off the rack #1316

Monday, March 8, 2021

 Coming up on a year since the pandemic started. I hope you're all healthy and safe. I am hopeful that vaccines will be deployed widely and help us all feel less anxious. I am fortunate enough to be one of those people who is happy as a bug snug in a rug while self isolating. I do really miss my dear friends and family but hugs can wait until we're all vaccinated.

 My thanks to Doug for lending me these comic books to read.

 Batman Annual #5 - James Tynion IV (writer) James Stokoe (art) Clayton Cowles (letters). It's the origin of Clownhunter and it's not very original. If I had to pay $4.99 US I would have passed on this and lived with leaving a hole in my Batman collection. If you're not familiar with this new vigilante, he's an Asian teenager named Bao who decides he's going to kill the Joker and all of the villain's sycophants. The reason he becomes Clownhunter (and killer) is very mundane. I wish they could have come up with a new motivator. Maybe the philosophical discussion about what to do about the Joker might interest some fans but I found this story quite tedious. I also didn't like the way Bao and his parents were portrayed. Did they really have an Asian saying "Ah, so"? Yes they did on page 8. Shades of Charlie Chan, Batman. I was not offended, just disappointed.

 Batman/Catwoman #3 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I was thrilled to see the town of Port Orange, Florida mentioned on the first page. My pal Al lives there. It's also where Selina finally catches up with the Joker and does what Batman never did. I love this Black Label book taking familiar characters and treating them in a new and interesting way. Here's a future where Selina has survived her husband Bruce's death and their daughter Helena is the new Batwoman. Now I wait to see how mother and daughter deal with the Angel of Death.

 And now, more Future State books.

 Future State: Robin Eternal #2 - Meghan Fitzmartin (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Pat Brosseau (letters). The consequence of Tim Drake/Robin being dunked in Lazarus resin is that now he's immortal. Whoop-dee-doo. Not only is this a boring Robin beats up bad guys issue but the art lacked any logical perspective. This issue takes place on a train but you would think it's in a huge building based on the art. I know it's comic books but I hate when one doesn't make visual sense. I think that's just laziness.

 Future State: Kara Zor-El Superwoman #1 & #2 - Marguerite Bennett (writer) Marguerite Sauvage (art) Wes Abbott (letters). This 2-issue fairy tale was not meant for old farts like me and Doug. With it's soft pastel colours these books should have included glitter and bubblegum flavoured lip gloss. Maybe young tween girls will like this. The moral of this story is "no one is born wise".

 Future State: Dark Detective #3 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Dan Mora (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Aditya Bidikar (letters). There are not one but two Batmans in this issue. You've got Bruce in his new capeless costume but here he's wearing a trench coat to give that fluttering effect, and then there's the new guy in the Bat suit, cape and all. The "uh-oh" point of the story hits here when the bad guys discover where Bruce is hiding out. The Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Carmine Di Giandomenico (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) & AndWorld Design (letters) Grifter story concludes here too with a double cross and a whole lot more of Helena/Huntress. This is my favourite Future State book so far.

 Future State: Superman of Metropolis #1 & #2 - Sean Lewis (writer) John Timms (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). If you're wondering how a grown up Jonathan Kent takes over for his dad as Metropolis's protector then these two $5.99 US books will satisfy your curiosity. The villain of the story is an evolved Brainiac who is a big multi-mouthed ball now. Metropolis is shrunk ala the bottle city of Kandor, the citizens go nuts but Jon returns things back to normal in the end with the help of Kara/Supergirl. I don't know why Kara's a girl in this story and a woman elsewhere. Each issue has two back-ups so you get your money's worth. One features Mister Miracle and the other the Guardian. They are both dealing with bad things inside the bottled Metropolis. You won't miss much if you don't read them. The Mister Miracle story "The Metropolis Menagerie" is done my Brandon Easton (writer) Valentine De Landro (art) Marissa Louise (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The Guardian story is brought to you by Sean Lewis (writer) Cully Hamner & Michael Avon Oeming (art) Laura Martin (colours) AndWorld Design (letters). This one got me excited because a villain wants to throw Jimmy Olsen off of the Daily Planet building.

 Future State: Catwoman #2 - Ram V (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) Tom Napolitano (letters). Read this to find out if Catwoman saves the lives of the people on the train. You will also find out if Bruce is freed from the bad guys. Talia Al-Ghul appearing is the deus ex machina in this story. I like the new Cheshire and Onomatopoeia is always fun.

 Future State: Superman: Worlds of War #2 - Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer) Mikel Janin (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Dave Sharpe (letters). In "The Many Deaths of Superman" the Man of Steel fights in the arena of Warworld where Mongul resurrects him after every death match. It's the typical brutal battle scenes and super villain gloating. What's more compelling is an old newspaper story that Clark Kent wrote that inspired a young woman who travels to Smallville. I was totally confused by the three back-up stories featuring Mister Miracle, Midnighter and the Black Racer because they were not very good. I am a completist and have to finish what I start. I could have stopped reading after the $3.99 US main story in this bloated $7.99 US comic book  but my obsessive compulsive nature wouldn't let me. It's a character flaw I wish I could change.

 Future State: The Next Batman #1 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). All the teasers for this book hyped the fact that this Batman is black. You won't get the secret identity in this first issue but there are a bunch of likely candidates. Lucas Fox is a possibility but it's confusing because he's a bad guy in another Future State book. This is another $7.99 US book with back-ups. These are more coherent than the ones in Future State: Superman: Worlds of War.

Future State: Outsiders by Brandon Thomas (writer) Sumit Kumar (pencils) Sumit Kumar & Raul Fernandez (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Steve Wands (letters) gathers together some old Batman associates helping Gotham City citizens escape persecution by the Magistrates outside Gotham City's borders. Get it? It was nice seeing Katana in action.

Future State: Arkham Knights by Paul Jenkins (writer) Jack Herbert (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) & Rob Leigh (letters) gathers together some of Batman's rogues gallery to fight the oppressive Magistrate. Two-Face, Mr. Zsasz, Dr. Phosphorus, Killer Croc and other ex-inmates of Arkham Asylum are being lead by an armoured Astrid Arkham. It's super villains being super heroes.

 Future State: The Next Batman #2 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (breakdowns) Laura Braga (art) Arif Prianto (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). We learn the secret identity of the new caped Batman in this issue. It's Lucas Fox's brother. He has a brother? This also has three new back-up stories.

"Batgirls" is by Vita Ayala (writer) Aneke (art) Trish Mulvihill (colours) & Becca Carey (letters). Batgirl/Orphan Cassandra Cain gets locked up in the Magistrate Detention Facility where both good guys/white hats and bad guys/black coats are incarcerated. She got caught on purpose because her mission is to find Oracle and Batman and free them. She gets help from Spoiler who is queen of the inmates. In this reality Cass is way more articulate than she used to be. I didn't like that. I also didn't like that in the other Future State stories the Magistrate foot soldiers have a shoot to kill order for any masks that they encounter. Why are all of these masks alive? Anyways, this part ends with the white hats and black coats forming an alliance so Cass can get on with her mission.

"Gotham City Sirens: Ladies' Night Out" is by Paula Sevenbergen (writer) Rob Haynes (breakdowns) Emanuela Lupacchino (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) John Kalisz (colours) Becca Carey (letters). Catwoman and Poison Ivy spring a domestic droid named Dee Dee (get it?) from servitude and they have a night on the town at a bar. The bar is run by Sam Bradley and both super heroes and villains can imbibe in peace. Fans of Sex and the City may like this. Not a lot of drama until the last page when the joint is raided by Magistrate goons and major characters are shot.

 Future State: The Next Batman #3 - John Ridley (writer) Nick Derington (breakdowns) Laura Braga (art) Arif Prianto (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). This is the "uh-oh" moment in the story where the hero is felled by the villain. A wounded Batman is attacked by the murderer he's trying to bring to justice. I saw that coming.

I like the change with Black Lightning in the Outsiders back-up.

I like the art in the Arkham Knights back-up even though the dialogue is eye roll inducing.

 Future State: The Next Batman #4 - Jace/Batman lives, as if that was in any doubt. This story would have been a lot more interesting if Bruce/Batman was really dead. Even if the Future State line of comics dies out this Next Batman is a cop out. The Batgirls story ends with Cassandra/Orphan saving Barbara/Oracle and the Resistance gaining ground on the Magistrates. The Gotham City Sirens story ends with Catwoman and Poison Ivy helping the Resistance get an advantage in their war with the Cybers thanks to Dee Dee.

 I admit that I was sucked in by the hype for this mini. The Next Batman being black intrigued me. The story itself was meh and I would not have missed anything by not reading it. I was not engaged as a mature reader but I think someone in their teens might like all the stories in these four issues.

off the rack #1315

Monday, March 1, 2021

 Hi folks. Long time no write.

 I have been mostly isolating at home during the pandemic trying to keep myself and my family safe from Covid-19. I do go out and walk around our neighbourhood to get fresh air and exercise. I don't wear a mask outdoors like I do when I absolutely have to go into somewhere other people will be, like the drug store or my dentist's office. I get anxious when people come too close to me masked or not, but I also get angry when there is plenty of space to keep a safe distance and people don't move away. I have verbally admonished someone for being too close but have decided that I will keep my big mouth shut from now on and just get away from them myself. I don't know if I can keep my trap shut if I was confronted by the guy my brother did at work. This young guy came into the liquor store wearing a mask with a swastika on it. That would make me very angry. Angry enough to confront him? I don't know. I would like to be brave enough to ask him "are you for real with that mask?". Or "are you a Nazi?"…"you know the Nazis lost, right?". My brother would not serve him. It could have been worse though. That racist could have gone through his check-out without that ugly symbol on his mask and he wouldn't have known he was serving a bigot. I think it's better when you see them coming.

 My thanks to Doug for lending me his comic books to read.

 Daredevil #26 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) with Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Adriano Di Benedetto (inks) Marcio Menyz (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This book may have been put into Doug's sub my mistake but it gave me a chance to catch up with what's happening with the Man Without Fear. This is part 1 of "The Black Kitchen" which ties into Marvel's "King in Black" mega event. Knull is now on Earth and is wreaking havoc. Kinda reminds me of the "Maximum Carnage" event back when I was reading on the regular. Here we have Venom symbiotes running amok in Hell's Kitchen. What I found interesting was the current situations of the main characters. Matt is in prison after being convicted of murder. He can still wear his mask to conceal his secret identity inside. Not true to life but hey, it's comic books. Elektra is now protecting Matt's turf as Daredevil and she's got super scary horns. Wilson Fisk is still mayor with Typhoid Mary as his head of security now. The big shocking ending is that symbiotes get into the prison and one bonds with Matt. Another symbiote bonds with Mary and she attacks Elektra. This sets up overwhelming odds for the good guys as any good comic book will do. Stay tuned.

 Action Comics #1028 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Bendis closes out his run on this title with so much schmaltz you're going to need a shovel to get through it. Jimmy Olsen is the new owner of the Daily Planet. What the nique? Conner Kent goes to the farm team. Jonathan Kent goes back to the future and the Legion of Super-Heroes. I don't know if a new art team is going to come on board but I sure hope so.

 Detective Comics #1033 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Dave McCaig (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). The art on the first page with Batman and Robin tumbling in the foreground with flashback panels behind gave me goosebumps. It's why I will always love reading comic books. Batman beats Hush by giving him a good old fashioned beat down. The rest of the Bat Family is saved and Bruce can take a breather. Now that the Wayne fortune is lost to him I'm curious to see where Bruce ends up after he moves out of the mansion.

 Batman/Catwoman #2 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). The jumping back and forth in time is a little confusing for me but I really like this Black Label story. The relationship between these lovers is more than complicated especially where the Joker is involved.

 DC kicks off 2021 with a plethora of comic books taking their characters 10 years into the future with their "Future State" event. Doug decided to check out the following.

 Future State: Superman vs. Imperious Lex #1 - Mark Russell (writer) Steve Pugh (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) Carlos M. Mangual (letters). The story opens with a meeting of the United Planets inner circle. They are debating the inclusion of the planet Lexor which is lorded over by Lex Luthor, the supreme anal pore that we all know and loathe. Lois Lane is Earth's representative and she votes to reject Lexor's membership until Superman lobbies to allow his arch foe's planet to join so that the poor inhabitants don't suffer from Lex's villainous ways. It's a morality tale of Unity, Progress and Compassion.

 Future State: Robin Eternal #1 - Meghan Fitzmartin (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Pat Brosseau (letters). In this future Gotham City the Bat Family has been decimated. Bruce is dead, Dick is in Arkham and Jason now works for the law enforcement agency that killed Batman. No mention of where Damian is. I have a feeling that the son of Bruce will show up later as a big surprise. Tim's the last man standing and he's vowed to continue the tradition of keeping Gotham safe. Too bad he doesn't live long fighting against the super cybers. The last panel reveals why this book is called Robin Eternal. Hint: the Lazarus Pits are involved.

 Superman: Worlds of War #1 -  This $7.99 US anthology of four stories starts off on Earth and ends up on Warworld.

 "The Many Lives of Clark Kent" by Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer) Mikel Janin (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) & Dave Sharpe (letters) is my favourite one simply because I loved the art so much. This is where we find out why Superman is missing from Earth.

 "Time and Effect" by Brandon Easton (writer) Valentine De Landro (art) Marissa Louise (colours) & Dave Sharpe (letters) features the new Mister Miracle poking around Warworld. Why? We don't know. Guess we'll find out if we keep reading.

 "Midnighter: Future State" by Becky Cloonan & Michael W. Conrad (writers) Gleb Melnikov (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Travis Lanham (letters) has Midnighter running around creating a bloody mess everywhere. It could have just as easily been Lobo or Wolverine in this piece.

 Finally "Do Not Go Gently" by Jeremy Adams (writer) Siyam Oum (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Gabriela Downie (letters) features the new Black Racer trying to free the slave labour on Warworld. Unless you're a Jack Kirby Forever People fan you wouldn't care.

 As a fan of Mikel Janin's art I would have felt ripped off having to pay for the three fillers in this comic book just to have his work in my collection.

 Future State: Catwoman #1 - Ram V (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) Tom Napolitano (letters). Selina is still Catwoman ten years down the line as she attempts to rescue Gotham City citizens being transported to a reformatory by train. Similarities to Nazi behaviour is an easy way to make the bad guys evil. All the previous Batman related Future State books say that Batman is dead but this one has a surprise at the end. Hey, it's Bruce in shackles.

 Future State: Dark Detective #1 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Dan Mora (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Aditya Bidikar (letters). This title blows the whole Bruce/Batman is dead plot device clear out of the water. I can see why the bad guys controlling Gotham City wants the populace to think that, but how are they going to keep up the charade when Batman is clearly running around fighting crime? I like that Batman has lost the cape in this one. This $5.99 US book has a back-up story by Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Carmine Di Giandomenico (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) & AndWorld Design (letters) that I liked even more than the feature. It follows Cole Cash AKA Grifter as he tries to dodge the law. He gets arrested and meets up with Luke Fox AKA Batwing and a whole lot of fun ensues. The Huntress showing up at the end makes this more appealing.

 Future State: Dark Detective #2 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Dan Mora (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Aditya Bidikar (letters). This issue explains how Bruce Wayne/Batman "dies" and how Bruce continues to fight crime. I was disappointed that the back-up story didn't follow up on Grifter and Huntress but was a different story about Jason Todd/the Red Hood now working for the bad guys as a bounty hunter capturing masked vigilantes. It starts with him bringing in the Vigilante and ends with him teaming up with a ruthless Ravager to stop an old school Red Hood gang leader stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Rose has no qualms about killing their bounties but Jason brings them in alive, that's why their nickname is "dead or alive". Har. I like Jason's Akira bike.

off the rack #1314

Monday. December 28, 2020

 I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. These few comic books are thanks to the generosity of fellow fan Doug.

 Batman/Catwoman #1 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Well surprise, surprise. I really liked this first issue. Someone doubted that I would because I wasn't a fan of Tom King's recent stories but this one I enjoyed immensely and not just because of how Clay draws Selina. My favourite storyline in the Batman run was the relationship between Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Bruce Wayne/ Batman and it still is. I really wanted them to get married. This story jumps back and forth in time and involves Catwoman's complicated relationships with the hero and the villains. I hope I get to finish this new Black Label series.

 Action Comics #1027 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters).  The House of Kent story concludes with the Superman Family winning the day and defeating the Red Cloud. Too bad the new owner of the Daily Planet and mastermind behind the Invisible Mafia, Marisol Leone, escapes justice. I hear Brian Michael Bendis is leaving this book and that some fans are happy with that news. As big a Bendis fan as I am I thought this story sucked. Not even better art would have saved it in my opinion. Even the shocking development on the last page was dumb. I hope the next creative team does a better job on this book.

 Iron Man #1 to #4 - Christopher Cantwell (writer) Cafu (art) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). You can't keep a good Iron Man down. Here I thought Tony Stark was dead. He's back on the racks and teamed up with Patsy Walker/Hellcat in this latest reboot and the first 4 issues were oaky. I stopped reading Iron Man a while back so I don't know who the new A.I. is that he talks to but it goes by B.O.S.S. How he hooks up with Patsy is another mystery to me. Tony has reinvented himself after being resurrected from the dead and he fights a bunch of old foes. His biggest challenge is a new version of Korvac. Remember him? I don't. For straight super hero versus super villains fare, this is okay, middle of the road comics.

 Batman Black and White #1 - James Tynion IV, J. H. Williams III, G. Willow Wilson, Emma Rios and Paul Dini (writers) Tradd Moore, J. H. Williams III, Greg Smallwood, Emma Rios and Andy Kubert (art). I call books like this vanity projects. They're written and illustrated in an artsy fartsy way that is pretentious to me. When it comes to Batman I'm more of a blue collar kind of fan and these stories feel more like they should be in a snooty art gallery. The stories are accompanied by creator bios and I found the first two to be worth reading but I didn't read all of them, kind of like how I stop reading the little plaques at the art gallery that goes with the art on the wall after a few. $5.99 US for four short stories in black and white seems steep to me.

 Batman #103 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March, Carlo Pagulayan  & Danny Miki (art) David Baron (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). The cover is a blatant bait and switch. It says "Ghost-Maker vs. Clownhunter" but it's really Ghost-Maker vs. Batman as Bruce tries to keep Ghost-Maker from killing Clownhunter. The best part of this issue was Harley Quinn's appearance.

 Batman #104 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March, Bengal, Ryan Benjamin  & Danny Miki (art) David Baron (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). I like this Ghost-Maker guy. He wears a headband. I wonder if he still wears one under his helmet. So Ghost-Maker sedated Batman, Harley and Clownhunter last issue and now has them tied up in Arkham Asylum. He left Clownhunter unfettered with a sword handy to kill Harley with. Uh-oh.

 Batman #105 - James Tynion IV (writer) Alvaro Martinez  & Christian Duce, Carlo Pagulayan  & Danny Miki (art) David Baron (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Does Clownhunter kill Harley? Does Ghost-Maker kill Batman? Read this conclusion to "Ghost Stories" to find out. Get ready to roll your eyes.

 Superman #27 & #28 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ivan Reis (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The last 2 parts of "Mythological" where Superman fights Synmar came to a grinding, groaning stop. This is the type of story that helps explain why some people get turned off super hero comics. It's just a bunch of big punch-'em-ups and then the good guy wins in the end. And can we get a consistent depiction of the Phantom Zone please? Is it a dimension where the bad guys are phantoms existing in null space or just another dimension where the bad guys live basically like they used to, like in this story? I hate when creators change things to suit their plots. I don't blame fans for grumbling about Bendis after reading this multi-parter.

 Detective Comics #1030 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Bilquis Evely (art) Mat Lopes (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Rob Leigh (letters). The grassroots movement to rid Gotham City of masked vigilantes doesn't make me care for the Bat Family more because it sure feels like a contrived plot device. The plotline that I'm much more interested in is Damian's poking around his dad's old case files. That's the kind of detective work I like.

 Detective Comics #1031 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Bilquis Evely (art) Mat Lopes (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Rob Leigh (letters). This issue is reflective of events that happened during the recent US presidential election. Anti-Bat and pro-Bat supporters clash and only in comic books can Batman defuse the volatile situation with a noble speech. Meanwhile, Damian quickly finds the person guilty of sweeping the cold cases of the attacks on Bruce Wayne in the past under the rug and brings them to justice. The perp's real identity offers a clue to the villain who shows up at the end of this issue.

 Detective Comics #1032 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Dave McCaig (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Father and son set aside their feud to save the rest of the Bat Family from the latest super villain that has them in his clutches. No mystery who the bad guy is with the cover for this issue being a ginormous spoiler. Yes, Hush is back and he's got a great new scheme to hurt Batman.

 Superman Special #1 - Andy Lanning & Ron Marz (writers) Phil Hester & Ande Parks (art) Hi-Fi (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Flashback sequence Marco Santucci (art) Arif Prianto (colours) A Larger World's Troy Peteri (letters). This is part 3 of "Endless Winter" which is DC's version of the finale of the Game of Thrones TV show. It's pretty straight forward. The heroes fight giant ice creatures. The end. I wouldn't spend money on this rack filler.

off the rack #1313

Batman: Three Jokers #3 - Geoff Johns (writer) Jason Fabok (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). And so this story ends with the one true Joker back in custody. Joe Chill was used as bait for a trap that Batman couldn't resist walking into. The love letter to Barbara from Jason was pathetic. Jason should have slid the letter under her door instead of using crappy dollar store tape to stick it on her door. Even if the tape hadn't failed, someone could have taken it off the door before Barbara saw it. The melodrama made me cringe. Then we find out at the very end that Bruce knows Joker's true identity but doesn't say who it is. Bruce going to Alaska to check up on the Joker's ex-wife and son was an eye roll moment. The biggest event of this conclusion is that Joe Chill is finally dead. RIP Joe Chill.

 Superman #26 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ivan Reis (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). In part 2 of "Mythological" Synmar arrives on Earth and attacks Superman. Clark has no clue why but he wants to find out. So here's the thing that bugs me. If Superman can save the Daily Planet building from being destroyed by his battle with Synmar by popping both of them into the Phantom Zone, why can't he just zap all of his super villain opponents there whenever the bad guys show up? Easiest way to save the Earth ever. I predict a major slugfest and then Superman and Synmar will come to a peaceful understanding and the alien will go home happy.

 Batman #102 - James Tynion IV (writer) Carlos D'Anda (art pages 13-16) Carlo Pagulayan (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) David Baron (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). "Ghost Stories" part 1. Batman grapples with the Ghost-Maker when the new vigilante targets Clownhunter for execution. A flashback shows us that Bruce has a long history with whoever Ghost-Maker is, which means that the bad guy knows Bruce is Batman. Every time I see Ghost-Maker's costume, I get stonged by MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This". It's the pants.

 Action Comics #1026 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). "The House of Kent" part 5. This issue was super annoying. Let's start with the long winded recap by Brainiac 5. Then the page layouts that made you have to rotate the comic to read them. The muddy art made me wince. I groaned when time traveller Brainiac 5 from the 31st Century said he didn't know about this battle between the Superman Family and the Parasite from another dimension that's happening in the 21st century. How convenient that this event isn't in Brainiac 5's history database so he can't help the good guys win. The last panel where Lois Lane gets arrested by the FBI…pure cheese. I'll still read this as long as Doug subscribes to it because it's almost better than not having any comics to read.

 Detective Comics #1029 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Kenneth Rocafort (art) Daniel Brown (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). "Who Are You?" is the title of this issue where a new bad guy is introduced. I got stonged again when the song by The Who invaded my brain. The new villain is called The Mirror and he reminds me of one of the cops from The Watchmen TV series what with the mirror mask and all. He wants to unmask all of Gotham City's heroes and reveal their secret identities. Good luck with that. Is mayoral candidate officer Christopher Nakano The Mirror? He wants to ban Gotham's masked vigilantes. Could be, but I still think Nakano is The Ghost-Maker. The best thing in this issue is the return of Damian the Boy Wonder on the last page. I've missed the little shit-kicker.

off the rack #1312

SPOILER ALERT! These are written for my snail mail Pen Pal who doesn't have internet access. Reader discretion is advised.

 Batman #100 - There are 3 stories in this $6.99 US giant sized issue. The main story is the "Joker War Finale" by James Tynion IV (writer) Jorge Jimenez (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) & Clayton Cowles (letters). The entire Bat Family shows up to save Gotham City from the clown gang while Batman goes one on one with the Joker. The Joker doesn't keep his bat suit on very long, opting to go back to his regular costume while trying to stab Batman do death. It's never explained how the Joker reanimated Alfred's body but I hope this is a way to bring the butler back. Just when you think that Batman is done for, Harley shows up to make Batman choose between saving her or the Joker after she straps bombs to herself and Mistah Jay. Batman decides to save Harley but if you think the Joker blew up and died you're as naïve as a newborn baby.

I liked the one page epilogue that introduces a new protector for Gotham City named the Ghost-Maker. I can't wait to see him in action with the two samurai swords.

"Intervention" by James Tynion IV (writer) Carlo Pagulayan (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) Tomeu Morey (colours) & Clayton Cowles (letters) reveals the secret identity of the masked and mohawked clown gangster killer that was running around the Narrows protecting lives and property during the Joker War. Bao Pham calls himself the Clownhunter and he looks like an Asian version of Miles Morales. Batman pays Bao a visit, but instead of arresting him for killing clowns he asks the kid to go see Dr. Leslie Thompkins to get some help dealing with his vigilante tendencies. Bao basically tells Batman to eff-oh after he leaves.

"Dead Ringer" by James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) & Clayton Cowles (letters) catches us up with Punchline. She's free while awaiting trial for her crimes during the Joker War and she manages to get a message out to the Joker via social media. This story continues in Punchline #1 which hits the racks on November 11. If Guillem March is drawing that book I'd put it on my sub list.

All in all this was a very satisfying issue. I like James's writing and the art throughout was nice. How the Joker survives being strapped to a bomb by defusing it with the tools in his Joker Bat suit made sense. Ghost-Maker, Clownhunter and Punchline keeps me interested and wanting to read more.

 Batman #101 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) & Clayton Cowles (letters). I'm calling this a reboot. Bruce has lost the Wayne fortune but Lucius Fox has found a way to keep Bruce afloat financially, but it means that Batman can't operate like he used to. I wonder how long it will be before all the Bat toys crop up again. Meanwhile Bruce and Selina's relationship is addressed and I like the idea of a one year break. I'm looking forward to seeing the stripped down Batman and how he copes. Up next…the Ghost-Maker.

 Detective Comics #1028 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Nicola Scott (art) Trish Mulvihill (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). I know that Batman was going to have to go low tech in the aftermath of the Joker War but chasing a bad guy on a horse? How low are they going to go? I'm being facetious since Batman does use some high tech devices while investigating a murder. Another consequence of the Joker War is that Gotham City needs to have an election to replace the corrupt mayor that was in office during the war. Candidate ex-cop Christopher Nakano vows to rid Gotham City of the masked and dangerous once and for all if he's elected. How much do you wanna bet that Nakano is the Ghost-Maker? The name and the samurai swords kind of gives it way for me.

 Batman: Three Jokers #2 - Geoff Johns (writer) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). It's a struggle for me to keep all the Jokers in this story straight even after Jason Todd/ the Red Hood killed one of them. The two remaining Jokers capture Jason and it looks like déjà vu all over again as the crowbar comes out. If you think Jason dies again you're as naïve as Pee Wee Herman. At one point in this issue, Batman goes to Blackgate Prison to visit with the guy who killed his parents, Joe Chill. He discovers that Joe has stage four cancer and doesn't have long to live. The Joker kidnaps Joe and the final page has the Joker asking Joe why he really killed Martha and Thomas Wayne. I hope we find out in the last issue.

off the rack #1311

Monday, September 28, 2020

 Thanks to my buddy Doug I am able to catch up on these four DC titles.

 Action Comics #1023 to #1025 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). We have chapters 2, 3 and 4 of "The House of Kent" story where Superman teams up with Conner Kent/Superboy, Jonathan Kent/Superboy and visiting from the 31st Century, Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Super-Heroes, to take down Metropolis's Invisible Mafia crime syndicate led by the new owner of The Daily Planet, Marisol Leone and the super villain The Red Cloud who is Daily Planet reporter Robinson Goode. Got all that? Need more? Then how about Kara/Supergirl joining the fray. Issue #1023 has Superman saving Jimmy Olsen from being killed by The Red Cloud and Lois Lane meeting Conner for the first time. Issue #1024 has Supergirl showing up to help and the Kent clan flush out the bad guys. Issue #1025 introduces the big bad that is going to kill the Kent clan. He's a Parasite from another Earth who was successful in killing the Superman of his Earth. I wish the art was better. John Romita Jr.'s work has lost a lot of appeal for me. As much as I enjoy the way Brian Michael Bendis writes I really am tired of his expositions and recaps. I get that it's great for new fans and makes it easier for them to jump on board a series but I just find all of it boring and repetitive. I'm also getting tired of stories where a super villain comes close to killing Superman like this new Parasite and The Red Cloud before him. It seems like DC only wants to do these types of Superman stories ever since Doomsday "killed" Superman in 1993. I'm at a point where I'm "been there, read that". I will continue to read this book as long as Doug keeps it on his sub list but even he is thinking of dropping it.

 Batman #98 & #99 - James Tynion IV (writer) Jorge Jimenez (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). In parts 4 and 5 of "Joker War" Batman recovers from Punchline's toxin with the help of Harley Quinn (IRL) and the dearly departed Alfred (in his mind's eye). The Joker's plan to kill as many citizens of Gotham City as possible nears its conclusion. Just like Superman versus the Invisible Mafia in Action Comics, Batman calls in reinforcements to help defeat Joker. Red Hood, Nightwing (getting a new costume), Signal (I still think this is a dumb super hero name), Orphan (ugh), Spoiler (meh), Red Robin, Batgirl, Harley Quinn (on the side of the angels now) and Batwoman answer the call of duty. I liked the argument that Batman has with Harley just before he goes to confront the Joker. The Joker's bat suit is a scream. Meanwhile, Catwoman, the Penguin and the Riddler team up to pull off a major heist. Lots going on and I can't wait to read Batman #100. Kudos to Jorge Jimenez for the fantastic art throughout both issues.

 Superman #22 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Kevin Maguire (art) Alex Sinclair (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). I missed reading this issue with the first batch of comic books that Doug loaned to me and I almost didn't read it except that it was the conclusion to the Superman versus Mongul fight and Kevin Maguire did the art. Yes, Superman wins again and Mongul is sent home with his tail between his legs. The interaction between Lois Lane and FBI Special Agent Chase back on Earth was much more interesting than the space brawl.

 Superman #25 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ivan Reis (pencils) Julio Ferreira & Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Introducing Synmar! Pretty sure he's going to be a bad guy what with "sin" in his name. Synmar or Eisno Alkor is the protector of his planet, also named Synmar. These aliens have been monitoring Superman's progress since he left his exploding home planet of Krypton as a baby. At the end of part 1 of "Mythological" it looks like Synmar has to do something because his planet perceives a threat from Superman even though Superman doesn't even know about the existence of the aliens. I hate these kinds of made up crises that pits Superman against another powerful alien. He just got through having a big fight with Mongul. If it wasn't for Clark reuniting with his high school crush Lana Lang this extra-sized anniversary issue would have been ho-hum.

 Detective Comics #1027 - This $9.99 US, 144-page mega spectacular is the epic 1,000-issue anniversary of the Dark Knight. With 12 complete stories you do get your money's worth. The list of writers include: Peter J. Tomasi, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Greg Rucka, James Tynion IV, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Marv Wolfman, Grant Morrison, Tom King, Scott Snyder, Dan Jurgens and Mariko Tamaki. The artists are: Brad Walker & Andrew Hennessy, David Marquez, Chip Zdarsky, Eduardo Risso, Riley Rossmo, John Romita Jr. & Klaus Janson, Emanuela Lupacchino & Bill Sienkiewicz, Chris Burnham, Walt Simonson, Ivan Reis & Joe Prado, Dan Jurgens & Kevin Nowlan, and Dan Mora. Colourists are: Nathan Fairbairn, Alejandro Sanchez, Chip Zdarsky, Eduardo Risso, Ivan Plascencia, Arif Prianto, Jordie Bellaire, Nathan Fairbairn, Laura Martin, Marcelo Maiolo, Hi-Fi and Tamra Bonvillain. Letterers are: Rob Leigh, Joshua Reed, Aditya Bidikar, Tom Napolitano, AndWorld Design, Troy Peteri, Carlos M. Mangual, Steve Wands, and John Workman. Sounds like an awards show acceptance speech.

 The stellar line-up of creators did an excellent job of presenting a mix of emotional family stories and thoughtful mysteries needing some detective work by Batman and his allies to solve. There's a standout story about a GCPD rookie police officer and two stories tied into the current storylines in ongoing Batman and Detective Comics. If I could buy only one Bat book this month, this would be it for it's great art and stories.

off the rack #1310

I wrote this a while ago and was reminded that I never posted them anywhere. These were written for my pen pal Ryan and INCLUDES SPOILERS so reader discretion is advised.

 Batman: Three Jokers #1 - Geoff Johns (writer) Jason Fabok (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). This new Black Label mini starts off with triple crime scenes perpetrated by three Jokers. There's the original Joker, the one that shot Barbara Gordon and the one that beat Jason to death with a crow bar. There's no explanation of how that's possible but hey, it's comic books. I was super impressed with the art and the use of the classic panel layouts. Jason Fabok has a similar style to Gary Frank and I love Gary Frank's art. Batman is joined by Batgirl and the Red Hood to catch the Jokers and the first Joker they capture is the one that "killed" Jason. This one finds out what happens when you taunt the guy holding a gun.

 Superman #23 & #24 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Kevin Maguire & John Timms (art) Alex Sinclair (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). These are two good issues to jump back into reading this title since it starts off with a new story and a new villain. The new Doctor Fate (medical student Khalid Nassour) teams up with Superman to fight the Lord of the Lords of Chaos, Xanadoth. This new mystical threat possesses DEO agent Veronica Bissette but she looks like a he in bad guy form. I got confused there. It sure is nice to see Kevin Maguire's art again. There's a long therapy session where Doctor Fate tries to help Clark deal with all the recent events in his life that recaps things for fans who haven't kept up.

 Batman #94 to #97 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March, Rafael Albuquerque & Jorge Jimenez (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Issue #94 leads into parts one, two and three of "Joker War". The Designer storyline sets up the Joker taking over Wayne Enterprises, stealing Bruce's fortune and all the Wayne tech. Punchline poisons Batman with a new Joker toxin but Harley heals our hero in part 3.

 Detective Comics #1023 to #1026 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, Norm Rapmund & Kenneth Rocafort (art) Dan Brown & Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). These are Joker War tie-ins with guest stars one of the Talons from the Court of Owls, Two-Face, Batwoman and Killer Croc. There's plenty of action and fights with bad guys. Not much happens plot-wise except that Lucius Fox is rescued from the Joker.

off the rack #1309

Monday, July 20, 2020

 It's been a while eh? My dear friend Doug came by for a visit last week and brought a couple of bags of his comic books to lend to me. I was grateful to be able to catch up on some titles that I was an avid fan of. I stopped reading comic books because I'm too much of a miser to buy them after getting to read them for free for 40 years. I've been reading lots of novels since being laid off and I've even paid for some of them. Free downloads to my Kobo e-reader are great.

 Batman #92 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Their Dark Designs part 7. This issue features the Riddler as he lures Batman into solving a crossword puzzle to prevent bombs from going off in Gotham City neighbourhoods which form the grid of the puzzle. I love when Batman matches wits with the Riddler. Meanwhile Catwoman and Harley meet Punchline for the first time but their showdown is just starting. The appearance of the Designer on the last page means this story is fast approaching its climax.

 Batman #93 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March & Javier Fern (art) Tomeu Morey & David Baron (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Their Dark Designs part 8. The identity of the Designer is revealed and it's a mystery to me how he manages to be alive. Part of this issue has Punchline's fight with Harley and Catwoman coming to an end that I didn't like. The Joker on the cover gives you a big clue to the end game of this story. How Batman/Bruce Wayne gets out of this predicament will be interesting to see.

 Detective Comics #1021 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Ugly Heart part 2. I learned something new about Two-Face's psychosis where things are split when Harvey Dent's personality is in control. It's bad news for Batman when the scarred side of the coin comes up at the end of this issue.

 Detective Comics #1022 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Ugly Heart part 3. The origin of Two-Face's cult is revealed and Joker's involvement is evident. The cover blurb for this issue is "Journey to…Joker War" so the two Bat books that I read will be featuring the homicidal maniac for the near future. Both James Tynion IV and Peter J. Tomasi are killing it with the Joker.

 Action Comics #1021 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The Legion of Doom/Leviathan story concludes with so much going on it boggled my mind. Not only do you have those villains but there's the deadly to Superman Red Cloud on the verge of killing the Man of Steel. Then there are all the good guys like the Justice League and Young Justice. Just way too much going on and then poof, the bad guys disappear somehow betrayed by Leviathan. Ugh, I didn't like this ending at all.

 Action Comics #1022 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The House of Kent part 1. We jump into a new story with Superman trying to solve the mystery of who is Conner Kent. Y'see, Conner showed up with Young Justice to help defeat the Legion of Doom. And just to make this a total family affair, Jonathan pops back into the present from the 31st Century with Brainiac 5 for a visit. Meanwhile, Jon's mother Lois Lane is rooting around following a new story to try and regain control of the Daily Planet from that villainous Leone woman and her deadly friend the Red Cloud. That's one thing I can count on in a Bendis book, things are never boring. Things might not make a lot of sense sometimes, but they're never boring.

Nothing off the rack #1307

Monday, March 30, 2020

 I'm sad to report that there is no new off the rack this week. In 40 years of working in comic book stores I have missed very few shipments. I think all of the ones that I've missed was because I was away on vacation. I don't think I missed any during my 25 years of managing the Silver Snail in Ottawa. I did go on vacation once during those years but planned my days away from the store so that I left the day after the new comics arrived and got back the day before the next shipment. I had two close calls due to medical emergencies. Once when I tore my left Achilles tendon on new year's eve and once when I had to have bleeding ulcers in my stomach cauterized. I fought to be released from the hospital both times so that I could be at the store to receive the new comics. The tendon tear happened while playing squash in Toronto and we took the train back to Ottawa that day so I could have the operation here. I can still remember driving the van with a full leg cast to go pick up the boxes after a winter snow storm one week. The van got stuck on a side street while I was driving to pick up my assistant manager to help with the shipment and I had to crutch about two blocks through knee high snow to get to his house after I got the van back on the main road and parked. I went in to the hospital on a Sunday with bleeding ulcers and had to be admitted due to mandatory IV meds. I begged to be released Tuesday morning so I could be at the store for the new books. Penny picked me up at the hospital and drove me to work scowling the whole time. She thought I was being stupid and she was right but my obsession banished any practical actions on my part.

 I love processing the new comic books every week. I tell people that it's one of the favourite parts of my job. I get the joy of Christmas 52 times a year. What kid at heart wouldn't love that? Add to that, I was the first one to see what was new. I feel a great responsibility unpacking the new books. I'm super careful not to damage them so our customers can be confident that they're getting minty fresh comics. With great responsibility also comes great power. Being first to choose which copy to keep for my own collection made me feel like rich tycoon Tony Stark.

 When I started at the Comicshop in Vancouver in 1980, the owners Ron and Ken also had a distribution company called Real World Distributing. One of my jobs was to help them sort and pack the new comics for other stores in the city. When they realised that I could do the job on my own they let me handle everything in the basement of the store. I would unload the delivery truck, unpack the boxes, sort all the titles and pack boxes for the other store accounts. We were getting our comics from a company in Edmonton but Andromeda Publications in Toronto was aggressively wooing us and we started getting books from them. That's how I met and became friends with the owner Ron VL who also owned 3 Silver Snails at the time. The flagship store on Queen Street West, one on Yonge near Eglington and one in Hamilton. Silver Snail Ottawa was his fourth store (1990 - 2015) and I was privileged and honoured to be chosen manage it.

 Getting comics onto the racks reliably and fast has always been a priority. Having the comics shipped to Vancouver from Toronto was a problem but we worked out an affordable way to have them sent by air. I drove out to Vancouver International Airport every week to pick up the shipment at Air Canada Cargo like clockwork. My presence was so familiar that it got to the point where I was allowed to drive right onto the tarmac and unload our boxes right off the cargo containers by myself. Try to do that with airport security the way it is now.

 I worked extra hard to have the privilege of unpacking the new comics every week. One way Ottawa got our books was by Bus Parcel Express so I would drive to the bus terminal every week. Andromeda also had a warehouse in Montreal for accounts in Quebec and points east and they had a truck take shipments from Toronto weekly. It was cheaper for me to drive down to Highway 401 and meet the truck and off load Ottawa's boxes so that's what I did. The thing was that I had to meet the truck where Highway 16 crossed the 401 really early in the morning. I would get a call at home around 4 AM and drive the hour or so down to meet the Montreal bound truck, load up and drive back to Ottawa. Winters were hairy. I got a call one week really early at around 3 AM and was told the truck was having mechanical problems and was asked if I could meet it in Belleville. Fearing I would get lost in Belleville (people don't call me wrong way kin for nothing) I asked if they could make it to Kingston where I spent a year attending Queen's University and knew my way around. So I drove to Kingston and back that morning.

 When Andromeda ceased distribution our shipments were delivered by UPS. Waiting for the truck to arrive each week was agonising. We changed opening time on Wednesdays so we could unpack and check everything before the mobs were let in. I've always helped the driver unload and got to know him better and found out from him that we could pick up our shipments before 8 AM at the UPS warehouse and so I started to do that. I still miss Gord. Then Diamond Comics switched delivery companies and we started to get our comics delivered by CANPAR. They did not have a pick up option, so we were having to wait until whatever time they showed up at the store. By helping our CANPAR drivers I was able to get them to do us a huge favour and deliver our books to us earlier on their route than normal. I miss Bob, Rick, Sebastien and Raphael.

 I will be forever grateful to Ron, Ken, Ron VL and now Heather for allowing me to continue experiencing the joy of unpacking the new comic books every week. Diamond Comics' last shipment was Wednesday, March 25 but CANPAR hadn't shown up while I was waiting outside a shuttered Black Squirrel Books so I went home and Heather received it. She took the boxes home to unpack and I sadly wasn't able to grab anything new to read to write a new off the rack.

 Thanks for reading.

off the rack #1306

Monday, March 23, 2020

 I don't know how much longer I will be able to write off the rack. New comics are still being shipped every week but the store is cutting back orders and rack copies are going to be very restricted. I have already been borrowing comic books from dear friends Ryan, Rebecca and Doug, with their permission when there are no copies left after pulling subscription service orders. This pandemic is a wake up call for all of humanity. No super heroes are going to swoop in to save the day. It's up to us to be careful and stay safe. I have not left our house except to go for walks since last Tuesday when I went to work to receive the new comics. I will be going to work tomorrow and then coming straight home after. I hope everyone is okay wherever you are.

 Runaways #31 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Andre Genolet (art) Dee Cunniffe (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Part 7 of "Canon Fodder" concludes this lengthy story with the evil Doc Justice showing his true colours. The villain may have been defeated but Doc Justice might live on. It's this possibility that will keep me reading.

 Batman #91 - James Tynion IV (writer) Rafael Albuquerque, Jorge Jimenez, Carlo Pagulayan & Danny Miki (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). The Designer is a puppet master who has manipulated the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman and the Joker into taking over Gotham City. I like the unpredictability of what the four puppets are going to do. Next issue's feature villain is the Riddler and I can't wait to see what riddles he has in store for Batman.

 The Red Mother #4 - Jeremy Haun (writer) Danny Luckert (art) Ed Dukeshire (letters). This is a really good creepy comic book. Daisy's visions are getting worse, which I'm hoping will lead to the appearance of the Red Mother. But I want to meet the black smoky scary guy with the white smiley face mask.

 Marvels X #3 - Alex Ross & Jim Krueger (writers) Well-Bee (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Spider-Man and Daredevil try to get the last human being on Earth into the Baxter Building to see if Reed can find a cure for whatever is giving everybody super powers. I don't see how the kid is going to survive given who has him in his clutches now.

 Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #4 - James Tynion IV (writer) Steve Epting (art) Nick Filardi (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). This issue's conclusion convinced me that I dislike the Batman Who Laughs a lot and I don't care what Perpetua does to the multiverse. But if you care, continue to read the story in Dark Nights Death Metal #1, the first of a 6-issue mini hitting the racks May 13.

 Archie #712 - Mariko Tamaki & Kevin Panetta (writers) Laura Braga (art) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I'm reading this Katy Keene story because I miss Fashion Television.

 Outlawed #1 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Kim Jacinto (art) Espen Grundetjern (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This $4.99 US one shot is a prelude to the return of the Champions to the racks. But now the kids are going to be on the wrong side of the law. The government has banned all activity by under-aged super heroes because of a major disaster. That feeling of déjà vu you're getting is because Marvel did this already with the New Warriors. If you want to see these youngsters fight against the Child hero Reconnaissance And Disruption Law Enforcement organization or C.R.A.D.L.E., pick up Champions #1 April 8.

 DCeased: Unkillables #2 - Tom Taylor (writer) Karl Mostert (pencils) Trevor Scott, Neil Edwards & Karl Mostert (inks) Rex Lokus (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). Now that the good guys and the bad guys have to work together to survive the zombies this story got more interesting. I like the familial element with Shiva and her daughter Cassandra/Batgirl and Deathstroke and his daughter Rose. I really liked how Vandal Savage meets a gruesome end. I can't wait to see what new hell is unleashed in next issue's conclusion.

 X-Ray Robot #1 - Michael Allred (writer & art) Laura Allred (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). This science-fiction story about a scientist and his interdimensional travelling robot invention is typical Michael Allred whacky fun. There's a lot of crazy kinetic energy in these pages and you have to pay close attention so you don't get lost. Doctor Max Wilding is a hero in waiting.

 Spider-Woman #1 - Karla Pacheco (writer) Pere Perez (art) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I'm sad that my friend Gord McDougall, who passed away last year, isn't around to see his favourite super hero get back on the racks in this excellent debut. I really like the new costume. Jessica is hired to protect a billionaire's daughter at her sweet sixteen birthday party on a mega yacht (that spelling baffles me). When kidnappers attack we see how awesome Jess can be. The art is gorgeous and I'm going to add this to my "must read" list. The back-up story with art by Paulo Siqueira (pencils) and Oren Junior (inks) shows us how Jessica gets her new costume. There's something funny going on with it and this subplot makes this $4.99 US debut seem cheap at twice the price.

 The Resistance #1 - J. Michael Straczynski (writer) Mike Deodato Jr. (art) Frank Martin (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). J. Michael Straczynski, now that's a name that I haven't seen on the racks for a while. I'm so glad he's back. This is the comic book of the week if not the year. It starts off with a global pandemic which immediately pulled me in because of what's currently happening in real life. By the end of this first issue I realized that what happened in the comic was just a way to grant random people super powers all at once all around the world. Not a new concept I know, but it's being done by one of my favourite writers and a very good artist. I'm adding this 6-issue mini to my "must read" list. This book is from brand new publisher AWA which stands for Artists, Writers and Artisans. I will be looking for their books by Frank Cho, Peter Milligan, and Garth Ennis when they hit the racks in the future. You should too.

 Conan the Barbarian #14 - Jim Zub (writer) Roge Antonio (art) Israel Silva (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). The explanation of how Conan survives being run through with a sword made me groan but I read on. Conan and the remaining warriors must work together to survive the rest of the gauntlet but one of them is a treacherous killer. Who that is keeps me interested.

 Something is Killing the Children #6 - James Tynion IV (writer) Werther Dell'Edera (art) Miquel Muerto (colours) AndWorld Design (letters). A new story starts here. It looks like we're going to get Erica's origin story and I'm looking forward to finding out more about Ms. Slaughter.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #3 - Al Ewing (writer) Nina Vakueva, Chris Sprouse, Belen Ortega & Juann Cabal (pencils) Nina Vakueva, Karl Story, Belen Ortega & Juann Cabal (inks) Federico Blee (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). In the aftermath of Peter's "death" (he'll return eventually I'm sure) the rest of the Guardians must get on with their lives. A new client hires them but I see a big conflict of interest in their new mission. Their new client made me wonder if a copyright infringement was being made by Marvel. Someone over there forget about Bucky O'Hare? Is Blackjack related? Okay, a quick search confirms that Blackjack O'Hare first appeared in a Marvel comic in May 1982 and Bucky first appeared in the Continuity Graphics title Echo of Futurepast #1 in May 1984 with some sweet art by Michael Golden. Law suits averted.

 Fantastic Four #20 - Dan Slott (writer) Peco Medina (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is a great one-shot story for fans thinking about adding this book to their sub. The Four return from their space adventure on Spyre with Johnny's soul mate Sky. Then the new couple goes to help Wyatt Wingfoot with an attack by the Mole Man. Everything is wrapped up nice and neat in this one issue and you will get the warm and fuzzies getting to know Marvel's First Family. I still like this book.

 Valkyrie #9 - Jason Aaron & Torunn Gronbekk (writers) Ramon Rosanas (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). How many times can Jason Aaron bring about a Ragnarok-like event? As many times as he wants as far as I'm concerned. Here we have Tyr unleashing an ancient dark power and now it's up to Val to stop it. This title is still top tier.

 X-Force #9 - Benjamin Percy (writer) Joshua Cassara (art) Dean White (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I continue to read books that I feel aren't that great for a variety of reasons. I'm not fond of the art in this title and the missions that this team goes on are okay, not great. I do however, like that Domino and Wolverine are on this team. Their behaviour in this book will determine how long I stay a fan.

 Robin 100-Page Super Spectacular - These one-shot anthologies are a great way to catch up on characters. There are 10 short stories featuring the 5 Robins: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne. There are a couple of retro stories by Marv Wolfman and Chick Dixon that were hokey. I preferred the current stories by James Tynion V, Peter J. Tomasi and Robbie Thompson. The last story made me curious about what's happening with Damian leading the Teen Titans. Pick up this $9.99 US 80th Anniversary book to get a nice picture of one of comics' iconic sidekicks.

off the rack #1305

Monday, March 16, 2020

 It's official. We have cancelled our tropical vacation plans. We were supposed to fly to Cuba in April for a week but now that Canada has called for the return of any Canadians abroad as soon as possible, we feared that if we went we wouldn't be able to return as scheduled. I'm good with our decision being the reluctant traveller anyways. "Self isolation" and "flattening the curve" are two new terms that have entered the collective consciousness and I wonder how many average citizens understand what these terms mean. A good education has never been more important than during this time of crisis. Learn what's real and protect yourself and your loved ones.

 Catwoman #21 - Joelle Jones (writer) Fernando Blanco (art) FCO Plascencia (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). Thank Thor that's over with. Selina saves the day after fighting off a zombie horde. The wicked Raina Creel gets what's coming and Catwoman hits the road outta town. I love this character but I didn't like her stay in Villa Hermosa and the art these last few issues wasn't nice to look at. The art in the next issue will decide whether I keep reading this book or not.

 Avengers of the Wastelands #3 - Ed Brisson (writer) Jonas Scharf (art) Neeraj Menon (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The team is joined by new member Viv Vision as their search for Doctor Doom continues. Their trip across the Wastelands will have an unexpected detour when more super villains get in their way. I like how Ed is using the Wastelands version of Marvel's heroes and villains.

 The Dollhouse Family #5 - M. R. Carey (writer) Peter Gross (layouts) Vince Locke (finishes) Cris Peter (colours) Todd Klein (letters). We find out how the dollhouse was made and it's gross. I hope Alice's inheritance isn't the death of her.

 Punisher Soviet #5 - Garth Ennis (writer) Jacen Burrows (pencils) Guillermo Ortego (inks) Nolan Woodard (colours) Rob Steen (letters). Ah man, Frank's buddy won't make it to next issue's bullet filled conclusion. I liked Valery.

 Young Justice #14 - Brian Michael Bendis & David F. Walker (writers) John Timms & Michael Avon Oeming (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). Impulse tracks down Sideways, Spoiler, Aqualad and Arrowette to help the team find Conner and give the evil S.T.A.R. Labs scientist what for. Mission accomplished. But wait! There's more. I can't wait to hear what Dr. Glory has to say for herself. I'm not a fan of Michael Avon Oeming's art but I have to say that it's marginally more palatable in colour.

 The Immortal Hulk #32 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils main story) Ruy Jose & Belardino Brabo (inks main story) Paul Mounts (colours main story) Javier Rodriguez (pencils & colours Xemnu sequence) Alvaro Lopez (inks Xemnu sequence) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This new version of Xemnu is even freakier than the original. Xemnu has managed to totally change the world's perceptions with the promise from Dario Agger that he will rule the planet once Dario is done with it. Bruce's brain might have been affected, but his alter egos are still their good old green selves. I can't get enough of this Hulk.

 The Batman's Grave #6 - Warren Ellis (writer) Bryan Hitch (art) Alex Sinclair (colours) Richard Starkings (letters). Okay, I'm done with this 12-issue maxi. Just over half of this is Batman and Commissioner Gordon running a gauntlet of criminals to get out of Arkham Asylum. The rest is Batman spouting a running monologue at a crime scene where someone has been murdered. This issue just annoyed me so I'm burying the rest.

 Avengers #32 - Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness (pencils) Francesco Manna (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This issue features Earth's Mightiest Villains and has to be this week's Earth's mightiest scripted comic book. Boy, there is a lot of dialogue. The forces amassing against the Avengers are overwhelming. There's no way the good guys are going to win against these evil allies. You've got bad Namor of Atlantis, Dracula and his vampire army, the Red Widow and her Russian Winter Guard and the turn coat Agent Coulson and his Squadron Supreme of America. Wait until you see the bad guys' ace in the hole. This war on the Avengers is going to be epic.

 Hawkeye: Freefall #4 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I love this convoluted plan to take down the Hood that Clint has concocted. Him hitting the villain's criminal empire as Ronin while joining his super hero buddies in trying to catch Ronin is hilarious. I love all the guest stars. I can't wait to see how everyone reacts when they find out Clint's scheme.

 Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #5 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Mattia De Iulis (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). A trap is set for the bad guy and Jessica closes a cold case. I thought that this would be the last issue but I see that #6 will hit the racks March 25. Is it an epilogue or a new case?

 The Amazing Spider-Man #41 - Nick Spencer (writer) Ryan Ottley (pencils) Cliff Rathburn (inks) Nathan Fairbairn (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). "True Companions" part 1. Spidey teams up with Boomerang to track down pieces of a powerful mystical tablet to keep it out of the hands of Wilson Fisk. Meanwhile, the Lethal Legion reforms. I don't find this new story intellectually stimulating but I'm a die hard Spider-Man fan so I'll keep reading.

 X-Men #8 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The X-Men are fighting battles on multiple fronts and a new one breeds this issue as the Brood land on Krakoa. They're on an egg hunt just in time for Easter. This could have been an issue of New Mutants since Rahne, Dani and Magik play a big part in this story. I'm starting to get overwhelmed by all the plots in these new X-books and am thinking of dropping more titles.

 Decorum #1 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Mike Huddleston (art) Rus Wooton (letters). Meet Imogen Smith-Morley. She's an assassin who insists on good manners. I like her. What I didn't like was all the rigmarole leading up to her contracted hit. Did we really need all the information about this science fiction universe? I don't think it added anything to the main story. If I read more issues it's because I think Imogen is cool.

 Cable #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Phil Noto (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Most of this debut features young Nathan Dayspring Askani'son Summers AKA Cable. For some reason there's a 3-page scene in the back with old man Cable. This issue was nothing to write home about but the art is nice and the kid's got potential. If you're looking to add another X-book to your pile, this one would be okay.

 Superman #21 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ivan Reis (pencils) Joe Prado & Oclair Albert (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Oh Mongul, you're such a jerk. Mucho macho punching between Mongul and Superman with the fate of the embryonic United Planets at stake and then Mongul laughs it all off and leaves. Meanwhile, Lois has to deal with fallout from the big secret ID reveal. Things are interesting again in this book.

 Thor #4 - Donny Cates (writer) Nic Klein (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The Black Winter is coming and Galactus is ready to face it with help from King Thor. I really liked the epilogue to Thor's fight with Beta Ray Bill that starts off this issue. The Lady Sif is now the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge and the changes in her character are awesome.

off the rack #1304

Monday, March 9, 2020

 I want to thank my partner Chris for another successful Capital Comic Book Con at the Delta Hotel in downtown Ottawa yesterday. All of his hard work pricing and preparing our stock and setting up our booth paid off. I am glad that I get a day to recover as the old muscles are aching today. I saw many old friends and customers which made for a fun social event as well. There's a full moon out tonight so get out there and give a howl. Then come back inside and wash your hands.

 Daredevil #19 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Mattia Iacono (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). A gang of super villains paid by the Stromwyns is destroying Hell's Kitchen. Can Daredevil save his home? There's a lot of destruction and the citizens try to defend themselves but it doesn't look good. I like the wild card showing up. I wonder if they will help or hurt?

 Lois Lane #9 - Greg Rucka (writer) Mike Perkins (art) Andy Troy (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). Lois and Renee need to find the assassin Kiss of Death and they get some help from a friend. Batman's appearance was a hoot. This story has been great so far. You should also be watching Greg's TV show Stumptown. Cobie Smulders is killing it as Dex.

 Doctor Strange #6 - Mark Waid (writer) Kev Walker (art) Java Tartaglia & Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Someone has stolen Stephen's magical artefacts and could be mass producing them for evil purposes. He has to team up with Doctor Druid to stop that from happening. This new story is spellbinding.

 Superman: Villains #1 - Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction & Jody Houser (writers) Art, colours and letters done by a bullpen full of others. This $5.99 US one-shot is a muddled mess. It confused me right out of the gate when Superman visits his parents on the farm. Ma and Pa Kent are there. I thought Pa died. Then Superman tells Pa that some Batman tech is going to keep them safe like it does for the Batcave. That was four pages of WTF for me. So that segues into a scene with Lois, Clark, Perry and the new owner of the Daily Planet, Marisol Leone. We find out later that Ms. Leone is the head of some sort of Mafia. Then there's two pages of Lex Luthor and a laughing answering machine message that made me think it was the Joker calling to mock the bald baddie. I can go on and on, like why Bizarro? I hate Bizarro. Also, what is up with Supergirl? Is she still infected from Year of the Villain? All the different art styles didn't help either. This did not make me want to read more DC comics.

 Black Cat #10 - Jed MacKay (writer) Kris Anka (art) Brian Reber (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). It's a fun-filled, action-packed team-up with Wolverine in Madripoor. How do you like them hyphens?

 Savage Avengers #11 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Butch Guice (art) Alex Guimaraes (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Doctor Strange's astral form observes the origin of the evil wizard Kulan Gath. It's this story that reveals the way to finally kill the sorcerer. But first, he and Elektra must find Conan. This was my favourite issue of the run so far.

 Conan: Battle for the Serpent Crown #2 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Luke Ross (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I love these outrageously improbable adventures. Conan chases the Black Cat to get a ring back. This issue takes place in Las Vegas so it's a good chance for the Scarlet Spider to make a guest appearance. Conan does retrieve the ring but how he does made me go "huh?". I really got a chuckle when I saw where Conan and Nyla are zapped to. I'm sure this will cross over with Savage Avengers at some point.

 Strange Academy #1 - Skottie Young (writer) Humberto Ramos (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I expected a fun debut from Skottie Young and he delivers. We meet a lot of kids and a lot of teachers in this new magical school of magic. This reminded me of Avengers Academy and I think I'll like this new crop of young magicians.

 Batman #90 - James Tynion IV (writer) Jorge Jimenez (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Catwoman has a secret that will destroy Batman's love for her and this flashback story tells us what it is. It was disappointing that I guessed what it was before the big reveal on the last page. This new villain, the Designer is kind of interesting and I want to see if Mr. D succeeds in his goal.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #16 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Cory Smith (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). There are two stories this issue. The first has Miles babysitting his little sister and you just know that things are going to get hairy. Then Uncle Aaron walks into a trap laid by his new boss Ultimatum. What happens next doesn't bode well for Miles. This is another book that I'm thinking of benching. My fondness for the character is waning but I do still like the art.

 Marauders #9 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Matteo Lolli (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This issue has Emma and Bishop dealing with the bad guys. It's really cool how Emma can mess with minds.

 Dryad #1 - Kurtis J. Wiebe (writer) Justin Osterling (art) Jim Campbell (letters). This new fantasy story is about Morgan and Yale and their two teenage offspring Griffon and Rana. There are big swords and monsters and a mysterious ancient race. The mixed race marriage reminded me of Saga. Morgan is an elf and Yale is human. The kids go exploring and open a door leading to a peck of trouble. The characters didn't grab me and this issue didn't spark enough interest in me to want to read the next issue. You might like this if you enjoy books like Rat Queens.

 Strange Adventures #1 - Tom King (writer) Mitch Gerads & Evan "Doc" Shaner (art) Clayton Cowles (letters). Adam Strange is back on the racks in this 12 issue maxi that has him being framed for murder. When Batman passes up the case he's got to go with another hero to clear his name. I really liked how Alanna was handled and that's why I will read the next issue.

 2020 Rescue #1 - Dana Schwartz (writer) Jacen Burrows (art) Scott Hanna (inks pages 17, 19, 20) Peter Pantazis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I know from reading Avengers that Tony is alive and well trapped in the past but Pepper Potts thinks he's dead. This story has Pepper trying to find a way to clone Tony using his biological parents' DNA. I picked this off the rack because of Jacen Burrows's art but the writing wasn't even half as good as the old Ironheart used to be so I won't be reading any more.

 Spider-Man Noir #1 - Margaret Stohl (writer) Juan Ferreyra (art) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This is Peter Parker as Sam Spade, the Shadow and Spider-Man all rolled into one circa 1939. The web-shooters and 45s are jarring to me. Anyways, the art is suitably dark and gorgeous and the murder mystery will have Peter globe trotting to find the killer. If you like hard boiled crime this is the 5-issue mini for you.

 Doctor Doom #6 - Christopher Cantwell (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This is like a Bing Crosby and Bob Hope "Road to Terlingua, Texas" movie starring Doctor Doom and Kang. Doom is trying to find a way to keep a black hole from destroying the earth and Kang is just tagging along for giggles. Doom does get what he's after, rids himself of the annoying Kang and figures out how to save the earth. Now he's heading back home with the device and I want to see how he uses it.

 Marvel #1 - this $4.99 US 6-issue mini is for all those Marvel Maniacs pining for stories from the days of yore. Alex Ross curates this anthology of new stories that read like reprints from the sixties. The two stories this issue are:

 "Spider-Man: Make My Day" by Sajan Saini (writer) Frank Espinosa (art) & VC's Clayton Cowles (letters) features a fight with Rhino and an argument with Mary Jane.

 "The Boy…and the Brute" by Kurt Busiek (writer) Steve Rude (art) Steven Legge (colours) & Steve Rude (letters) features Rick Jones, the Hulk and the Avengers.

 These are nice little vignettes and are interesting for the creators involved. They're fun to read and that's what comic books are all about.

 The Flash #750 - It's been a while since I've read a Flash comic so I thought I'd catch up by snagging this $7.99 US anniversary issue off the racks. There are 6 stories inside featuring a bunch of Flashes but mostly concentrating on Barry Allen. Jay the Golden Age Flash and Wally West are here too. There is also a lot of hopping around in time, dimensions and universes that left my head reeling. It looks like future issues of the Flash are going to speed through many divergent plots and I don't want to work that hard to keep track of everything. This issue did not make me want to return to the Flash fold.

off the rack #1303

Monday, March 2, 2020

 This is a public service announcement. You will be ticketed for parking on the street during a parking ban even though the snow has already been cleared from the roads. We got a ticket parked in front of our house last week because we couldn't get into our driveway after the grader left a big snow bank at the end of it. I hope to spare anyone from being dinged with what I think is an unfair fine.

 Amazing Spider-Man: Daily Bugle #2 - Mat Johnson (writer) Mack Chater (art pages 1-12) Francesco Mobili (art pages 13-20) Dono Sanchez-Almara, Protobunker & Peter Pantazis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I can't read the rest of this 5-issue mini. The art really bothered me this issue. It was hard to tell what was going on the first few pages and then seeing Peter Parker in civvies looking almost exactly like the bad guy confused me further. There are interesting mysteries about Spidey's webbing and a Wilson Fisk involvement with an explosion, but this story probably won't matter in the grand scheme of things, so I don't think I'll miss anything if I bail out here.

 Punisher Soviet #4 - Garth Ennis (writer) Jacen Burrows (pencils) Guillermo Ortego (inks) Nolan Woodard (colours) Rob Steen (letters). Frank and Valery go after Konstantin by kidnapping his trophy wife. She's amenable to divorce by Punisher. Thank Garth for improving my mood.

 Basketful of Heads #5 - Joe Hill (writer) Leomacs (art) Riccardo La Bella (additional pencils) Dave Stewart (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Everything leading up to this issue has been circumstantial. Now the villain tells the complete story. I'm rooting for June to survive this mess.

 Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #3 - James Tynion IV (writer) Steve Epting & Javier Fernandez (art) Nick Filardi (colours) Travis Lanham (letters). Heh, it's the Joker who helps Lex beat the Batman Who Laughs. It looks like next issue's pulse pounding conclusion will be Lex and his super villains versus the Batman Who Laughs and his infected super heroes. It's been a while since the Main Man has been in a comic that I've read.

 Avengers #31 - Jason Aaron (writer) Gerardo Zaffino, Geraldo Borges, Szymon Kudranski, Oscar Bazaldua, Robert Gill & Mattia De Iulis (art) Rachelle Rosenberg & Mattia De Iulis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I haven't seen Tony Stark in a while so I assumed he was dead. Nope. He was zapped a million years into the past by the master manipulator Mephisto. The devil tries to get Tony's soul. This is a wonderful full issue of Iron Man and if Jason wrote an Iron Man book, I'd read it.

 Amethyst #1 - Amy Reeder (story & art) Gabriela Downie (letters). I remember reading the original Amethyst book when it hit the racks in 1983 with the Ernie Colon art. It was fun and weird with a plucky heroine. This new Wonder Comics book has the appeal of having art by Amy Reeder who wowed me with her work on Madame Xanadu and Rocket Girl. Here she is writing as well and the art and story is tight and concise. This is a nice substitute for the dearly departed Naomi book.

 Avengers of the Wastelands #2 - Ed Brisson (writer) Jonas Scharf (art) Neeraj Menon (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's the origin of Captain America of the Wastelands. His name is Grant. I think this is a great way to change tried and true Marvel characters to make them fresh and new. Having them fight an evil Doctor Doom is nice and simple. Four Avengers may become five but they have to contend with a super villain first.

 Suicide Squad #3 - Tom Taylor (writer) Bruno Redondo (art) Adriano Lucas (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). The new Squad's first mission under Lok's leadership does not go according to plan. Neither are these super villains what they seem. This is why I read Tom Taylor books. Forget about any new Crises and DCeased and pick up this most excellent comic book for some straight up action and skulduggery.

 Kill Lock #3 - Livio Ramondelli (story & art) Tom B. Long (letters). I get why the calligraphy font is used in the Wraith's word balloons but man, is it hard to read. This issue explains why The Kid is innocent and shouldn't be branded. The four droids find the one who can lead them to the Kill Lock's off switch but she betrays them. This universe of sentient robots is pretty cool.

 Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #4 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Mattia De Iulis (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Each issue has started off with Jessica held captive by the bad guy. The end of this issue reveals who that is and how she was killed and resurrected. I am looking forward to the conclusion to see how she defeats the villain.

 Batman Superman #7 - Joshua Williamson (writer) Nick Derington (art) Dave McCaig (colours) John J. Hill (letters). A new story starts here. Part 1 of "The Kandor Compromise" pits the World's Finest duo against Ra's Al Ghul and General Zod. One of the bad guys is working with the good guys. I got bored of the fight between Superman and Rogol Zaar so what happened to the city of Kandor was a surprise to me. I'm interested to see the final fate of the shrunken city.

 Giant-Size X-Men: Jean Grey and Emma Frost #1 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This mostly wordless $4.99 US one-shot will be a quick read but I read it twice just to soak in the beautiful art. The story starts with the discovery Storm's body and ends with a problem after Ororo is resurrected. This leads into a story where Jean, Emma, Logan and Scott will have to save Storm again.

 Leviathan Dawn #1- Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Josh Reed (letters). Leviathan succeeded in shutting down every spy agency and the leader has been revealed to be an ex-spy named Mark Shaw. The good guys are still trying to fight back but they're going to need help. Time for Kingsley Jacobs to start up Check Mate again. I like the players he's gathered. I'm looking forward to watching this game unfold.

 Finger Guns #1 - Justin Richards (writer) Val Halvorson (art) Rebecca Nalty (colours) Taylor Esposito (letters). And now for something completely different. This new urban fantasy introduces two teenagers with a weird power. Wes discovers that when he shoots people with his left hand he can make them angry. Sadie can calm people down when she uses her right finger gun. They meet by accident at the mall and try to get a handle on their newfound powers. It's a cool concept and I wonder where these kids are going to end up.

 Fantastic Four: Grimm Noir #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Ron Garney (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This one's all about Ben's bad dreams. I thought the bad guy was Nightmare but it's another one of those mystical villains that generally mess with Doctor Strange. I expected some sort of Mickey Spillane type story but there's no murder, just a pretty dame needing rescue. It's a nice character study of the ever lovin' blue-eyed Thing.

 Detective Comics #1020 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Brad Walker (pencils) Andrew Hennessy (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Two-Face is back and he's more bipolar than ever. This is what I like to see, an old villain presented in a slightly new way. We still have the scarred coin dictating how Harvey acts but there's a new twist with a cult of fanatics and the Church of the Two Strikes. I love how the first page hints at the return of the Court of Owls too.

 Falcon & Winter Soldier #1 - Derek Landy (writer) Federico Vicentini (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This 5-issue team-up starts off with a heavily armed and armoured hit squad attacking Bucky Barnes in his home. The Winter Soldier emerges unscathed and hops his motorcycle to find out who sent the killers. Meanwhile Sam Wilson is searching for a missing vet. The two meet at a government agency office where all the staff are dead. Wanting to know who's doing all the killing has got me interested in reading the rest but when a preppy killer shows up and kicks both of the heroes asses I decided to put this mini on my "must read" list. The kid's name is the Natural. Picture a blonde Damian Wayne in a pair of Chuck Taylors.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #40 - Nick Spencer (writer) Iban Coello & Ze Carlos (art) Brian Reber & Peter Pantazis (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The fight between Spider-Man and Chance had to do with a bet that Chance could get one of Spidey's web shooters. What bothered me was how easily that was done and Spider-Man's lack of urgency to get it back. There's a couple of foreshadowing scenes that will keep me reading however. One involves the Clairvoyant device and the other is who Norah Winters is working with.

 X-Men #7 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Leinil Francis Yu (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue is dedicated to a new Mutant Ritual called the Crucible. It's a lot shorter than calling it the Arena of Death and Rebirth. It shows how mutants who have lost their powers can get them back. But first we have to endure a deep philosophical discussion between Cyclops and Nightcrawler. It's a real snoozer if you're an action fan.

 Action Comics #1020 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). I wish they would stop with the deceiving covers. It looks like Superman is trying to come between Lex Luthor and Leviathan but what actually happens inside is Superman fighting Lex and the Legion of Doom. If it weren't for Young Justice helping out I would have found this issue boring.

 X-Men/Fantastic Four #2 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Terry Dodson (pencils) Rachel Dodson, Karl Story & Ransom Getty (inks) Laura Martin (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). There's a lot of heroes accusing heroes of shenanigans concerning the disappearance of Franklin and Valeria. They are actually guests of Doctor Doom. Victor wants to reverse what Reed did to his son and I want to know why. With the X-Men converging on Doom Island, good old Doc Doom is prepared for an attack.

 X-Force #8 - Benjamin Percy (writer) Bazaldua (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Why did Oscar Bazaldua stop using his first name in the credits? Domino and Colossus attack the flesh factory making assassins using Neena's DNA. The organisation funding the flesh factory has a mysterious benefactor and I'm hanging around to find out who that is. I wish they would change either Sage or Jubilee's costume. I keep getting them confused.

off the rack #1302

Monday, February 24, 2020

 Jee-Riz will be busy the next couple of weekends. We will be at the Jim Durrell Arena for the Capital Trade Show on Sunday, March 1. Stop by our tables for some comic books at bargain basement prices. Then we'll set up at the Delta Hotel for the Capital Comic Book Con on Sunday, March 8. This is where we'll have our premiere selection of back issues for sale. I hope the old bod can handle all that lifting.

 Runaways #30 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Andre Genolet (art) Dee Cunniffe (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The Runaways' stint as the J-Team seems to be winding down with the revelation that their leader and benefactor is nothing more than an old glory hound. Unfortunately, one of them might be paying the ultimate price. Talk about a cliffhanger ending.

 Legion of Super-Heroes #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ryan Sook & Mikel Janin (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger & Mikel Janin (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). We interrupt this origin story of the Legion of Super-Heroes for a very important message about Aquaman's trident. I want to know who has it.

 The Red Mother #3 - Jeremy Haun (writer) Danny Luckert (art) Ed Dukeshire (letters). Man, I love this fantasy/mystery. The art is gorgeous. The main character Daisy is intelligent. I want to help her figure out what's going on with the red visions. This is a comic book that I think more people should be buying.

 Conan the Barbarian #13 - Jim Zub (writer) Roge Antonio (art) Israel Silva (colours)

VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Part one of "Into the Crucible" finds Conan trapped in a maze with other warriors. There are death traps at every turn. The surprise on the last page was a shock and it made me want to read the next issue as soon as possible.

 Archie #711 - Mariko Tamaki & Kevin Panetta (writers) Laura Braga (art) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I don't watch the CW TV shows but I do like the comic books. The teenage angst and drama makes me cringe sometimes but the art right now is what's keeping me coming back for more each issue.

 The Old Guard: Force Multiplied #3 - Greg Rucka (writer) Leandro Fernandez (art) Daniela Miwa (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). This is another comic book that I think more people should be buying. Andromache (Andy for short) and her immortal pals are ambushed by someone from her past. We're talking way past. Centuries. If you can't find these on the racks right now, wait and buy the trade. You won't be disappointed.

 Daredevil #18 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Jorge Fornes (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I like the leaner, meaner Owl that wants to be kingpin of Hell's Kitchen. He's going to have a hard time taking control with the hired muscle that the Stromwyns have hitting the streets. I'm calling them Marvel's Fatal Five.

 Batman #89 - James Tynion IV (writer) Carlo Pagulayan, Guillem March & Danny Miki (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Speculators are all drooling because this issue features the first appearance of the Joker's newest main squeeze. She appears in two panels in extreme close-up so we don't know what she looks like or who she is. Harley's here too but she's a good guy now. I'm more curious to find out who the Designer is and how he's connected to Catwoman.

 Fantastic Four #19 - Dan Slott (writer) Sean Izaakse (art) Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The conclusion of "Point of Origin" starts off with a prelude to the next adventure for the team back on Earth. Meanwhile 44 light years away, Reed and the Overseer of Spyre engage in fisticuffs but then have a Kumbaya moment that made me roll my eyes. All is well that ends well for their space adventure and so it's homeward bound with an extra passenger, Johnny's soul mate Sky from Spyre. The next story has some classic FF characters that we haven't seen in a while. I'm looking forward to it.

 Valkyrie #8 - Jason Aaron & Torunn Gronbekk (writers) Cafu (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). A new story starts here featuring All-Father Thor. A darkness deep within the earth threatens to overwhelm the planet. Val and Thor dig deep to find it and uh-oh. Resistance is futile. The Anti-Life is a new Norse myth that we haven't seen yet. I want to know who set it off. No, it's not Darkseid.

 Wolverine #1 - Fans have been clamouring for the mutant runt to get his own book again and here it is. The big $7.99 US number one has two complete stories. One is a mystery and the other is Wolverine doing what he does best.

 "The Flower Cartel" by Benjamin Percy (writer) Adam Kubert (art) Frank Martin (colours) and VC's Cory Petit (letters) has Wolverine and X-Force tracking down stolen shipments of Krakoan drugs. The trail leads to Alaska and someone named The Pale Girl.

 "Catacombs" by Benjamin Percy (writer) Viktor Bogdanovic (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) and VC's Cory Petit (letters) sends Wolverine to Paris where he meets vampire killer Louise that sets up a confrontation with Dracula. Hordes of vampires are dispatched.

 The Pale Girl intrigues me more than Dracula but I don't know which story will continue in #2. The stories don't seem to be related so we'll have to wait and see.

 DCeased: Unkillables #1- Tom Taylor (writer) Karl Mostert (pencils) Trevor Scott, Neil Edwards & John Livesay (inks) Rex Lokus (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). This 3-issue mini has a DCU infested with the Anti-Life Virus. It's DC heroes and villains fighting zombies featuring the uninfected Jason Todd/ Red Hood and Cassandra Cain/Batgirl for the good guys and Deathstroke and Vandal Savage for the bad guys. The art is very nice and I'm a fan of Tom's writing so I'm going to keep reading.

 Plunge #1 - Joe Hill (writer) Stuart Immonen (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). I wasn't going to read this new DC Black Label book until I saw Stuart Immonen's name in the credits. I love his art. This is a story about a marine disaster way up near the Arctic Circle. There's a ghost ship, scientists and seas creatures. The marine biologist in me is curious.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #2 - Al Ewing (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Federico Blee (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Well that didn't take long. The team's mission to save the galaxy from dark Zeus and save Hercules ends with the threat neutralised and a surprise sacrifice. Tears are shed. I'm not worried though. Rocket didn't die on the last mission.

 Marauders #8 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Bishop retrieves the dead mutant from last issue with the help of Iceman, who takes some revenge on the humans. Storm takes the death hard as well but to me it's just empty theatrics because every mutant can be brought back to life. I'm just wondering if there will be changes to this hero when they're resurrected.

 Joker: Killer Smile #3 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Andrea Sorrentino (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Steve Wands (letters). The good Doctor Ben succumbs to the Joker's mind games and helps the clown prince of crime escape from Arkham Asylum. There was one part of the story that bugged me even though I understood the urgency of Batman going to save the doctor's family. Other than that, this was a good psychological thriller.

off the rack #1301

Monday, February 17, 2020

 Happy Family Day. I'm grateful for my extended family of fellow comic book aficionados. Sharing the love of our hobby keeps me young and brightens my life. I miss seeing many of you but you are in my thoughts.

 Catwoman #20 - Joelle Jones (writer) Fernando Blanco (art) FCO Plascencia (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). Mrs. Creel poisons her party guests showing us what a nasty woman she is. Catwoman fights through a bunch of zombies to get some Lazarus Water to save a friend. Selina's final obstacle will be Mrs. Creel. I can't wait for this story to end. It's been kind of blasé.

 Thor #3 - Donny Cates (writer) Nic Klein (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Lots of KRAKKABOOMS this issue as Thor fights Beta Ray Bill. Horseface doesn't have a chance with All-Father Thor boosted with Galactus given power cosmic. Don't build a funeral pyre for Bill yet. Someone comes to his rescue and that person is a surprise.

 The Dollhouse Family #4 - M. R. Carey (writer) Peter Gross (layouts) Vince Locke (finishes) Cris Peter (colours) Todd Klein (letters). Alice and her daughter recover from the horrible explosion from last issue but their survival cost them an arm and a leg. When Alice gets back to the dollhouse, she finds there's a new tenant and she's not nice at all. This horror title isn't horrible. You should come visit.

 Hawkeye: Freefall #3 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This issue explains how Clint can be in two places at one time. It's dumb but I don't mind because this story is kind of dumb. I like it for the guest stars. The Black Widow shows up and the hero on the last page is a favourite of mine. If the new Ant-Man mini had been this much fun I'd still be reading it.

 The Batman's Grave #5 - Warren Ellis (writer) Bryan Hitch (pencils) Kevin Nowlan & Bryan Hitch (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) Richard Starkings (letters). I don't know if it's just me, but I find that I lose interest in a Warren Ellis story somewhere and this issue might be it. I've forgotten what the mystery is that put Batman in detective mode even though he's following a lead in Arkham Asylum this issue. I like seeing Batman kick bad guy butt as much as the next fan, but 8 pages of it here seems to be padding the story. Methinks this 12-issue story could've been told in 6.

 Savage Avengers #10 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Patch Zircher (art) Java Tartaglia (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Conan and the two Doctors, Doom and Strange, battle Kulan Gath. Guess who wins? This issue made me laugh out loud.

 Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #3 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Mattia De Iulis (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Now this is a much more enjoyable murder mystery than Batman's Grave. I know exactly what's happening because Kelly Thompson recaps as the investigation continues. There's even an extended 5-page fight scene where Jessica and Elsa Bloodstone fight creatures from the Black Lagoon but it isn't boring because they're bantering about the case all the while. The rest of this 6-issue mini can't come out fast enough for me.

 Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy #6 - Jody Houser (writer) Adriana Melo (pencils) Mark Morales (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Gabriela Downie (letters). Harley and Ivy's adventure comes to an end with a battle between good and evil Ivy. I liked how they left the fate of Poison Ivy a mystery. Who knows how she'll act the next time she sees Harley?

 X-Force #7 - Benjamin Percy (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This issue features Domino who was rescued from the bad guys recently. The bad guys managed to steal her good luck powers and have transferred them to someone else. This newly empowered individual is an assassin going around killing mutant supporters. Neena's not too happy about that. I wasn't too surprised by the reveal of the assassin's identity on the last page but I'm sure some new fans will be.

 X-Men #6 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Matteo Buffagni (art) Sunny Gho (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue features Mystique. She's my favourite shape-shifter. She's sent on a mission to infiltrate the space station designed to fight against the mutants. I liked how the flashbacks merged with this story to culminate at the ominous last page.

 The Immortal Hulk #31 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (main story pencils) Ruy Jose, Belardino Brabo & Cam Smith (main story inks) Paul Mounts (main story colours) Javier Rodriguez (McGowan sequence pencils & colours) Alvaro Lopez (McGowan sequence inks) VC's Cory Petit (letters). We get into the heads of Scientist McGowan and the Hulk this issue. Matters of the mind shouldn't surprise fans what with Xemnu being in this story.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #39 - Nick Spencer (writer) Iban Coello (art) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This issue reminded me of the Odd Couple, Oscar and Felix. Spider-Man agrees to be a guest on Jonah's podcast and sparks fly as the two antagonists butt heads. It's all talk radio until the super villain crashes the party. Next issue should be less talk  and more action.

 Superman: Heroes #1 - Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction & Greg Rucka (writers) Kevin Maguire, Mike Perkins, Steve Lieber, Mike Norton & Scott Godlewski (art) Paul Mounts, Gabe Eltaeb, Andy Troy & Nathan Fairbairn (colours) Troy Peteri, Clayton Cowles & Simon Bowland (letters). This $5.99 US one-shot is tied-in quite closely with what's been going on in Action Comics & Superman. It looks at the consequences of Superman revealing his secret identity and it's well worth reading.

 Doctor Strange #3 - Mark Waid (writer) Kev Walker (art) Java Tartaglia (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This is a great one issue story if you want to check this new run out. Doctor Strange fights an artistic demon to save lives.

 Gwen Stacy #1 - Christos Gage (writer) Todd Nauck (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I liked this better than The Amazing Mary Jane maybe because it deals with a younger high school aged Gwen. This story takes place before Gwen and Peter become friends and lovers and involves her father Captain Stacy and his investigation of New York's mob. There are a trio of bad guys that you'll recognise but the big deal super villains don't show up until the last page. If they don't get you to pick up the next issue, nothing will.

 Batman: Pennyworth R.I.P. #1 - James Tynion IV & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Eddy Barrows & Eber Ferreira, Chris Burnham, Marcio Takara, Diogenes Neves, David Lafuente and Sumit Kumar (art) Adriano Lucas, Rex Lokus & Nathan Fairbairn (colours) Travis Lanham & Thomas Napolitano (letters). This one-shot tribute to Alfred shows us what a dysfunctional family Bruce has created. I would have preferred a more touching send off to this beloved character like the one Brian Michael Bendis wrote for Ultimate Spider-Man/Peter Parker. Damian, Tim, Jason and Barbara reminisce about the butler and then Ric Grayson chimes in with a story about Nightwing. Who the heck is Ric Grayson? I thought Alfred deserved better than this.

 Nebula #1 - Vita Ayala (writer) Claire Roe (art) Mike Spicer (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I'm ambivalent when it comes to this cyborg killer but I wanted to see if that might change by reading this 5-issue mini. She finds a scientist who has built a device that can predict the future and has him implant it so it's integrated into her cybernetic system. The untested tech winds up screwing with her head. I didn't change my opinion of Nebula with this first issue and I can see where the rest of the story is going so I'll leave the rest on the racks.

 Superman #20 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ivan Reis, Joe Prado & Oclair Albert (art) Alex Sinclair & Jeremiah Skipper (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). There's action: Superman dukes it out with Mongul. There's drama: The Daily Star is trying to discredit Clark, Lois and the Daily Planet. And there's a surprise appearance of an old friend. There's everything a good comic book needs to grab my attention and want to keep reading.

 Marvels X #2 - Alex Ross & Jim Krueger (writers) Well-Bee (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I was fooled by the truck driver who picked up the kid because of the red beard, sunglasses and No Fear baseball cap. I thought it was Matt Murdock in disguise but I was surprised by who it actually was. Daredevil does turn up later in this issue as he and Spider-Man help to keep David safe. The kid's important because he could help find a cure for what's infecting humanity.

off the rack #1300

Monday, February 10, 2020

 I was waiting for our new comic shipment Tuesday morning when I realised that I have been working in comic book retailing for 40 years now. That answers the question grade 8 me had while sitting in Social Studies class while I was at Glashan Public School. I am so lucky to have landed in a job that I love and am still doing. Who would not want to work somewhere where you get 52 Christmases a year?

 Young Justice #13 - Brian Michael Bendis & David F. Walker (writers) Michael Avon Oeming, Mike Grell & John Timms (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). Conner gets life lessons from Travis Morgan/Warlord in Skartaris while his team mates come up with a plan to hit S.T.A.R. Labs to try to get him back. The mission gets a few more rescuers so next issue will be wall to wall heroes.

 Black Cat #9 - Jed MacKay (writer) Kris Anka (art) Brian Reber (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). Boy, I haven't heard that alias in a while. Felicia lands in Madripoor to steal a painting. The last know owner is a guy named Patch. You got that right. It's a Black Cat and Wolverine team-up. I was wondering where Kris Anka would go next after he left Runaways.

 Lois Lane #8 - Greg Rucka (writer) Mike Perkins (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). The two-page spread where Rene Montoya fights the skull-headed assassin was poetry in motion. No words necessary. Lois is proving herself without her hubby's help in this book.

 Daredevil #17 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Jorge Fornes (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Just call Matt Murdock the Red Robin Hood. He and Elektra stole from the Stromwyns and gave to the people of Hell's Kitchen. The bad guys don't get mad, they're going to get even. Their solution to their Daredevil problem has me all aquiver.

 Doctor Doom #5 - Christopher Cantwell (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I may not like the return of ruthless dictator Doom but I sure do like the art in this book. I'm also not a fan of the time hopping Kang but his presence makes things interesting. This is one book that I would stop reading if the art wasn't so nice.

 Batman #88 - James Tynion IV (writer) Guillem March (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Oh man, this story just keeps getting better and better. Catwoman is exhuming a body while talking to the Riddler. You won't believe who's resting in peace. Meanwhile, the Penguin makes a grave error in not killing Deathstroke. Finally, when it looks like Selina is going to be buried alive, someone comes to her rescue. Waiting around to find out who the Designer is adds to the fun.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #15 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). If you're a fan of big bad super villains fighting super heroes then this issue is for you. The new Green Goblin trashes Miles's school looking for Spider-Man. Huge fight, then bad guy runs away. Miles's secret identity could be compromised during the debacle. This one had me guessing.

 Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #3 - Kami Garcia (writer) Mico Suayan & Jason Badower (art) Annette Kwok (colours) Richard Starkings of Comicraft (letters). I love this serial killer mystery and not just because the art is so pretty. The alternating black and white pages with the colour pages highlights the two main characters, Doctor Quinn the profiler and John Kelly the possible psychopath. I can't wait to see if the killer gets caught.

 Ant-Man #1 - Zeb Wells (writer) Dylan Burnett (art) Mike Spicer (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I like Scott Lang but I don't like loser Scott Lang and that's the Scott Lang that's in this new 5-issue mini. This story starts with him and his son Stinger making a drug bust. When did he get a son? Scott is hired later to find out why bees are disappearing which leads to him fighting Swarm. They lost me when they introduced three new bad guys: Vespa the spectre of hornets, Thread the Silkworm ghoul and Tusk the Rhino beetle hulk. Stinger is in 4 pages and then poof, he's gone. Scott's daughter Cassie shows up and then she exits stage left. The three insect themed villains crawl out from under a rock with no explanation so all the nonsense turned me off. This is supposed to be fun but I just found it dumb.

 Dark Agnes #1 - Becky Cloonan (writer) Luca Pizzari (art) Jay David Ramos (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). This is bad. I expected a lot better from Becky Cloonan. I did not find the adventures of the red-headed swordswoman in 16th Century France to be very appealing. Agnes was okay in short doses teamed up with Conan in Serpent War but this solo story bored me. Here's another 5-issue mini that I'll take a pass on.

 Conan: Battle for the Serpent Crown #1 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Luke Ross (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). It must the week for new 5-issue minis from Marvel to hit the racks because here's another one. Conan's adventures in the modern world continues as his wandering brings him to Las Vegas. He's tazered by the guards while trying to rob an armoured truck but is saved by a fellow thief named Nyla. They then decide to team up and rob a hotel of money and jewels but someone beats them to the booty. That someone and the surprise villain at the end of this issue was enough to make me want to read the next issue.

 The Immortal Hulk: Great Power #1 - Tom Taylor (writer) Jorge Molina (pencils) Adriano Di Benedetto & Roberto Poggi (inks) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Attention Immortal Hulk and Amazing Spider-Man fans; this $4.99 US one-shot featuring an amalgam of the Hulk and Spider-Man is well worth adding to your collection. You will discover that Tom Taylor is an excellent writer and this story of friendship and camaraderie is a nice change from the typical super heroes fighting. The guest stars are fun too.

 Marauders #7 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Edgar Delgado (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I know that I said that I was going to bench this book but there were rack copies left over after pulling subs and I can't resist a book with nice art. I still think there's too much going on plot-wise that makes following storylines difficult and I hate when I see art mistakes. Emma is wearing sexy thong panties in one panel and 5 panels later she's wearing granny underwear. I think Stefano's original drawing in the later panel wasn't chaste enough for someone at Marvel/Disney.

 X-Men/Fantastic Four #1 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Terry Dodson (pencils) Rachel Dodson (inks) Dexter Vines & Karl Story (ink assist) Laura Martin (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I've been looking forward to this 4-issue mini to hit the racks because I like both the writer and artists involved. This story establishes that Franklin Richards is a mutant. Charles Xavier thinks Franklin should be with his kinfolk on Krakoa. Reed and Sue don't want their teenage son to be away from his family. Instant drama. When Franklin stows away on Kitty's ship returning to Krakoa you know more super hero fights are in the future. But first we have a super villain attack. I thought it was Doc Ock since the attack happens at sea but I was wrong. I'm reading the rest of this to see how the two teams resolve their differences.

 Batman 100-Page Giant #3 - These $4.99 US one-shots are a great value. There are two new stories in this and 3 lengthy reprints. I consider these excellent teasers for the trade collections on the shelves if you want to get the whole story.

 DC's Crimes of Passion #1 - This may not seem like a good deal at $9.99 US for just 80 pages but there are 10 new stories inside featuring more Batman heroes and villains than you can count on two hands. Please don't be discouraged by the cheesy cover, none of the stories inside are that bad.

off the rack #1299

Monday, February 3, 2020

 I had a busy Sunday yesterday with hauling boxes of comic books back and forth from the Walkley Arena where Jee-Riz Comics & Appraisals had another successful day selling old comics. I want to thank my partner Penny for all her help and my other partner Chris for all his hard work organising everything and making my job of manual labourer and security so much easier. Then it was home to rest before a yummy chicken dinner with roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts while watching the Super Bowl. I stayed up way past my bedtime to see if the Kansas City Chiefs would win (SPOILER ALERT) and they did. I was happy for them as it had been 50 years since they had been to the big game.

Doctor Strange #2 - Mark Waid (writer) Kev Walker (art) Java Tartaglia (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The Wrecker was introduced last issue and he's joined by his partner in crime Thunderball to battle Doctor Strange. This time Stephen has a surprise up his sleeve to help him defeat the bad guys. It seems that someone is giving super villains magical weapons and Doc is going to find out who. I like this new more assertive Sorcerer Supreme.

 Something is Killing the Children #5 - James Tynion IV (writer) Werther Dell'Edera (art) Miquel Muerto (colours) AndWorld Design (letters). I thought that this was the climax where Erica dispatches the beast. She triumphs but then it's uh-oh. The hunt continues. This new twist will keep me reading.

 Action Comics #1019 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Klaus Janson (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). Lex Luthor and Leviathan (if you haven't been reading all the Event Leviathan books his secret identity is revealed here) team up to kill Superman. Their weapon of Superman destruction is none other than the Red Cloud. The art is really bothering me now. When I can't make out Lex Luthor in some pages that's just bad. John Romita Jr. should not be drawing costumed super hero comic books anymore.

 The Immortal Hulk #30 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Ruy Jose, Belardino Brabo & Cam Smith (inks) Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Simple Hulk escapes from the belly of the beast just in time to see Xemnu coming to save the day. Roxxon is framing the Hulk for all the death and destruction so what happens next should be good.

 Jessica Jones: Blind Spot #2 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Mattia De Iulis (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Now I'm really hooked. There's a mystery within a mystery what with Jess waking up from a bullet to the head. Add Misty Knight and Elsa Bloodstone into the mix and this story is one I'd pay money to read.

 Avengers #30 - Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness & Francesco Manna (pencils) Mark Morales & Francesco Manna (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Yes, the Starbrand is reborn. The big fight is between the Avengers and everyone else that wants the Starbrand to be destroyed. It's a power equal to the Phoenix Force and must not be wielded. But nope, this baby is being delivered no matter what. I rolled my eyes when the three heralds gave gifts to the baby. Way to rip off the Bible Jason. I wonder who's going to raise this kid?

 Fallen Angels #6 - Bryan Hill (writer) Szymon Kudranski (art) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Psylocke soars for the win. Apoth never had a chance no matter how much the villain gloated. X-23 gets handed the leadership of the team so if they go on another mission I'll be there.

 X-Force #6 - Benjamin Percy (writer) Stephen Segovia (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). New plant based super villains are introduced this issue so you won't want to miss this exciting development. There will be no more stars and garters as Beast gets super serious. Could be a prelude of Hank becoming a bad guy.

 Amazing Spider-Man: Daily Bugle #1 - Mat Johnson (writer) Mack Chater, Francesco Mobili & Scott Hanna (art) Dono Sanchez-Almara & Protobunker (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). If you're curious about how the good old Daily Bugle is doing this 5-issue mini is for you. Editor-in-Chief Robbie Robertson makes some changes and they include Peter Parker. There are three weird elements in this first issue that intrigued me enough to want to read the second issue. One involves Koi Boy, a friend of Squirrel Girl's. I've never heard of him before. I want to see what other weirdness shows up.

 Ravencroft #1 - Frank Tieri (writer) Angel Unzueta (art) Rachelle Rosenberg & Dono Sanchez-Almara (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The one-shots leading up to this 5-issue mini were good enough for me to want to read this first issue to find out where they were going with this Institute for the Criminally Insane. The good guys are Mercedes "Misty" Knight and John "Man Wolf" Jameson. The bad guys, well judge for yourself. Would you consider Grizzly to be insane? One of Misty's colleagues is a certifiable homicidal maniac. His alter ego wears green and throws pumpkin bombs. Even his presence didn't turn me off. It wasn't until Mayor Wilson Fisk introduces the rest of the staff that I decided to shut this thing down. Not even the mysterious dweller in the dark is going to get me to read the rest of this.

 Detective Comics Annual #3 - This $4.99 US issue is dedicated to the dearly departed Alfred Pennyworth.

The first story by Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Sumit Kumar (art) Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colours) & Tom Napolitano (letters) has an old MI-6 agent who worked with Alfred asking Bruce for help to bring in a traitor to the British Empire. It must be the week where we find out the real names of beloved characters. I didn't know that Misty Knight's real name was Mercedes and here we find out that it's Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth.

The second story by Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Eduardo Risso (art & colours) & Tom Napolitano (letters) tells the origin story of Batman's costume.

I am really disappointed that there hasn't been a proper funeral issue for Alfred in either Batman or Detective. I think the character deserved to be honoured more.

 Avengers of the Wastelands #1 - Ed Brisson (writer) Jonas Scharf (art) Neeraj Menon (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This story takes place in the world where Old Man Logan came from. Don't get too excited, he's dead. I'm not familiar with these characters but you don't have to be to understand that they band together to fight Doctor Doom who is running rampant across the land with his army killing anyone who won't submit to his rule. A guy named Dwight has the Ant Man costume. Dani Cage, daughter of Jessica and Luke, has Thor's hammer and there's the son of Bruce Banner who is a Hulk. These Avengers will defy Doctor Doom. I liked the surprise appearance of another hero at the end so I'm going to keep reading this 5-issue mini.

 Deadpool: The End #1 - Joe Kelly (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Ruth Redmond (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I read this because Joe Kelly wrote it. I like how he writes Deadpool. This one-shot has many endings and Deadpool doesn't die. I didn't know that Wade has a daughter named Ellie.

 Suicide Squad #2 - Tom Taylor (writer) Bruno Redondo (art) Adriano Lucas (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). This book is about trust. Trust between team members, all of whom are super villains. Some of them hate each other. Trust that the Squad does what their overseers want them to do. All that trust leaves plenty of room for plot twists and I love that. The team goes on a mission to free a politician and one team member is left out of the loop. This issue was a lot of fun.

 Hawkeye: Freefall #2 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). There's a Spider-Man cameo here that makes me think Matthew Rosenberg would be a good fit for Amazing. He does snappy banter well. The shocking twist at the end means I have to keep reading this series. I would anyways because I'm having fun too.

 Thor #2 - Donny Cates (writer) Nic Klein (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). In order to save the universe, Thor must be Galactus's herald and guide him to worlds that he can feed on. Donny Cates proves he's a worthy writer this issue as Thor and Galactus fight over an inhabited planet before Galactus can eat. The planet eater must have five meals before he's strong enough to stop the coming universal catastrophe. Thor just wants to save any sentient beings before Galactus chows down. The surprise appearance of a friend to Thor and a foe to Galactus has me anticipating the next issue with relish and hot sauce.

 X-Men #5 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) R.B. Silva (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Cyclops sends three mutants on a mission into enemy territory and one of them is X-23. I know it's futile but I really hope they change her and Logan's costumes. I hate the pointy flaps on their head gear. The spies are going into The Vault which seems to have appeared out of the blue. I don't remember any reference to this place before. There's a big twist in The Vault as time moves differently there. By the end of this issue X-23, Darwin and Synch have been inside for three months and five days or five hundred and thirty-seven years Vault Time. I don't think they're coming out alive.

 Conan the Barbarian #12 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). The Life and Death of Conan concludes. Does the King of Aquilonia die? Does the evil god Razazel walk the earth again? Read this to find out. I was happy with how this story ended.