For the last three years I have embarked on a Comics Odyssey, reading and writing reviews of comics towards an ambitious goal which I only attained on one of three attempts. This year, I still want to read more comics and write reviews, but I’m not setting a specific goal. I’ll just document them and number them. We’ll see how far I can go . . . . . . .
#484 - #489 CHEW, VOLUME 11: THE LAST SUPPERS graphic novel by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image Comics, May 2016)
After that long-awaited and drawn out showdown with The Collector last volume - what else is left for John Layman to write about? Seems like he's making an effort here to tie up some loose ends, and at the same time introduce more crazy one-panel adventure flashbacks and keep the crazy-named food abilities coming.
It appears that the mysterious sky-writing has been deciphered, and that could end up being a wild lead-in to the final volume, And, Agent Savoy finds out some answers he has sought forever as to what is the real origin and nature of the avian flu and the government's subsequent ban on chicken consumption. He's got a personal connection to it, and does his best to make up with Agent Chu.
There are several twists here, none more unexpected than the ending.
Also, the inclusion of the crossover story with The Revival title was a hoot! FOUR STARS.
#490 PHOENIX #1 by Stephanie Phillips and Alessandro Miracolo (Marvel, September 2024) The promotional synopsis: LIFE! FIRE! POWER! POSSIBILITY! PHOENIX!
She is JEAN GREY. She is PHOENIX. She saves the world. She brings death. One woman, alone in space, who not only must do what no one else can: she yearns to. A desperate S.O.S. from NOVA brings the Phoenix to the edge of a black hole, where hundreds of lives hang in the balance...and whatever Jean does - or fails to do - will bring darkness to the universe and haunt her in ways she can scarcely imagine..
In Stephanie Phillips’ capable hands Jean Grey is no longer controlled by the Phoenix Force and on a path of destruction. Rather, she owns the power and controls the force. She’s decided to spend time on an inter-galactic level, in a benevolent way and seeking to correct unfavorable impressions of her as Phoenix.
The black hole mentioned in the synopsis is also host to a prison with Nova as one of the administrators. The problem is the black hole is collapsing and will take everything with it. Nova is coordinating transport ships to transfer to another prison and wants assistance from Phoenix. She has her own ideas about helping by stabilizing the black hole. She is that powerful. One of the prisoners, the most dangerous one, escapes during the transfer with dire consequences for the young alien girl who narrates the story (her first encounter with Phoenix). He’s bound to show up again.
Lots of cosmic-level action here that elevates this above average with the scene where Jean telepathically communicates with her husband Scott/Cyclops and they exchange warm pleasantries that lets readers know the romance is still on and they miss each other.
I just may show up for Issue #2, as it features the Starjammers ( a group I like, but it depends on who’s writing the story). THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#491 CHILLING ADVENTURES PRESENTS: TRUTH OR DARE one-shot by Ron Robbins and Laura Braga (Archie Comics, September 2024) Writer Ron Robbins takes a lesser-known Archie Comics character and re-works her to fit the kind of story he is trying to tell here. It’s not your typical Archie story, at least those I am familiar with, but with an overall vibe that draws attention to an increasingly occurring mental health problem among teenagers in a way that isn’t preachy but rather creates awareness.
Robbins introduces former character Trula Twyst (JUGHEAD #89-91, 1997) as a brand-new student at Riverdale High. She’s mysterious and works extra hard to get to know everyone and make friends. It seems odd to them that she has a fascination with behavioral psychology and conclude that explains her revealing and sometimes unsettling observations.
She has a troubled past, the lone survivor of a family accident, and has been shuffled from one foster home to another until moving to Riverdale.
When her parents take a weekend trip, she invites her classmates to a party that turns into a locked room question & answer that upsets her friends and creates separation. Things do get resolved, but not before some tense moments. Wow, I just found another worthy stand-alone story to consider for year-end recommendations.
Laura Braga’s art style departs from traditional Archie house style in small ways, most notably how more mature and less cartoonish all the regular characters appear. They are all here: Archie, Veronica, Betty, Reggie, Jughead, Moose, Kevin, etc. FOUR STARS.
#492 GREASER GEMINI BLUES #1 by Darick Robertson and Stephen B. Jones (Magma Comix, July 2024) I primarily know of Darick Robertson as a great illustrator (The Boys, Transmetropolitan, etc) and never thought of him as a skilled writer, which he is. GREASER GEMINI BLUES is a good example of his plotting and story-telling skills.
The art by Stephen B. Jones is compacted by a dialogue-heavy storyline but remains highly detailed. I’m reminded of the art style on many of the cartoons on Adult Swim. No wonder, he’s a professional animator. It’s a good look and compliments the nature of the story.
GREASER GEMINI BLUES is a deft blend of science fiction, crime, and dark humor. Alien spacecraft have invaded Earth decades ago, and the Gemini race seem to be the dominating governance in a world reminiscent of Mad Max. Things take place in the Nevada desert, and Buddy is a “Greaser”, a mechanic who survives by repairing vehicles and alien ships and salvaging what parts he can. He resides with his Mom, who operates a now-closed roadside diner. Their world is upended when a motorcycle gang pulls up and demands service.
They survive the encounter but are unaware the new danger posed by some precious cargo that was left behind. Also, Buddy is trying to spark a cross-species romance with the daughter of the alien Gemini law enforcer, Sheriff Stanak, who doesn’t care about human crime that doesn’t involve his race. Now, he’s marked Buddy as a threat.
There is much to like here, and this is one of the few books that doesn’t pad the story or stretch it out longer than necessary. Definitely deserving of a second reading. FOUR STARS.
#493 - #494 ABSOLUTE POWER: GROUND ZERO one-shot by various writers and artists (DC Comics, August 2024) I broke my rule this year, and decided to follow not one, but two, superhero epic mini-series/crossovers - - but not on the full scale as presented by the Big Two publishers. I’m reading BLOODHUNT over at Marvel and just started ABSOLUTE POWER from DC. Why, after staying away for so long? Well, some persuasive recommendations from fellow comics fans that I trust convinced me to try these out, and they weren’t wrong. I’m enjoying both series so far.
I was even told that while GROUND ZERO is a prequel, it wasn’t essential reading and I could skip it. That is probably true for regular readers of DC that know Amanda Waller is a power-hungry bad ass and very manipulative in her government role. But, I wasn’t up to date and found this prequel to be really interesting reading. Wow, she is a real bad ass.
GROUND ZERO covers the various stages of Waller’s latest master plan, leading up to the beginnings of ABSOLUTE POWER. Stage One, she recruits Dreamer and uses her to capture another useful meta human. Stage Two, she entraps Time Commander and uses him to revive Failsafe. Stage Three, she obtains Brainiac technology and one of his constructs.
Mark Waid, Joshua Williamson, Chip Zdarsky, Skylar Partridge, U Ken Marion, and Gleb Melnikov contributed to the bad ass story and art. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.
#495 KILL ALL IMMORTALS #1 by Zack Kaplan and Rico Ossio (Dark Horse Comics, July 2024) A crime comic with mythological elements? That held my attention throughout this well-written crime family saga and illustrated with eye-appealing flow and detail.
Evan is the head of Wyoming crime gang and adds more protection after his ultra-competent head of security vanishes. But, as one henchman puts it to him: “Evan, the Asvalds are just business-men . . . Big, rude, dumb Europeans. . . . Norwegians.” As he is about to find out, they like to utilize ancient weapons like hammers, scythes, axes, and swords and are quite skilled in their use.
Owen, a journalist boyfriend of Frey Asvald accompanies her to the Iceland estate to meet the rest of the family. But, with names like Leif, Thor, Steinn (nicknamed Beer Stein) and papa Erik - they have other things in mind for him. This could get bloody. A promising debut issue. THREE AND THREE-QUARTER STARS.
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