I’ve been numbering my entries, picking up where I left off with the 2,021 COMIC BOOK QUARANTINE ODYSSEY. I’m curious to see how long it takes me to read that many comics. I want the results to be realistic so I’m not going to binge read unless I happen to be in the mood. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t end up reading some comics, so we’ll see how long this takes. The journey began with the 1,000 Comics Challenge on approximately March 15, 2020.
#342 LUDOCRATS #2 (Image, June 17 release date) I do believe I’ve identified the main character of this absurd drama, that being Otto Von Subertan, the huge boisterous member of the privileged ruling class of an odd country where flowery language, ludicrous behavior and some really crazy names for characters abound. Otto, as you might expect, is driven by food, sex and outrage. In Issue #2 he enlists his cabinet (Professor Friendperson; Bogol Theen, the capering chainsaw astronaut; Voldigan The Perfidious, trustless quisling of the outland backstabber guilds; and Elaina Triptych, celebrity surgeon) to plot the rescue of his newest alleged soul mate from her captivity inside a gigantipede, a wormlike slug that harbors multitudes. I’m admiring the nonsense from Kieron Gillen and Jeff Stokely and their amazing world-building and images. There’s even some encyclopedic text in the back, including the tongue-twisting Von Subertan family tree, and a faux letters page. Not sure how much of this wackiness I can stomach, as I’m hoping this is just a mini-series. FOUR STARS.
#343 NIGHTWING #6. Part 5 of Night Of the Monster Men. Roge Antonio’s art saves this, because Steve Orlando & Tim Seeley’s story is all over the place. Dr. Hugo Strange’s serum has turned Nightwing into a Bat-like monster with huge chicken feet. That lasts for the first five pages before the story gets overwhelmed by a multitude of Bat-family characters. Ho Hum. TWO STARS.
#344, 345 SUICIDE SQUAD #2, #5. This marks the first time in memory that Jim Lee’s art didn’t wow me. In fact, if I didn’t look at the credits I wouldn’t even recognize this as Jim Lee art. Is it Scott Williams’s inks that changed things? A plodding storyline that involves the return of General Zod is made bearable by being short, in order to include some back-up stories featuring individual members of the squad — Captain Boomerang in Issue #2 and Hack in Issue #5. They are equally boring. I’m trying to be kind here. Blame it on my reading of way too much super-hero fare in prior decades. ONE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#346, 347 SUPERMAN #10, #14. One good story in the bunch. The team of Tomasi and Gleason did a bang-up job on BATMAN AND ROBIN. Tomasi captured the dichotomy between Bruce Wane and son Damien so well, and Gleason captured the facial expressions and body language perfectly. In Issue #10 they tackle the relationship between Damien/Robin and Jon/Superboy just as well in a single-issue fun story. FOUR STARS. It’s the same team on Issue #14, but the story is too bogged down in multiverse Supermen to let Tomasi get into character personalities. Boring. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS, saved from a lower rating by Gleason’s art.
#348, 349, 350 THE FLASH #7, #14, #15. I’m really enjoying the not-so-subtle homage to Carmine Infantino’s classic Flash art in the style that Carmine Di Giandomenico employs here. Issue #7 involves Godspeed and more about the Speed Force — way too many versions of Flash to my liking. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS. Issues #14 and #15 deal with the return of the Rogues to crime (after working alongside the good guys for a couple events). They get the upper hand on Flash here, and Mirror Master finally utilizes his powers to their fullest potential. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#351,352, 353, 354, 355 THE REALM VOLUME 1 TPB (Image, March 2018) An interesting mash-up of action, fantasy, horror and science fiction. The story begins in the middle as one mission ends and another begins. It’s like taking a Dungeons & Dragons campaign and dropping it into a post-apocalypse world. Great art. Good story. That’s what I liked. The rest I’ll save for the upcoming CBH Book Club meeting. I’m going to read this again before that and listen to the music EP that was inspired by the comic. Maybe that will change my opinion (but I don’t think so). THREE STARS.
#356 ARCHANGEL 8 #2 of 5 (AWA/Upshot, April 2020) I picked up the first issue thinking the symbolic angel wings and the main character reporting to a person named Gabriel might be religious references - - like God’s agent (hitman) on Earth doing his dirty work. That was interesting enough to encourage me to pick up the second issue. Now, the man-with-no-name who just wants to talk to the drug dealer he’s been assigned to track down is referred to as Raziel (a Biblical archangel) but I’m still not convinced. See, the guy’s carrying weapons and he’s very familiar with how to use them. There’s another group that knows him working at cross purposes. I think it all might just be clever code names. There’s some cool action/battle scenes and the drug dealer (Delmar) is especially vicious. I want to know what this is all about and how it ends. I’m in for the rest. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#357 THE BATMAN’S GRAVE #7 of 12 (DC, August 2020) What started out in the early issues as a tight police procedural has morphed into something else, and more interesting. Warren Ellis has woven a tightly plotted story that he unravels a few threads at a time. Batman’s opponent apparently knows enough of his habits to strike fatally at any time, yet chooses to make that apparent by destroying Batman’s assets. Bryan Hitch’s art is spot-on, and there are many larger panels that zoom in on particular features of Batman’s armory or facial reactions that are thrilling. My favorite may be the single page without text that shows Batman walking a street to meet Alfred in a back-up vehicle. The head-turns and follow-up glances of civilians at a bus stop are priceless, and a really nice moment.
FOUR STARS.
#358 DAPHNE BYRNE #5 (DC Black Label/Hill House, August 2020) If you like horror comics then you should check out the Hill House titles. Kelley Jones’ art style is a favorite of mine, showcasing an ability to make any comic he works on look scary. Really effective use of shadows and lighting here, something aspiring artists could benefit from studying. Writer Laura Marks paints a portrait of sad Victorian life for a young girl (Daphne) living with her widowed mother, and both being taking advantage of by ill-minded folks posing as willing helpers. Daphne rebels in a big way this issue, perhaps allowing the spirit of a malicious boy who shadows her to take hold. FIVE STARS.
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