I'm trying something slightly different, this week, for my "pick list." Following my instincs about what I actually felt like talking about, I wrote EIGHT different discussions on comics from this week. Granted, two are stories from the same anthology issue, but still. They all deserved to be discussed, for some reason or another, so check them out, plus a final paragraph on some more general thoughts I had, post-reading this week:
Future State Aquaman #1 We Only Find Them When They're Dead #5 Excalibur #17--Kwannon and Betsy! Captain Marvel #25 Batman: Black and White #2 King/Gerads A story Batman: Black and White #2 Campbell B story The Eighth Immortal #1 Stake #1 Final Thoughts for the Week Don't forget to check out my podcast, Sensational She Geek Live from Yancy Street! The first two episodes are already up! Here's the link for Apple Podcasts, and here it is for the hosting site. Let me know what you think! Continue Reading for the whole blog post!
FS Aquaman #1
I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, going in to this issue. I had kind of figured that it would be Jackson Hyde and Andy Curry at a younger age, and then the second issue would be them later in life. It seems I miscalculated those predictions. The issue doesn't actually have that much Andy Curry, but what it does show is her is truly impressive. A young teenaged Andy is on a boat with Jackson's Aquaman when there is an accident and they end up in the water together. Jackson rushes to her side, calling out for Aqua-Lass. When she come to, the first thing she does is tell him off, demanding to be called AquaWOMAN, or nothing. The argument quickly gets heated, with Andy telling Jackson her father made the wrong choice of giving him the title Aquaman, and he'll never be as good as him. Anyone with slight psychology knowledge can identify this as Andy being hurt that A) her father left her on the surface with a new, in her eyes wannabe version of him instead, and b) she needed his help, and doesn't want to admit it, because she wants to prove how mature she is. Y'know. Standard kid stuff. It even goes as far as to let Andy accidentally reveal her powers to Jackson, who doesn't understand why she hid them in the first place. Andy hid her powers because she was ashamed of them. While her father communicates with aquatic life, she feels like her version is more demanding, instead of asking, like she controls them rather than works with them. Because of that, she was ashamed. But the story changes rapidly when Andy and Jackson accidentally swim into the Conflux! The Conflux is the ocean of space, so to say, that connects the oceans of all planets and all realities. So, it's some cool weird space shit. The sea and land dwellers find themselves in this magical, interconnected realm of water, able to go anywhere. But they didn't know the Conflux is protected, and before long, they're under attack from a giant sea monster. It doesn't go well. Andy seems to have a second power set, something like turning water into blades. She reacts wildly with those powers here, panicked, knowing she's about to die. She slices at the creature's tentacles, cutting off her own leg in the process. Damn, that got dark, fast. Jackson ends up on a water planet's prison, Andy ends up...just gone. It's from that prison that Jackson retells this tale, for one of the planetary rulers. He's been there for an unknown amount of time, but long enough for his beard to grow out and his hair to get slightly longer. All that time, alone on this planet, believing Andy to be dead--that he couldn't protect her, like he promised Arthur. But he's finally telling his story, now, because something changed. Earlier in the day, he tried to escape, and was greeted with a mystery that lifted his spirits and brought on this recall of how he got there. As he talks, he tells of himself, of his strength. ALl the time he's been there, he says, he's shown them the exact power level he wanted them to see, and their defenses towards him are based on those levels. But he's been playing weak. Now, he busts out of his chains, and we see what it was that made him so determined: a message written in bio-luminescent sea creatures, deep underwater: AquaWoman Lives. Andy is alive, out there, somewhere, and she's coming to save him. I don't feel like I've done a very good job of capturing the emotion of this issue, so please read it yourself. It left me with questions as well as character depth. What is the deal with Andy's powers? How does she get her leg back? How has she survived all this time, alone? Whatever these answers may be, one thing is certain: you don't mess with Andy Curry and Jackson Hyde.
We Only Find Them When They're Dead #5
At last, we're getting somewhere! This issue's run-down will be brief, but trust me--it's cool. Through the first four issues, we've been given teases of the complicated relationship Captain Malik has with the local law, Paula. Now, we see it play out, as it did back in the day. Paula was in love with his brother and they were getting married. Malik's family were at their wit's end with the new push for legality in their harvesting jobs, and are truly desperate for a win, illegally. Thinking it'll grant them some protection, they switch out Malik for his brother, knowing Paula will be on duty that day. When the time comes, they're right, and she does hesitate long enough for them to get away. But not before their ship is destroyed, and all crew killed, by mismanagement of the wheel. Of course, Paula blames Malik for the death of her future husband, still. Where we left them, Malik and Paula, in the modern timeline, are standing on the now-dead body of a god. They hash out their crap, but at the end of the talk, Paula gets solemn, as if she knew the tiny asteroid was about to belt through her brain, instantly killing her. The crew is ultimately stranded. Malik, frustrated about the events of the pat 3 issues, takes off on his own. As he pulls off into the blackness of space, the bells begin to toll, signaling one of the dead gods' arrivals. But Malik is further out than anyone has ever been, and this time, when the bells finish their tolls, he doesn't just see a dead god. He see's a row of living ones, sending their dead companion into space. Whaaaaaaat? This is getting super cool. But let's get real, for a second. WOFTWTD is a lot like the recent Godzilla and Kong movies. You aren't in it for the plot, you're in it for the crazy monster scenes. The same goes here. While the plot of Malik and his crew is interesting enough, it's not what keeps me coming back for me: this crazy god shit is. And then, as an epilogue to the issue, we catch up with some other autopsy ships, back where they're meant to wait for the arrival of a dead god to harvest. They chatter among themselves, noting that it's been a while since the bell tolls have granted them anything to harvest. We can assume that's Captain Malik's fault. This time, when the bells toll, they're greeted by a very much alive, VERY angry god. Daaamn. That's what I'm talking about. Give me more of this weirdness. WOFTWTD is going on a bit of a hiatus, it would seem, between chapter five and the next "book", as they call it. I'm certainly hoping it starts back up sooner than later, and we pick up at least at this same level of awesome monster stuff.
Kwannon/Betsy in Excalibur
Something that plagued comics for far too long was the idea of body-swapping. Polaris, Peter Parker, and Sif have all had other characters live in their bodies for a time, among others. But the most well-known body-swap, of course, of between Kwannon and Betsy Braddock; Revanche and Psylocke. It's honestly far too convoluted for me to try explaining here, but the important facts are that the two of them have spent decades going back forth between bodies and consciousnesses in charge. It's been teased over and over that now that the two of them are finally in their own bodies, there will be a reckoning. Betsy ultimately possessed Kwannon for years, making her a passenger to her own life. Already we've seen at least one interaction between the two, where Kwannon warned Betsy to not come anywhere near her. Clearly, the bad blood did not wash away with Krakoan rebirth. This issue had Betsy Braddock in another world, where she is not only a mutant but the Queen of England, and her country is basically what 616 Krakoa is for mutants. Our Betsy needs to get to the Lighthouse, a place she believes connects directly to Otherworld and will therefore get her home. What's funny, though, is the agent tasked to sneak into their version of the Lighthouse turns out to be this world's Kwannon. Against the wishes of the true Queen, the two get to talking, and Betsy learns that this world's Kwannon didn't ever go through those tragedies of body-swapping. It's an interesting interaction, a tease for more to come between the 616 versions of the characters, and, in my opinion, a tease of more drama to come in this realm. I theorize that the Kwannon of this Utopian England will in fact end up possessed by Queen Betsy, due to some dire circumstances, and our Betsy will have to solve it. But a theory is just that, and what we know here is that a confrontation between Betsy and Kwannon is coming, and hopefully soon.
Captain Marvel #25
While we're still an issue away from the finale of this story arc, I wanted to check in and go over my theories and what I think we should expect going forward. Let's do this. What we know: Carol is in a version of her own future. Jessica Drew's Spider-Woman is in her sixties, it looks like, and the timeline is about 35 years forward. She's met the adult children of her fellow heroes and anti-heroes, including the daughter of her boyfriend, Rhodey, and--not her as the mother. Bad-guy Ove is the son of Namor and Enchantress (thank you, Adi Granov variant to issue 22), Thor has a daughter with an unnamed mother, and several other key characters like Black Widow and Kwannon also have their kids there, though most the heroes are dead. Magik is held captive by Ove, as are many others, and she's being used by him to conquer what's left of the land. What we don't know: Is this really Carol's future, or some alternate reality? I imagine this we won't find out for sure until Carol figures out just HOW she got here, but my guess would be it sent here here because of events of Captain Marvel: The End. We also don't know the mother of Rhodes, James' daughter, although the obvious guess is Kate Pryde, due to Rhodes' phasing powers and Kate's death during the World Wars. We don't know why Emma couldn't get out of her diamond form without dying, but it appears she maybe sacrificed herself for the group, collapsing as soon as she used her powers to free Luke Cage from Enchantress' magic. And finally, we don't know the mother of Brigid, Thor's daughter. We have to assume she is also the mother of at least one of Thor's granddaughters, who come into play during King Thor, even further into the future. There are obvious choices like Jane Foster or Brunnhilde's Valkyrie, but my theory is a little weirder--I think Carol is Brigid's mother, which is why is specifically has yet to be brought up. When we learned Rhodes's mother isn't Carol, she spends time mulling it over, not just because it signifies the upcoming end to their relationship. But we were sort of pushed past the chance to ask that question when it comes to Brigid, which makes me think writer Kelly Thompson has one last trick up her sleeve before she sends Carol home. What to expect going forward: aside from the official reveals of key character parentage, we can certainly expect a few things for sure going forward, especially based off future solicitations. When Carol gets back to Earth, she breaks up with Rhodey. We have to assume that she does this in a form a self-fulfilling prophecy, likely using some excuse like how she knows there's more happiness waiting for him with another woman. But, it could also be argues that she does this because she knows her own future lies with another, or even just elsewhere, if we're talking space stuff. We also know that even though Carol gets back to her own time, she doesn't stop Ove. What we have to assume THIS means, is while she escapes that time, she doesn't fully end Ove's reign of terror. When we last saw Carol, she had just been blasted by Brigid's lightning, powering her up to the point of Binary, but in a new costume! I really enjoy the amount of costume variants we're getting through this series. And there's about to be another! But I digress. Apparently Carol as Binary still isn't enough to kill Ove, so she'll start learning magic when she gets back to her home time, which is why she's getting another new suit! There's a lot going on, but there's a lot to be excited for. Also, Captain Marvel is one of two ongoing comic series at Marvel (alongside ASM) that doesn't tie into King in Black, so you can look to this series for a much-needed reprise from wannabe baddass stories. It's a great era to read Captain Marvel, and more is on it's way!
King/Gerads Batman B/W A Story
Do you feel like crying today? Go no further than to read the first story of Batman: Black and White #2, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads. Batman and religion have been touched on through the ages, but never like this. After reading this issue, I feel like I understand King's relationship with religion, and in turn, Bruce Wayne's. The story starts with the fire and collapse of a local cathedral. The rest of the story takes place on the broken interior, where Batman searches for the priest who ran in, hoping to save the lives of the children inside. The priest is caught under some fallen architecture, looking worse for wear, even in Gerads' notoriously scratchy shading. Batman calls for him as he continues to search through worse and worse wreckage. The priest can do nothing but wait, and sing a church hymn to signal the hero where to search. As he looks, Batman gives the priest the cutting news. When he had ran into to collapsing building hoping to save the children inside, the children had already been saved by Batman, who saw the priest run inside, but was too far to hear his calls that they were okay. It twists in your gut as you learn it alongside the ill-fated man, and you can only think, "His sacrifice was for nothing." But his reaction is nothing of the same, only concerned for the children, reiterating and confirming their safety. When he finally gets to the priest, Batman can tell it's too late. He can't get him to help in time, and he can't save him, here. As this reality sets in, and he passes it on the the dying man, Batman falls to the priest's side, removing his cowl in full to wipe away his tears. While we know he has no reason to fear this reveal of his identity from getting out into the public, we can also get the feeling Bruce is doing this as a form of confession. He apologizes, over and over, for not being good enough to save him. The Father silences his apologies, calmly telling the younger man that sometimes, making it to the end isn't what matters--just being there is enough. Shit, I'm tearing up over fucking Batman. Again. Once you can gather your senses after that blow to the feels, you can move on the the pages of thoughtful dialogue and wise deciphering's of the bible. The priest ends his discussion with Bruce with the lesson from that biblical story, something broad enough to apply to most people in some unique way. It really is the kind of thing you have to read to understand, but what struck me more than the retelling of this fable was everything that came before. We always see Batman win, we forget that he doesn't win all the time. We forget, even, that Batman losing doesn't usually mean Bruce Wayne or Batman actually loses much of anything, and someone else will always bear the full force of his failure. Here, we see that play out, no punches pulled. We can also get a decent sense of what Tom King wants us to get by way of Bruce Wayne's idea of religion. We've never seen Batman be a particularly Christian man, not beyond visiting grave sites, haunting church steeples, and making godly judgement on those he considers below him. But he's always respected the Church, and here we see him failing one of their shepherds. In the story that the priest tells Bruce, I think I now understand his respect for what this man stands for. The priest searches for answers in religion, reading bible verses and translating them in a sense beyond literal foreign languages. In a way, while Bruce is a detective of life and death, he sees priests as detectives of the immortal soul.
Sophie Campbell's Batman B/W B Story
This story deserves mentioning due to it's artistic cleverness and just plain cuteness! Sophie Campbell is known for characters like Gem and the Holograms, a perfect fit for the Batman: The Animated Series-style art of this story. The story itself has no real dialogue, just action. Catwoman is on a heist in snowy Gotham. She's almost escaped, when Batman arrives on the scene, spoiling her fun! As she pouts in the snow, she notices a white cat blending in. Getting an idea, she goes to work, sewing and cutting. Now, she's Catwoman: Winter Edition! This time, when she steals her loot and Batman comes searching, he can't see her blending into he snow right in front of him! At the last moment, she pounces, surprising him with a kiss! Okay, it's super simple, but it's super cute. I'd be more than fine with seeing this kind of things more in traditional takes-themselves-too-seriously cape comics.
The Eighth Immortal:
The first thing that struck me about this new indie series is the art. It compares well to the likes of Peach Momoko and to a lesser extent, Sana Takeda, bringing a manga-feel to the story. In fact, it's easily the most manga-adjacent comic book I've ever read. Even still, it remains singular and unique through the light lines and conservative coloring. While the comic isn’t in color or in black-and-white, artist Alice Li Barnes simply lightly highlights her gray-scale inks and watercolors with background tones, accentuating parts of the panels to draw in your eyes, make a character stand out in a crowd, or give dainty details to help the story along. The story itself has strong bones to hold it up, but the writing lacks something. It appears to be one of the first comic projects of writer Jake Murray, so it's possible that has something to do with it. The story is unique and capturing, so I hope he gets into the pace and language more comfortably soon. To be totally honest, what seems to be off, for the most part, is the female character dialogue. We'll see if it improves in the future. When the introductory character runs to a restroom to find she’s gotten her first period, her reaction is juvenile, but doesn’t last long. She’s interrupted by a mysterious woman who’s very presence is lit in red, and who’s green eyes match the lead’s own just-changed ones. Before Denise even has time to react, the woman has swooped in and removed of her the one thing she never knew she had--her immortality. Specifically, the nectar of her internal blossom of eternal flower. The woman is Curipan, and this is her eternal chore. She has done it children across the world for thousands of years. Why? Because there can only be seven immortals, never an eighth. Curipan's husband is an Immortal, too, so they can never be intimate, for fear of birthing another Immortal. He maintains affairs with women above child-birthing age, for the same reason. But Curipan already had, years ago, given birth to their son, who she had lost, no matter how hard she fought for him. But, as this issue reveals, Curipan encounters her long-lost child on a train, as one of the children she needs to make not Immortal. He is gong by a new name, with a new mother, but she is convinced the child is him. SHe is so certain, and so shocked to see him, that she makes a momentous decision NOT to remove his eternal flower nectar, and leaves him to himself on the train. Admittedly, what confused me about Eighth Immortal is the cast. I understand, after reading, that the Immortals themselves will be fairly important recurring characters, but what of Denise? The endearing young girl who kicked off the whole series, I now realize isn't necessarily an integral part of the story going forward. With Curipan having discovered--and let retain his immortality--her own once-lost son, will the story be about the two of them, or does Denise actually have a role in the future? It's entirely possible that Denise was just a device used to star explaining the Immortals and their duty to being seven, but we'll have to wait until issue two to know for sure.
STAKE #1
After doing some post-comic research, it turns out that Stake isn't even really the first iteration of itself. A late-2020 Kickstarter campaign saw the successful publication of Stake Presents: Jessamy; the story of a character we meet very late into issue one of Stake, and her life as an immortal vampire in the 18th century. The single issue comic is only just making it to readers, I think, and makes me question why it was initiated before this one, at all. In any case, the second issue of Stake isn't out until April, apparently, so there's likely plenty of tie to track down a copy of the Jessamy kickstarter. The first issue of Stake was a fun ride, if a somewhat bumpy one. The saving grace, like in Eighth Immortal, is the art--the same artist who did the Jessamy issue. Fantini is somewhere in the realm of Joelle Jones with his inking style--thick and fluid. Since the art is mainly just blacks and whites highlighted with color every so often, it drives the drama and motion of the story more than the plot, at many times, but that is somewhat a blessing. Since the story was told ultimately as a documentary episode, as it's being made, it's hard to say if the odd jumps in story, pace, and shock-reveals are from poor writing, or the main character's admittedly crude character. Which isn't to say she's poorly characterized, but rather that she is, herself, rather crude, and it could explain the somewhat crude and backwards storytelling style. Needless to say, Stake, as she calls herself, isn't likely a reliable narrator. We'll see if the behind-the-scenes documentary style will continue going forward, and how well it ends up working. Other than the art, what works most, and is most intriguing about the series, is the world it's set in. Vampires are real, but they aren't some scourge from Hell, a disease, or anything like that. They're biological, just another step in the world's food chain, one that's being hidden in the shadows, coming out only as ridiculous fictionalized version of film and other pop culture. The Vampires, as a collected community, "came out" some years ago, and the world will never be the same. As we follow Stake through the story, we see that the effect of Vampires being open and public has caused some serious problems. As Stake experiences (on purpose), their influence even goes into emergency services, as we see two Vampires EMTs fully ready to drain her. But Jessamy bursts in to save the day, thankfully, so Stake can live to stake another day. There is a fair amount of confusion to back the plot, like how long has Stake been doing this? Why hasn't anyone stopped her? How does she have such a large following, assuming she's relatively new to this? Stake, as a comic book, has a lot of potential, and I'm excited and curious to see where this creative team takes the story from here.
FINAL Thoughts:
What's interesting about the two new Indie books I read this week is their stark similarities. Both one-person art teams doing a black and white comic with very particular placement of color--eyes, light, blood, etc. But where Eighth Immortal tends to have a light dusting of watercolor, the colored inks of Stake are more bold and thicker. It'll be interesting reading both these comics going forward which are done in completely different takes of the same style. For Future State, the more I enjoy it, the more I am disappointed by it. It is constantly getting clearer that DC meant what we have as Future State to be their "5G" reboot, which was decided to be this...smaller event. What we end up with, then, is all these fantastic new and updated characters, but only a smidge of each of them, when we could have had so much more. For issues like Wonder Woman and this week's Aquaman, I can't help but notice the amount of world-building that went into their stories, making it obvious that there was originally gong to be MUCH more to their stories, for a lot longer of time. Only the real future will tell if DC catches on to the successes of their new characters, and starts bringing them in as full-time ones.
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