May 13 2014

The Wake 8

wake 8Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing The Wake 8, originally released May 7th, 2014.

Drew: What would you say Hamlet is about? “Hamlet” is the obvious answer, but would you consider it a character study, or is it really “about” its themes of powerlessness and despondency? Is it about Hamlet himself, or the events that follow in the wake of his father’s murder? Obviously, these options aren’t mutually exclusive, but how a narrative emphasizes its focus on any of these elements establishes a contract with the audience, setting up expectations that encourage the appropriately interested fans to stick around. Confusion about that contract can lead to disappointment (it’s easy to think of all those LOST fans who would have liked the final episode to focus on the show’s mythology rather than its characters), but may be essential for a mystery. Between its radical shifts in perspective and steady build-up of questions, it’s hard to know exactly what The Wake is about — the monsters? the characters? the plot? — which may make it difficult to evaluate its chapters until we know how it ends.

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May 13 2014

Swamp Thing 31

swamp thing 31Today, Scott and Drew are discussing Swamp Thing 31, originally released May 7th, 2014. 

slim-bannerScott: There are two types of “bad guys”: those with real, understandable motives, and those who are just purely evil. Think Two-Face versus the Joker in The Dark Knight. Some villainous characters have a humanizing characteristic, a defining tragic trait or plight that the average person can feel sympathy for. That’s not to say they always redeem themselves, necessarily, but they’re harder to root against than those who are simple embodiments of greed or hate. In Swamp Thing 31, Alec takes on both types of bad guys, and each is socially relevant in surprising ways. If it wasn’t clear already, Charles Soule is doing things very few writers have the creative energy, or the guts, to take on.

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May 13 2014

Moon Knight 3

moon knight 3Today, Spencer and Drew are discussing Moon Knight 3, originally released May 7th, 2014.

Spencer: I’ve always struggled with ambiguity; as a child I was more concerned with knowing the “correct” answer or meaning of something than finding my own interpretations, and though I’ve mostly moved past this due to growing up, becoming (slightly) more emotionally stable, and especially due to my writing here, occasionally I still come across a piece of work that’s so ambiguous that I just have trouble dealing with it. Moon Knight is one of those books; it’s so opaque that any number of possible meanings could be applied to its story, leading me to wonder if there’s actually any meaning at all. Continue reading →

May 12 2014

Veil 3

veil 3

Today, Greg and Shelby are discussing Veil 3, originally released May 7th, 2014.

Greg: Think about someone you adore spending time with. Someone who adds a unique spark to life, who brings out the best in you, who seems to possess complementary qualities to your flaws. Have you ever spent time with this person only to find that they’re in a funk? That their spark is gone, their energy depleted, their pizzazz evaporated? It’s a dreary social situation that can really take a lot out of you. This person is supposed to be your fuel; how are you gonna get anywhere if they don’t have the gas? Reading this issue of Veil is a little like that; because I’ve loved this comic immensely thus far, watching it narratively sputter and momentarily declaw its main figure of intrigue was an unfortunately deflating experience.

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May 12 2014

Loki: Agent of Asgard 4

loki 4

Today, Patrick and Suzanne are discussing Loki: Agent of Asgard 4, originally released May 7th, 2014. 

slim-bannerPatrick: This issue borrows its title from one of our favorite / least favorite entries from TV Tropes. The trope is known as “Let’s You and Him Fight” and refers to the all-too-common occurrence in superhero comics that forces heroes to fight each other. Presumably, this stems from our desire to see our hypothetical “who would win in a fight?” conversations played out on the page. But it’s not like we ever really get an answer to that question — those hero-fights always end in ties — and the brawl is just prelude to a team-up. We may be watching Batman vs. Superman in 2015, but they’ll be chumming it up in Justice League of America in 2016. This is Loki we’re talking about here, so it’s not quite so simple. Take a look at that title again: it’s “Lets You and Him Fight,” conspicuously leaving the apostrophe out of “Let’s.” (Someday, I won’t care about the absence of apostrophes in titles, but that’ll have to be next week.) Al Ewing takes our understanding and expectations of this trope and subverts them by applying a handful of others, creating a truly innovative piece of fiction made up of all old pieces. Continue reading →

May 12 2014

Original Sin 1

original sin 1

Today, Patrick and Taylor are discussing Original Sin 1, originally released May 7th, 2014.

Do we… check for a pulse or… did he even have a pulse? Do we know?

Captain America, Original Sin 1

Patrick: Superhero murder mysteries are a trip. In a traditional murder mystery, the audience should all have the same basic understanding of the rules of the game. That way, we’re able to play along as detectives in our own right. Half of the fun in watching a fictional detective solve a crime is feeling like you’re one step behind, just a shade less insightful than hero of our story. But superheroes live in a different universe, with scores of different rules that change and contradict each other throughout the course of history. The abilities and motives of the murder suspects could be…literally anything — you know how many of these characters can alter reality? The first proper issue of Original Sin sets a wildly complicated stage, and while I don’t think I have a chance in hell of reaching the conclusion before our heroes do, I do have a sense of what’s at stake for our lead detective: the original Nick Fury.

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May 9 2014

Rat Queens 6

rat queens 6

Today, Spencer and Shelby are discussing Rat Queens 6, originally released May 7th, 2014.

Spencer: If you asked me to describe the members of Rat Queens, I’d probably start by calling them “young punk rock Golden Girls as D&D characters,” and while there’s certainly an element of humor to that, I think there’s also more than a little truth. How many of you have actually watched Golden Girls? The four leads were the best of friends, close as family, but they didn’t meet until they were all in their 50s or 60s, meaning that they were constantly hearing stories or meeting people from each other’s pasts that they had never heard of before. I was reminded of this while reading Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch’s Rat Queens 6; it’s obvious how close our adventurers are and how much they care about each other, but it’s just as clear that they know absolutely nothing about each other’s pasts. Continue reading →

May 9 2014

Iron Fist: the Living Weapon 2

Today, Taylor and Drew are discussing Iron Fist: the Living Weapon 2, originally released May 7th, 2014.

Taylor: What is it that makes ninjas so dang appealing? There’s something about the stealthy assassins that has captured the imagination of both America and Japan. Is it their black garb, the shuriken, or the ability to penetrate the most secure locations? We know that in reality ninjas weren’t exactly all that sexy, but we can’t help but romanticize that which has a touch of the foreign and a taste of the myth. From kung fu movies to the Dragonball Z, the idea of the ninja has become such cultural touchstone that few blink when one makes its appearance on the page or screen. Sadly, that also means their overused. Not all ninja stories are good and despite the allure of the shinobi, I find even myself weary of many ninja-themed narratives. Fortunately, Iron Fist is not one of the narratives. In a brilliant and beautiful second issue we are treated to a story that reminds us all just why we fell in love with ninjas in the first place.

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May 9 2014

The New 52: Futures End 1

futures end 1Today, Patrick leads a discussion on The New 52: Futures End 1, originally released May 7th, 2014.

Patrick: Guys, I want to start this off by apologizing for the typo in the header: it’s “Futures End” and not “Future’s End.” That’s my bad, not Shelby’s. I want to keep it there for posterity and because it speaks to the general confusion regarding this title. The full name is “The New 52: Futures End.” As a weird consequence of that name, it’s the only series that takes place in the New 52 that doesn’t bear this logo on its cover:

The New 52

If Batman Eternal is about Batman losing control of Gotham, then certainly Futures End is about the superheroes losing control of the universe. Unfortunately, that also feels an awful lot like the creators losing control of the New 52.

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May 8 2014

Detective Comics 31

detective comics 31Today, Shelby and Scott are discussing Detective Comics 31, originally released May 7th, 2014.

Shelby: I love magic tricks. Granted, I understand it’s not actually magic; I am an adult, after all. Even knowing it’s all just slight of hand, I still fall for it every time. Personally, I think the most effective illusions are the most simple; some quick misdirection, maybe some witty repartee, and suddenly there are three foam balls in my hand when I could have swore I started out with one. That’s one of the reasons I like Batman as much as I do; he’s got the fancy gadgets and whatnot, but at its core his act is one of illusion and misdirection. We look for what he leads us to believe is there, and gives us something completely different while our backs are turned. Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul have adopted a similar approach with Detective Comics, and it’s just as effective as any close-up magic I’ve seen.

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