Weekly Comics Review - 5th June 2024

 

I take a look at a selection of this weeks comic releases. This week I read and review Shazam!, The Ultimates, Birds of Prey, Batman, and more!

Batman #148

Writer: Chip Zdarsky, Artist: Jorge Jiménez, Colourist: Tomeu Morey, 
Letterer: Clayton Cowles

I've had some ups and downs with the Zdarsky run on Batman. I enjoyed the first 'Failsafe' arc, but have struggled with it since with its use of Zur-En-Arrh and some of the choices that have been made regarding Bat Family relationships. It seems, however that things may have come to something of a conclusion in this issue as Batman defeats Zur and Failsafe, ridding his city of the robotic threat; though with Zur being involved with Amanda Waller and the Absolute Power event I'm not entirely convinced that he's completely done.

The issue has two main focuses, the first being Bruce and some select members of his family preparing for their confrontation with the robot, whilst the other centres on Damian, who is being held hostage by the Zur-En-Arrh Robin. Fans have been theorising over who this new Robin may be for the last month, and we get a pretty wild answer this issue as it's revealed to be a clone of Bruce. The heroes attack Zur, in a fight that leads to Jason Todd being killed by the machine in order to restore the original Failsafe program, thereby overwriting Zur. Batman then simply deactivates the unstoppable machine now that he's figured out a solution to that previously impossible task.

Despite the villains being defeated, Jason coming back to life, and a few of the heroes ending the book posing for the audience in a moment of triumph the book feels a bit rushed, scattershot, and lacklustre. The solution to beating Zur does tie back to the very beginning of Zdarsky's run, but the idea that Bruce can then just turn the robot off feels kind of cheap. The death and immediate resurrection of Jason does little and seems to have zero weight or consequences. And the fact that the members of the Bat Family that have been left out, relegated to the background and don't even get to be part of the final picture, are Cass, Steph, and Duke; and Zdarsky doesn't even seem to know who Steph is, calling her Spoiler even though she's been Batgirl for years. It feels kind of bad to leave these popular characters out, and for those who already feel like these three get shoved to the side lines too much it's going to be very noticeable. I'm also very curious to see if  Zdarsky has any plans for this crazy child clone version of Bruce, or if this is one of those things that's never going to come up again. 

If I was to sum up the issue in one word it would be rushed. Things feel rushed here. Lots of stuff gets resolved super fast, challenges that were insurmountable before are put to bed in a page. I don't know if perhaps Zdarsky had to wrap things up quickly in order to have certain things in place in time for Absolute Power, or if he simply just couldn't make things resolve well, but as it stands Batman has become one of the weaker books for me every month, and I often find myself wondering why I'm still reading it. ⭐⭐

X-Men #35

Writer: Kieron Gillen, Al Ewing, Gerry Duggan, Chris Claremont, Gail Simone, Jed MacKay, Artist: Sara Pichelli, Stefano Caselli, Jerome Opeña, Leinil Francis Yu, Mark Brooks, Walt Simonson, Luciano Vecchio, Lucas Werneck, Joshua Cassara, Phil Noto, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Salvador Larroca, Javier Garrón, Colourist: Laura Martin, Matt Wilson, Sunny Gho, Sonia Oback, Phil Noto, Matt Hollingsworth, David CurielRomulo Fajardo Jr., Marcio Menyz, Morry Hollowell, Letterer: Clayton Cowles

There are a lot of names attached to this title, a lot of pages, and a lot to cover as the First Krakoan Age comes to an end. The threats from Orchis, the evil AI's, and Enigma have been dealt with, so what's left for the X-Men? It's time to say goodbye to Krakoa and to those left behind. Things kick off when the other half of Krakoa, the piece left inside the White Hot Room reappears inside regular reality beside the other island. It turns out that time moves somewhat differently inside the WHR, as fifteen years have passed for them. In that time the mutants there have flourished, the fifteen million mutants killed in Genosha have been brought back, and mutants finally have peace and hope for a future. However, not everyone wanted to stay, so they've built up enough power to come back for a single day, to drop some folks off, and to reassure the heroes of Krakoa that they didn't fight for nothing, and that they did good.

Of course, things don't go completely smoothly, and Apocalypse starts acting like a jerk and needs dealing with. There's also a large part of the issue that deals with Charles Xavier. The first is an opening in which we see him and Magneto get to have a chat, which establishes where each of the men stand for the coming new era. There's also a segment at the end that sees Charles, inside a prison cell, projecting him mind outside of it to see where his X-Men are. This part gives you a little glimpse into each of the key players for the From the Ashes initiative, and lays the groundwork for their books. Accompanying this is a separate story by Claremont that sees Nightcrawler, Mystique, Destiny, and Rogue spending some time together to deal with their family situation and past trauma.

Krakoa has been divisive, some have adored this era, whilst others have been counting the days until it's done and the next thing comes along. For those that did love it, this book will be somewhat bittersweet as it puts most things to bed completely. It's nice to get certain answers, such as how the mutants in the WHR fare, and seeing the joy in Emma's face when she realises all of the dead Genoshan children have returned is genuinely magical. There's a sense that things are moving on, but in a way that doesn't put down this passing era. There are hints that Krakoa may return in some form in the future, and gives those that loved it hope for what's to come. Some of this is somewhat hampered by the number of artists on the title. The artwork changes frequently, and for the most part there is no narrative reason for it. When we're checking in on different people, or going into different stories it's fine, but seeing the art shift a dozen times when the X-Men are fighting Apocalypse is a little too much, and threw me out of the book more than once thanks to how jarring it was at times. Overall, this felt like a pretty decent end to things. The book could have been longer, it could have focused a little more on some of the characters that really got a chance to shine in this era, such as Synch, who's relegated to being a background cameo, but as it is it's still a good way to bring things to a close. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kneel Before Zod #6

Writer: Joe Casey, Artist: Dan McDaid, Colourist: David Baron, 
Letterer: Troy Peteri

We've witnessed something of a fall for Dru-Zod since the start of this series. He was the ruler of an entire world, he had a son, a wife, and a child on the way, he was a military power and was respected by the United Planets. Now, he's scarred, hallucinating one of his greatest enemies, and is in charge of a battered old prison ship filled with inmates who are following him through fear. He's not exactly at rock bottom, but he's not far from it either. However, Zod is never one to let a bad hand keep him down, and is consolodating the little power that he actually has. This involves trying to figure out who or what is being kept inside the two maximum security cells in the heart of the ship. The answer to this mystery is somewhat surprising; at least to him, if you've seen the cover you probably already know.

One of the things that I've liked about this series is that you don't really know where it's going. I wouldn't have guessed from the first issue that Zod was going to fall so far, or that he'd end up in the position he's now in. Likewise, I can't predict where the next issue is going to go. Is Emerald Empress going to be an ally for him, is she going to be a challenge that he's going to overcome with force, or could she perhaps replace Ursa as a new paramour for him? I genuinely don't know, and I kind of like that about this book. Sometimes it's fun to follow the bad guy, and by being out in space away from Earth Zod can actually be something of a villain, he can do bad things, he can clash with other bad people and lose on occasion, and you're never expecting a hero to come crashing in to stop him. Because of that, this is the kind of series that can get away with being a little bit different. ⭐⭐⭐

Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance #4

Writer: Benjamin Percy, Artist: Danny Kim, Colourist: Bryan Valenza, 
Letterer: Travis Lanham

Before this series it had been a while since I dipped into Ghost Rider, so I was quite surprised to find that this time around the Spirit of Vengeance had found itself a new host, and that it was a character I knew; Parker Robinson, the Hood. This series has been very different to what I expected, but has been fairly entertaining. I've recently come discover Benjamin Percy with his work on the X books, and enjoy pretty much everything I've read so far, and this book is no exception. It's been different, enjoyable, and has kept me guessing at every turn.

The latest issue shows us some more of Johnny Blaze and Zebadiah's journey towards Chicago, a journey that sees them dealing with possessed civilians, and questioning if re-joining Johnny and Ghost Rider is the best option, or if destroying the entity altogether might not be better. Meanwhile, in Chicago, The Hood continues his mission to take over the underworld, using his new powers and his alliance with the local vampire coven to take over more territory and businesses, all whilst trying to make a real life for himself and his estranged family.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this series, especially when the freed Spirit of Vengeance decided to settle on The Hood, but the last few issues have drawn me in much more than I thought they would, and I've been finding the deeper dive into who The Hood is as a person has been a big draw for me. I also really like the Ghost Rider version of him, even if it does at times make me think of Spawn with a flaming skull. It's a cool design, and Percy is having him do some cool stuff, so it's all a winner really. The art on the book looks great, and every moment when the new Ghost Rider is on the page is a stand out, I love the way that Danny Kim and Bryan Valenza brings him to life, and am very looking forward to seeing what they create for the inevitable confrontation between him and Blaze. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Aliens: What If...? # 4

Writer: Hans Rodionoff, Brian Volk-Weiss, Story By: Hans Rodionoff, 
Brian Volk-Weiss, Adam F. Goldberg, Leon Reiser, Paul Reiser,  Artist: 
Guiu Vilanova, Colourist: Yen Nitro, Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Aliens comics have been something of a mixed bag over the decades because it seems to be the medium in which writers aren't afraid to try something a bit weird with the titular monster, and we've had some very odd stuff over the years as a result (such as an android that looks like the Xenomorph smoking a cigar whilst firing a pulse rifle - which is fantastic). Aliens: What If...? is doing something similar, by blending together the seriousness and horror of the franchise with a more comedic approach that's generally been working pretty well.

This issue sees Carter Burke rushing to his daughter, Brie, in order to get her off their asteroid home as an alien queen has been born, and there's little time to escape before all hell breaks loose. Finding her post-coital with Hiro Yutani, the son of one of the big bosses at Weyland-Yutani. Instead of getting away in their ship, however, the three of them decide it's worth trying to save everyone else if they can, and load into mining suits and set out to hunt down the juvenile Alien Queen.

As with the previous issues, the fourth part of this story follows the traditional beats of an Aliens story, this part covering the 'try to beat the monster' segment where the heroes think they have the means and skills to take the creature down. But, as with previous chapters it does so in a way that subverts expectations at a number of turns, and makes use of some good comedic timing and visual gags to inject a great deal of humour into the situation. I've always maintained that doing humour in comics can be hard, and marrying it with genres like horror only adds to that difficulty. But here the creative team manages to do it well, creating some moments that made me laugh out loud (a first for an Alien comic). The art team do a great job with this too, as there are times where the art does some of the heavy lifting for certain gags. The attention to detail in character expressions is a bug part in the jokes landing too, and the team manage to pull it off wonderfully. This series has managed to turn Carter Burke from a complete douche we were glad to see die into a bumbling loser who you kind of feel sorry for, and who I'm actually genuinely interested in seeing if he manages to live or die by the end. ⭐⭐⭐

Wolverine: Blood Hunt #1

Writer: Tom Waltz,  Artist: Juan José Ryp, Colourist: Guru-eFX, 
Letterer: Cory Petit

The world has fallen to darkness, and vampires have turned the planet into an all you can eat buffet, so of course it wouldn't be long before one of the deadliest killers in the Marvel universe stepped up to put an end to things. Logan, however, knows that despite being able to kill hundreds of vamps on his own it's not something he can keep doing forever, nor will it help to save the day. As such, Logan's reaching out to some allies to help him along the way, including CIA agent Jeff Bannister and Louise, the vampire hunter turned vampire who's still fighting on the side of good. Logan and Louise meet up in a dive bar in the middle of nowhere, but soon discover that there are a lot of vampires coming after Logan.

It wasn't until I reached the end of the issue that paid any attention to the creators involved in this book and realised that this wasn't a Benjamin Percy title. This series is drawing on the previous Wolverine series a lot, brining in multiple characters from it, and referencing events that happened there; and this is fantastic. One of the worst things with comics for myself is when a new series or creator will ignore what came before, or we have characters that never come back after becoming a part of the lead's life because the next person in charge doesn't want to use them. Tom Waltz, who's writing his first Marvel title here, clearly has a lot of respect for what's just come before, and effortlessly slips into the role of writer that I was surprised it wasn't Percy himself. I'm already convinced that Waltz knows how to write Logan, and captures his voice brilliantly. If he doesn't get more work for the character after this it's criminal. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Ultimates #1

Writer: Deniz Camp,  Artist: Juan Frigeri, Colourist: Federico Blee, 
Letterer: Travis Lanham

It's a little unusual that we've had to wait the longest out of all of the new Ultimate titles to get one that bears the name The Ultimates, with Spider-Man, Black Panthter, and X-Men all coming before and kind of doing their own thing, with Spider-Man being the only story that really feels like it's touched upon the overarching plot for the universe. But despite this wait, it kind of feels worth it as this might be the best opening issue in all of the new Ultimate series.

Having jumped forwards in time six months in order to avoid the deadly attack from the Maker's council, our team of mismatched heroes decide to come up with a plan to try and give themselves an edge on the villains who are ruling the planet with an iron first. Doctor Doom and Iron Lad come up with a plan to use the items they stole from the Maker's vault to send out care packages to all of the people they can recruit to their cause. These contain messages that tell them the world is wrong, provides information on the heroes they're meant to be, and contains both a super-suit and the thing that's supposed to give them powers. 

We've seen this in Ultimate Spider-Man, as the orb that gives Spidey his powers. Unfortunately, barely anyone has become a hero in that time, with a few trying it and losing their lives (Spidey aside). Instead, the team, now joined by a dethawed Captain America, decide to try recruiting the old fashioned way. Tracking down Janet Van Dyne and Hank Pym, the team talk to them, appeal for them to become the heroes that they were born to be. But when Captain Britain and his forces attack the two of them have to make the choice of whether to embrace their destiny there and then. 

The Ultimates has a great vibe to it. It's loads of fun watching the heroes try to figure out their next move, sending the care packages back in time a few months, waking Captain America up, him learning America is gone. It's great stuff. And getting to know these versions of Janet and Hank is great. The shock of what they've been called in to kill as exterminators was horrific, as was learning the worlds stance on the subject. However, we see that despite the more cruel world around them they're still good people, and it's this innate goodness, and a fear of hurting his wife that has kept Hank from stepping up for so long. The slap gets brought up a lot in comics, to a degree that there will be very heated debates over it and if the 616 Hank Pym should ever be forgiven for hitting his wife, so to see it brought up here, but done in this way is actually really good, and shows straight away how this version of the character is very different to what we have in 616.

The book also looks fantastic, and Juan Figeri does an amazing job at bringing these characters to life. They all look amazing, the costumes for the new heroes are cool looking, and the emotion we get on the characters faces makes it easy to get inside their heads and understand them. This is not the Ultimates we've had in the past, this isn't a group of complete assholes, this isn't racist Cap, violent Hank, or super cops that are working for the government, this is a group of freedom fighter, people who're being labelled as terrorists by those in power, who are not only fighting to make a better world, but would actively have the previous Ultimate universe version of the team. This is a title that I'm going to be eagerly awaiting each month. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Get Fury #2

Writer: Garth Ennis,  Artist: Jacen Burrows, Colourist: Nolan 
Woodard, Letterer: Rob Steen

After the set-up for the mission in the first issue, Get Fury issue two gets Frank Castle into enemy territory so that he can begin his mission to stop the Vietcong from getting classified information out of Nick Fury. However, getting Frank behind enemy lines is far from easy or bloodless. The scene in which Castle enters the country, ejecting out of an F-4 during the middle of a bombing mission, is a dramatic opening to the book, one that takes a moment to reflect upon the deaths that occur in war, as the pilot who knows he's not making it back from the mission asks Castle if his death will at least be worth it. It highlights that these are not just background players being killed in the service to Castle and Fury's stories, but in the real world it's real people who die in wars never even knowing if their deaths actually matter.

The rest of the issue introduces some more wrinkles into the story, though it does so in a way that doesn't necessarily make it clear what's going on. A CIA operative reveals that there's been an illegal operation to export drugs from Vietnam inside bodies of dead soldiers, and that three CIA agents that were part of this were killed and dumped behind a brothel. They think it's Fury, but when they realise that Fury knew the three men were gay it means he wouldn't have dumped them behind a brothel, and so it's vaguely implied that Castle did it. It's also heavily hinted that the belief that Fury knew about the drug operation is why his death was ordered. But maybe that's not what's going on. Ennis leaves a lot unsaid, with characters speaking in sentences that never quite finish, leaving big revelations implied rather than spoken out loud. This in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, but depending upon the execution it can leave the reader feeling a little lost; and sadly that's how I ended up feeling by the end of the issue. Thankfully, there is a lot of other stuff in here to keep me entertained enough to read the next issue. ⭐⭐⭐

Shazam! #12

Writer: Josie Campbell,  Artist: Emanuela Lupacchino, Mike Norton, 
Colourist: Trish Mulvihill, Letterer: Troy Peteri

'Moving Day' comes to a close this issue as Billy Batson has to face past trauma as his mother comes into his life, at the same time that The Captain, his heroic alter ego, seems to be fighting against Billy by messing with his memories and keeping secrets from him. One of the things that this arc has done is managed to make The Captain feel a little sinister, especially with him doing things without Billy's knowledge. There was a little bit of an edge to him, and it felt like the story could very easily try to shift into him being somewhat villainous. However, this final issue in the arc makes it clear that The Captain was trying to protect Billy, and whilst he may have chosen a bad way of doing it he's still very much a good guy.

I loved that the focus of this issue is Billy, and his journey to go and meet his mother was the highlight of the book. I was wondering where things were going with it, as it was clear that there was going to be something there that would hurt Billy, and I was almost convinced it was going to connect his mother to the villains in some way. However, the choice that Josie Campbell made instead was so much better. The amount of pain and trauma that Billy goes through in learning that his mother had another child, and that they have a happy life is heart breaking. Billy has gone through a tough childhood, he felt abandoned and unloved, and now he's feeling like he's the reason why his mother couldn't make her life work, because now that he's gone she's managed it. The amount of pain he's put on himself is horrible, but completely believable; and I love that Campbell has chosen to take a much more grounded and human approach to the story, and dealing with the fallout from that is going to be interesting going forward. 

The issue features two artist in Emanuela Lupacchino, and Mike Norton, with each of them beginning the issue focusing on one of the two stories going on. This makes the art changes make sense to a certain degree, however, towards the latter half of the book the changes start to come at different times, with characters that were being handled by one of the artists then being done by the other. This is where the art change is the most start, and begins to become noticeable. Despite the book using the same colourist throughout it also seems like the colours were done slightly differently for each artist, which only highlighted this change. Whilst not a huge problem it does take you out of the book a little. However, both artists do a great job throughout. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace #4

Writer: Iman Vellani, Sabir Pirzada,  Artist: Scott Godlewski, Colourist: 
Erick Arciniega, Letterer: Joe Caramagna

The end of the current X-Men era also means the end to the current Ms. Marvel mini-series, as this book firmly entrenches Kamala into the hated and feared category all of our mutant heroes find themselves in. We join up with Kamala this issue with the Inhumans, who are helping her with her glitching powers that have been plaguing her since her resurrection. We find out that her problems stem from the mutant resurrection process recreating her Inhuman powers without actually using Terigenisis to do so, and now her body is rejecting it. This appears to be the first real negative effect from the process that we've seen, and this may be because of Kamala's unique situation. It does raise some questions as to is this may happen with other characters in the future though.

After getting her powers fixed, in a rather touching scene involving the spirit of her grandmother, Kamala comes face to face with the person who's been sending undead X-Men to fight her, and who's now using Kamala's own dead body against her. This undead Ms. Marvel is attacking her own community, using purple hard light powers, her apparent mutant gift awoken (I think we all saw this piece of MCU synergy coming a mile away). In all honesty, this issue kind of reinforces why I was a little dubious about the comics following the films and making Kamala a mutant. The forcing in of having both powers even though they still haven't explained how it works, those powers being the movie ones which as shown in the comic just make her a stretchy version or Armor, her supporting cast and standing within the world being messed around. It all feels a bit off. I'm not the biggest reader of the character, and still need to go back and do a lot of her stuff, but I can imagine this has left some long time fans feeling a bit put out. It's a big shift for the character that's going to change a lot for her in the coming years. ⭐⭐⭐

My Adventures With Superman #1

Writer: Josie Campbell, Artist: Pablo M. Collar, Colourist: Nick Filardi, 
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni

My Adventures With Superman is a great series that has been giving viewers a fun new interpretation of the Superman mythos and universe. Filled with humour, heart, and some great moments, it's a series that has found a vocal and dedicated fanbase and has secured itself a second season. Set between the two seasons, the new comic series manages to capture a lot of what works with the show. Taking place around the holiday season, Jimmy and Lois are planning the perfect first Christmas in Metropolis for Clark as he's unable to go home to see the family and they want to make sure everything is special for him. However, their holiday plans are disrupted when a deadly new foe appears in the city, one capable of copying and absorbing Superman's powers.

Josie Campbell manages to capture the voices of the show perfectly, and everyone feels like they've leapt off the screen onto the page. These aren't the versions of the characters that regular comic readers know, and they have their own quirks and unique traits that makes this version feel a little special, and Campbell keeps to that tightly, and it's impossible to read the issue without hearing the actors speaking the lines. The art, by Pablo M. Collar, also brings the show to life on the page in great ways. This looks like the show, yet also feels different enough that it's clear it's a comic and not just a series of stills taken from the episode. The art married traditional comics with the series, and there are some really great visuals to be found in here too. I particularly like the design of the person I'm assuming is their version of Amazo (surely right?), and am looking forward to reading what happens next. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Birds of Prey #10

Writer: Kelly Thompson, Artist: Robbi Rodriguez, Gavin Guidry, 
Colourist: Jordie Bellaire, Letterer: Clayton Cowles

The previous issue of Birds of Prey was enjoyable, but somewhat confusing as it felt like it was lacking a bit of context, luckily, this issue clears that all up as we get an explanation to what that was all about, and get a dangerous new villain to threaten our team in an interesting new environment. One of the things that I'm really loving about this latest run is that it's not just playing it safe. Kelly Thompson could have easily had our team of heroes fighting street level threats, with the occasional big bad, and it would have felt like a lot of previous stories for the title. However, we've had time travel, goddesses, the Amazons, and now super power created pocket dimensions. It's taking huge swings, and is delivering some amazing stories.

Having jumped through a portal at the end of the last issue our characters leave the creepy gothic world behind and find themselves in a 1950's inspires place. However, we learn that it's all the same pocket dimension, but the portals basically reskin it into different looks based on who jumped through first; giving us a wonderful excuse to the a variety of cool new designs for our characters. And this issue is no exception, as Big Barda's love of the the 1950's aesthetic gives the team some cool new looks. Vixen and Black Canary are somewhat less exciting, looking more like regular clothes, but both Batgirls have a very cool classic comic vibe to them. Barda, however, looks absolutely stunning in her new outfit, and it's a costume that I'd be more than happy to see her wear on a regular basis. The explanation for all of this gets provided this issue too, and whilst it's a bit high concept it makes a certain amount of sense and works for the story being told.

The art on this book has always been great, and this issue is no exception, beyond the new looks for the team there's a new character introduced who also looks fantastic, and there's one panel of her standing beside a huge wolf that looks absolutely gorgeous. The art and the colours work perfectly together, and whilst the book doesn't have the standard comic look to it that most DC and Marvel books have it's one that I'd love to see more and more of. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐