitement back to the franchise that I long ago grew tired of.

Han Solo was highly anticipated but did not live up the hype for a few reasons. The story was a little droll and non particularly exciting but its quite clear that Mark Brooks art requires time. Some pages were great but then some appeared more rushed with less detail. Given is incredible skills when drawing covers, it must be hard to translate to drawing an issue with so many pages. Marvel is generally having a slow time because crossover fatigue has genuinely hit, especially because I only bought a few titles and I will not buy tie-ins. Civil War II was perfectly adequate but I am not buying into the Inhuman push which frustrates me.

Rebirth has been interesting and disappointing at the same time. The two recommended books were great but Green Lanterns and Green Arrow disappointed. GL was very run of the mill and failed to build up on the promising relationship that might develop between Jessica and Simon. The double internal monologues were jarring and even the new green power addition did not muster enthusiasm. Green Arrow was problematic with the writing which is unfortunate given the great Rebirth title. Already the relationship between Ollie and Dinah is strained quite arbitrarily, and as for the rapport with his sibling, that began and ended with a twist even quicker. At least you were introduced to Canary in a previous issue. At least the art was lovely.

I think my love for Remender may have waned as Low was quite disappointing, and that is not because of Tocchini’s incredible art. The female characters all seem to be deliberately negative, Stel and definitely the twins. Della was always callous but she is very unforgiving of her sister, especially when they were both fooled by another character. The transition felt forced and did not resonate with how I empathised with the characters previously. Okay that is enough whining!

Marvel Codes

Han Solo #1 – FCM2LHAJQNLP

Civil War II #2 – FCM5D7JDNM4R

The Astonishing Ant-Man #9 – THMMW1MCUF80

DC

Superman#1

This issue was always going to be well written and spectacularly drawn with Tomasi and Gleason on board. The paradigm shift to having Clark and Lois live in the farm with child is a difficult one to get used to. However having a kid develop powers and deal with those is a good story to tell when your parents are Superman and Lane, despite it being a story done previously many times. I am interested to see where they take this story.

Titans Rebirth #1

Nostalgia eat your heart out. That is what this story is and each character from the old crew is back and Wally brings them altogether. There were some lovely moments here and I wonder how it’ll work as a team book, but I am also aware there is another Wally West around that may just be forgotten about.

Marvel

Black Widow #4 – FCMMGYS8NT2L

I wondered where the depth to this character was going to focus and it is very much on the revelations of her training in the Red Room. I like the childhood exposition and her return to those environments to come to terms with her legacy. The art is joyous and really needs no dialogue at all.

Independent

The October Faction #17

Though this comic feeds on the arcane ghouls of the dark, the stories and art are glorious. I discussed how wonderful Worm is on this title in the Cover of the Week post, but the story is very much focused on the coming of age of the children. The unity of the monster hunters is an exciting read.

Archer and Armstrong #4

The arc comes to an end in style and with heart. I quite enjoyed how the book focused on a vintage beverage all the way through but ultimately it was about forgiveness and moving on from previous errors. The art is wonderful for the fight scenes and Bacchus’ ultimate demise.

I Hate Fairyland #6

So having Gert as queen is genuinely laugh out loud hilarious and her antics are destructively brilliant. Reading Young’s letter at the end of the issue brought out an intriguing idea about letting the characters lead the writing. Especially seeing the twist at the end, but I am happy to leave this title as I already thought it had a natural end. This issue was a bonus.

Manifest Destiny #20

The eeriness and fear this book bears each and every time is enough to recommend it. Each issues seems to find a new way of disturbing the reader. Finally we get to see the Sasquatch Cyclops and the reveal is brilliant, despite being scarily hallucinatory.

Descender #12

It is AI child vs AI child and it is terror filled. Seeing how Tim 22 was treated when he was first brought to life is quite horrific. We all imagine these bots as real children and the abuse he suffers is tough to read, but it builds well into the fight they are having.