PGHHEAD’S 2023 COMICS ODYSSEY, PART 7
This marks the third consecutive year that I will attempt to document my comics reading by writing at least a mini-review. The goal is 1200 books read and reviewed in 2023, although I missed the mark in 2022 by 88 books. Still, I like that number as it’s easy enough to track - - - 100 books per month on average. Wish me luck!
# GOAL FOR February 19, 2023. . . 167 comics documented
CURRENT COUNT . . . . . 168 comics documented
However, on a recent second reading all at one time, this continued to impress me in some ways, and felt a lot less like just another Super-Man family title. NEW SUPER-MAN lasted nineteen issues plus five more as NEW SUPER-MAN AND THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF CHINA. I believe that’s longer run than any of the other brand-new Rebirth titles.
Kong Kenan is an impulsive, cocky young teen who bullies a fellow student (the reason for that explained later) yet comes to his aid (with a well-thrown soda can) when a super-villain gets involved. That goes viral on Chinese social media and draws the attention of a government agency creating their own version of the Justice League (a fat Bat-Man, a limber Wonder Woman). Using a process similar to the creation of Captain America, they transform Kong into China’s Superman.
Kong makes plenty of mistakes during his first assignments, including outing both his identity and the existence of the Justice League to the public, as he constantly tries to impress. The supporting cast of characters while very similar to their American versions is fun, as is the subplot involving conflict between Kong and his father, a member of the Freedom Fighters of China. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
This issue was also notable for being the 700th Flash comic (in legacy numbering). In “The Perfect Storm, Part One) Barry Allen is the Flash who wants to make amends to all the people he’s hurt (a fairly long list). However, Gorilla Grodd attacks Central City, and has somehow connected himself to the Speed Force (Williamson loved to play around with this aspect of Flash continuity). Who will attain control? THREE STARS.
Zoom taunts both Barry Allen and Wally West and eludes them via hyper -time (super fast with some interesting visuals) to remake the world as he sees fit. Wally comes to the rescue as he realizes that his time seizures hurt Zolomon via temporal energy. But, at what cost?
A bittersweet issue that serves as a good primer for those less familiar with the long-run of Wally West in THE FLASH title. There’s quite a bit of engaging family drama here and some heartfelt moments. Driven to the point of exhaustion the JLA commits Wally to The Sanctuary for recuperation. Those who have read HEROES IN CRISIS know what happens there. Some of the better issues in my limited Flash reading experience. FOUR STARS.
The Flash suspects that new forces (yet another link to the Speed Force and its’ brother/sister forces) may be the cause and heads to Iron Heights to assist in the recovery operation (the prison also suffered burn damage). Heat Wave then transports Flash to another dimension where Heat Wave has god-like powers.
Long-running Flash artist Scott Kolins is still back on this book, and his art style is very interesting. A super-charged Solomon Grundy also shows up in the beginning scenes. THREE STARS.
When Valiant Entertainment re-booted in 2012, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG was among the first wave of revived titles. In the hands of Fred Van Lente it became much more complex and even more interesting. He altered the origin stories slightly of both characters, and introduced elements of Indiana Jones, the DaVinci Code, influential secret elite organizations (The Sect, The One-Percenters) similar to The Illuminati. The first four-issue story arc was packed with humor, satire, and plenty of action as only Clayton Henry can portray it.
Ten thousand years ago Armstrong and his immortal brothers unintentionally unleashed the destructive power of The Boon (a six-component device made up of simple tools) and destroyed an ancient world. Armstrong broke up the device and scattered the parts around the world. The Sect trained Archer for one mission: track down Armstrong, kill him, and secure his satchel containing the map revealing the Boon locations.
After meeting Armstrong, Archer realizes he was played by The Sect and teams up to stop them from acquiring The Boon. Another student of The Sect, Mary-Maria manages to snatch the map and the pieces and is headed for the last remaining part. To stop them Archer & Armstrong have to battle the Sect, Mary-Maria, Archer’s fake parents and the mustachioed Nazi lamas of the La-Chen Monastery. (That was not easy to summarize!)
Nothing beats a Fred Van Lente story when he’s all-in on the concepts. If he could ever be persuaded to return for more of any of his past works, my wish would be for WEIRD DETECTIVE first with ARCHER & ARMSTRONG a close second. FOUR STARS.
#149 CHILDREN OF THE BLACK SUN #1 by Dario Sicchio and Letizia Cadonici (Ablaze Publishing, January 2023) "It is not difficult to be happy under a blue sky. But it takes a lot of courage to be strong even under a black sun."
A full review of this was posted to the blog for Thursday, February 16, 2023. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.
The issue includes more battle scenes and would become quite tiresome were it not for the text narration from a young Steve Rogers variant. He has an admirable sense of duty, a sense of wonder, and a sense that he may not be around by the end of the issue. One of the better characterizations from Aaron among his many creative takes on
various Marvel icons. THREE STARS.
The small town of Barlowe, New York seems to go about its’ daily business, despite living in the shadow of The Harrower, the avenger that legend and lore claim to bind the townsfolk together and keeps Barlowe “pure”. A sheriff who came to doubt the requirement of “sacrifices” comes home to find the Sinner’s Mark scrawled in blood on his walls, the symbol that summons The Harrower.
It’s the anniversary of The Gala, a special event where all the adults gather (and may be related to the creation of the Harrower). So naturally, the local teens find it the best time to get together for their own party. One character, who I assumed might be a major player in the storyline, gets an abrupt departure before this issue ends.
The art has that AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE look and feel, especially the coloring. Bram Revel depicts The Harrower as an ominous Grim-Reaper type figure, very large and menacing. FOUR STARS.
Main character George buys the only home he can afford, a rundown neglected one-story, and attempts to rebuild his life. His new home is haunted by a lingering presence. It’s not a spiritual manifestation, objects moving about, or portraits with eyes that follow you. This particular haunting assails your olfactory senses in ways that induce vomiting and extreme nausea.
It’s George versus the smell. He’s determined that it will not force him to leave. Those perceptive enough to pick up the clues may see the foreshadowing of a twisty ending. I did, but it did nothing to dispel the uneasiness of reading this. I believe this is the best one-shot horror story I have seen from Cullen Bunn, and I’ve seen many. Well done. FIVE STARS.
The story occurs on a future Earth where mankind has all but finished the job of destroying nature and leaving a wasteland. There’s only one remaining outpost of survivors, and the Parliament of Trees has decided it’s them or us and they create a brand-new vicious Swamp Thing to finish the job. That move requires an aging John Constantine (I would have pegged him as an unlikely survivor) to use his supernatural skills to bring the Alec Holland Swamp Thing out of retirement to assist humanity.
That he does, but the Parliament is not done and unleashes a horde of monstrosities that requires Constantine to find more help in the form of Deadman and another unexpected character with experience in the Green, Red and The Rot. FOUR STARS.
Main character Kafka Hubino has struggled for years to pass the exam to enter the Japan Defense Force who protect the land from an abundance of kaiju monsters of various sizes (the main threat here is an enormous mushroom/fungal blob that seems impervious to their guns and small rockets). He fails the entrance exam once again, but shows enough promise that he is enrolled as a new cadet outside of the main officer corps.
The central conflict of this title is Kafka's attempts to conceal his other manifestation, a humanoid kaiju, that happened as a result of an inexplicable accident following a kaiju assault in Volume 1. He does his best to avoid the transformation and keep it under control, but continues to find the need to become the monster when his friends and fellow force members are in extreme danger.
There's a brand new threat arising in Volume 2 that may prove to be interesting: another humanoid kaiju - - this one hiding within the ranks of the kaiju-corpse cleanup crew (Kafka's former job)- - and not as good-natured as Kafka with sabotage and murderous intentions.
The supporting cast is good. I admire the art style of writer/artist Matsumoto. I'm going to hang around more with this title. FOUR STARS.
Was it done to protect them? No television. No phone reception. The internet is down. Something has happened. Fearing the worst, several residents break out a picture window and head into town. The rest, including Seren, huddle together inside where there is at least enough food for months. But the terror comes to them, in the form of blood-sucking, devouring creatures that resemble monstrous hairless vampires. This forces the remaining survivors out of the building to find their way in a new world. Maybe it’s equal time for drug addicts in a dangerous, chaotic world. Surely, Robert Kirkman must have gone over some of this ground in the long-running THE WALKING DEAD?
Fans of horror comics are familiar with the prolific pen of Cullen Bunn. However, quantity doesn’t always indicate quality. For every A LEGACY OF VIOLENCE and A FOULNESS IN THE WALLS there are bound to be some lesser works. When you write this many titles they can’t all be brilliant. NIGHTWALKERS isn’t bad. It just seems too familiar and average. Plus, I didn’t like the main character; and didn’t learn enough about the other characters to begin to care. Even the art, while interesting, looks tired. TWO AND ONE-HALF STARS.
This issue, the standalone story is the origins of assassin Aya (from Volume 2) and links to the actual historical events of the assassination of the first Crusader King of Jerusalem. Since Volume 1, the quirky angular art style of Shane Connery Volk has evolved into something magnificent and worth following. The shading and coloring here is the best I have seen from this series so far. FOUR STARS.
The art here is engaging and a step past the simplistic nature of many comics aimed for young readers. Also, the dialogue is a step up as well, including some amusing alliterations and exchanges that might encourage curious young minds to ask questions and learn something. Here, Darkwing’s need to be in the public spotlight and recognized proves to be a magnet for his enemies, as Megavolt tries to disrupt an event.
I suspect the interesting dichotomy between Darkwing’s egotistic nature and need for celebrity will be in contrast to his protective nature of daughter Goslyn and need to raise her right. I’ve seen enough, but this appears to be a worthy title for young folk or those who grew up with the series and are feeling the twinges of nostalgia. THREE STARS.
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