Every week Hannibal Tabu (winner of the 2012 Top Cow Talent Hunt/2018-2019 City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Cultural Trailblazer/blogger/novelist/poet/jackass on Twitter/head honcho of Komplicated) takes on between seven to thirteen reviews (or so) to share his opinions with you. Thursday afternoons you'll be able to get those thoughts (and they're just the opinions of one guy, so calm down) about all of that ... which goes something like this ...
Star Wars Age Of Resistance Poe Dameron #1 (Marvel Comics)
Jump from the Read Pile. Poe Dameron, at best, is an idiot. He's a talented, superbly gifted idiot, but an idiot nonetheless. His particular set of skills has a particular set of uses, and this issue spotlights both his brilliance and his shortcomings in spectacular form while giving one of the best last page reveals in recent memory, making you re-examine so many things about things you already know. This brilliantly executed script by Tom Taylor encapsulates Dameron's character brilliantly in this adventure set before the rise of the First Order and has an even better surprise inside. The artwork from Ramon Rosanas, Guru eFX and VC's Travis Lanham delivers this thrilling, enjoyable story very effectively. Poe Dameron may in fact be the hero we deserve, so may the Force be with us all. RATING: BUY.
Star Trek Year Five #5 (IDW Publishing)
Like the four issues that preceded this, the energy and sensibilities of the original series are on display, with visual storytelling that takes you right back to the Desilu studios of yore. What this issue stumbles on, for the first time in this series, is pacing. The strong character work focused on too many locations, taking time away from the dual mysteries presented here. Writer Jody Houser has an excellent command of the characters, though, and seeing her run Bones and Scotty through their paces, depicted by Silvia Califano, Thomas Deer and Neil Uyetake, is very enjoyable. This series has built up enough good will that it'd take more than losing a step to sacrifice its guaranteed ride home, so let's see where these spaceborne shenanigans go next month. RATING: BUY.
Doctor Strange #18 (Marvel Comics)
Jump from the Read Pile. This done-in-one story could be a pitch perfect Doctor Strange comic. Stephen visits Mynnatown, Kansas and things go pretty badly as he storms into a the home of a plumber and his wife, who were preparing to celebrate a minor victory their daughter achieved. Writer Mark Waid nails the modern Cumberbatch tone of vague annoyance and determined skill while the visuals from Jesus Saiz and Cory Petit are thrilling, funny and poignant in turns. This book is a lot of fun. RATING: BUY.
She-Hulk Annual #1 was a cute but ultimately throwaway adventure in law and attempted murder as a would-be client becomes a big problem, stealing something the title character is unwilling to part with. Bullseye is a hilarious factor that makes an abrupt exit, taking some of the fun out of the book. If you love She-Hulk, you're gonna like this comic. If not, well, it's still pretty good. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Superman #14 is a very strong nostalgia play (maybe spoiled on the cover), perhaps rooting plans for the future in the challenges of the past, maybe planned from the day Bendis switched teams. If certain combinations of words make you gasp aloud, then this issue has a few surprises for you that will either infuriate certain YouTubers behind a gate or enthrall you with a better sense of connectedness. If reading two certain words spoken by a teenager don't immediately mean something to you, the big surprises are more random and less effective, and that's a deficit because the rush to establish it robs it of literary value. This is surely not bad, but greatness was literally just beyond its grasp. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Thor #16 has a very touching section from Odin that could teach Megatron a thing or three about oratory (more on that shortly), and seeing a familiar face elevated to represent the entire mortal dimension has a certain rightness to it given the box office success. Likewise, seeing Thor earning the throne also was great. What stopped this book from making it home? The washed out coloring and vague art (which really didn't help that last page reveal) was one deficit (even though the church scene was pretty good). There was also far too many details and players thrown in, like trying to do the whole assignment the night before it's due. Interesting stuff here, but this issue fell just short of greatness. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.
Killers #2 wasn't bad but drifted farther from its strengths by introducing more "retired" members of a program that allegedly didn't have survivors. They were less stylish, less interesting (especially the rambling man) and less well developed, taking up panel space that left the antagonist even more vague. RATING: MEH.
House Of X #3 is drifting back down into the normal sturm und drang of mutant minded comics of the past with the same kinds of basic story beats about mutant extinction. The diplomatic immunity bit was cute, and the action was passable, but it is a song you've heard before. RATING: MEH.
Wonder Woman #77 hit a weird moment when all the wind just went out of its sails. The reason why didn't get clearly explained, but had something to do with a horrible event earlier in the issue, all leading back to Lex Luthor's Monty Hall shtick. This issue stopped short of clarity and that's a deficit too great to overcome, even with divine intervention. RATING: MEH.
The oratorical skill of Megatron! Bumblebee versus Sixshot! The cold logic of Soundwave at work! Transformers #11 has the look of things happening, but save finally seeing the "face" of Megatron's plans (which, frankly, comes out of nowhere) this issue just shuffled pieces around without functionally changing anything. Given the title of the book, that's a disappointing fact, but here it is. Also, really? Bumblebee versus freaking Sixshot? Come on now. RATING: MEH.
Justice League #30 is a wordy mess of static pictures intending to overwhelm with its role call and grandiose takes on the fate of everywhere, everywhen, everyone. It's all so overwrought and heavy handed, and Perpetua is a cipher of a villain, a stuffed shirt riding on deathly dull motivations. It'd be disappointing if it wasn't so dull. RATING: NO. JUST ... NO.
Two jumps beats the dullness of Perpetua's legion of Doom, so this week goes in the "win" column.
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The writer of this column isn't just a jerk who spews his opinions -- he writes stuff too. A lot. Like what? You can get Scoundrel (historical fiction set in 1981 east Los Angeles), Irrational Numbers: Addition (a supernatural historical fiction saga with vampires), Project Wildfire: Enter Project Torrent (a collected superhero web comic), The Crown: Ascension and Faraway, five bucks a piece, or spend a few more dollars and get New Money #1 from Canon Comics, the rambunctious tale of four multimillionaires running wild in Los Angeles, a story in Watson and Holmes Volume 2 co-plotted by 2 Guns creator Steven Grant, two books from Stranger Comics -- Waso: Will To Power and the sequel Waso: Gathering Wind (the tale of a young man who had leadership thrust upon him after a tragedy), or Fathom Sourcebook #1, Soulfire Sourcebook #1, Executive Assistant Iris Sourcebook #1 and Aspen Universe Sourcebook, the official guides to those Aspen Comics franchises. Love these reviews? It'd be great if you picked up a copy. Hate these reviews? Find out what this guy thinks is so freakin' great. There's free sample chapters too, and all proceeds to towards the care and maintenance of his kids ... oh, and to buy comic books, of course. There’s also a bunch of great stuff -- fantasy, superhero stuff, magical realism and more -- available from this writer on Amazon. What are you waiting for? Go buy a freakin' book already!
Got a comic you think should be reviewed in The Buy Pile? If we get a PDF of a fairly normal length comic (i.e. "less than 64 pages") by no later than 24 hours before the actual issue arrives in stores (and sorry, we can only review comics people can go to stores and buy), we guarantee to try and review the work, if remembered. Physical comics? Geddouttahere. Too much drama to store with diminishing resources. If you send it in more than two days before comics come out, the possibility of it being forgotten increases exponentially. Oh, you should use the contact form as the CBR email address hasn't been regularly checked since George W. Bush was in office. Sorry!
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