Folks, this has week has been a bit of a bummer--even aside from things that hit the national news.
In the comics world, DC announced the cancellation of 3 formerly ongoing series': Batgirl, Batman & the Outsiders, and Justice League: Odyssey. You may note right away that none of these were included in my last pull lists, and you'd be correct. I'm about 3 issues behind on JLO, and to be honest, only recently learned author Cecil Castellucci (of one of my all-time favorite mini-series, Female Furies) was writing Batgirl. But I only just started B&tO in volume form with the hopes to catch up, and love how Brian Edward Hill used a Batman series to promote some often forgotten but ultimately very meaningful characters. While weak excuses were offered as to the cancellation reasons, I (and more than a few comics blog sites) find them all to be just that: excuses. Additionally, Marvel announced the abrupt cancellation of one of my top-5 current ongoing books, Strikeforce. I wrote just last week that Strikeforce is one of the best books at Marvel, and after reading last week's Empyre and Avengers, I can easily say it's the best team they have. The excuse offered by Marvel was basically some fudged timing, which has been worked around in the past for other books. In the light of these cancellations, I will be adding the last of these 3 series' to my pull lists, regardless if I catch up in time. They each represented a marginalized sector of the comics industry, if not multiple, and their cancellations feel like major leaps backwards in comics progression. What #ComicsPledge? Anyway, there are still comics to read, so Continue Reading to see what IS coming out this week!
Spotlight on POC:
Latin American and Asian artists have a long history of upsetting the norm and driving the industry forward. A historical example almost every comic reader knows is Puerto Rican George Perez, of DC; Filipino artist Leinil Francis Yu has been making amazingly detailed pages and covers at Marvel in recent years. But I want to talk today about Sana Takeda, a Japanese comic and children's book artist. Takeda is currently the shining star of Image's Monstress series, but has worked in the past on Ms Marvel (the Carol years), X-23, and various other Marvel projects. Her style can be described as manga adjacent, which is totally different from most professional comics art we see in the West, which I find really refreshing. Even then, her art style is still so incredibly unique and stylized, you could never mix her up with another artist. She tends to use high contrast, vivid coloring in her work for Marvel, but has a much more subdued palette of dull golds, pale blues, and grey-browns for Monstress. It's mind boggling, frankly, to think of the work she must have put in to come up with the individual character designs and visual themes for Monstress, and its one of the most incredible stories I've ever had the pleasure of reading, in every way. I highly encourage you to check out Sana Takeda's work, especially if you're a fan of Marvel and Manga.
Spotlight on LGBTQ+:
I admit, it doesn't feel like my place to go about Googling, "what comics writers are queer?" Simply because for many people, it;s not any of the public's business. Due to this, I'll often be focusing here on comics that deal with LGBTQ+ topics. This week, we have a great example with Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling #1. Much of Empyre revolves around the newly united Kree and Skrull Empires under half Kree, half Skrull Dorrek VIII. Dorrek spent most his life on Earth as Teddy/Hulkling of the Young Avengers, so you can see how this might get complicated. Especially since Teddy is engaged to Wiccan, the alternate universe son of Scarlet Witch. For a long time, Hulkling and Wiccan felt like the "flagship gays" of the Marvel universe. There have been additions and broadening since then, but there's an entire era of the 2000's where these two were pretty much it. And now, Teddy is practically leading his own event, and literally leading two formerly warring races in a bid for peace. But back on Earth is Wiccan, and their relationship is going to have to be addressed at some point. On a similar note, allowing a gay character to have growth and development outside of their sexuality is also fairly new in comics. Being gay or lesbian was once the defining characteristics of any hero who was labelled as such (see: several cringe-worthy issues of mid 2000's X-Men and how they treated gay women on the team), and here we have a gay man who's sexuality--while integral to him personally-- is irrelevant to him being key to the story. I'm looking forward to seeing how Chip Zdarsky writes this alongside Anthony Oliveira and Alex Paknadel.
Spotlight on Women in Comics:
In 2019, Cecil Castellucci wrote a series alongside artist Adriana Melo called Female Furies. For many reasons, this series struck me and stays with me, always. You can read a little bit about it here. And so you can see why I feel so dumb for not knowing Castellucci was the current writer on Batgirl! And I LOVE Barbara Gordon. She gets a lot of shit from male readers, but she's like many of us women reading comics--trying to make her mark in man's industry. With that said, It's been a long time since I read Batgirl regularly. Back mid-New 52 at DC Comics, Batgirl was given to writer Cameron Stewart. They made national news when they redesigned Batgirl's outfit, and de-aged her to be in high school again. It was a great move to bring in new female readers, as well as younger female readers. Due to the de-aging of the character, however, I found I couldn't connect with the series. Fast forward to just a few months ago, and the very same Cameron Stewart has been outed as having attempted to "groom" multiple teenage girls for relationships. Meaning, he would find underage fans, start an online relationship, and do everything he could to make it romantic. You can find more information on him, and other male comic industry abusers, here. Knowing this, it's sickening to think back on how Stewart was the writer who de-aged Barbara in the first place. These days, Batgirl has been subtly and gratefully brought back up to being a more appropriate age for running with the rest of the Bat-Family. We can also thank Sean Gordon Murphy for a brilliant new design for her crime fighting look! If Barbara is being handled by Castellucci, I'm sure she's been doing the series more than justice. This week's issue in particular promises to be the justice for Batgirl we've always wanted, so be sure not to miss out!
Decorum #3
Decorum is another project by Marvel's Head of X, Johnathon Hickman. At Marvel, he's known for taking teams with confuddled history and giving them an era of greatness. For his independent projects such as this, however, he's much less constrained, so his "mad-genius" is able to shine even brighter. Decorum has been intentionally slow, with minimal explanation, regardless of the "white pages" full of world-building memos and imagery. The story takes place in two settings: the main story, where we follow an expert and well mannered space-assassin on her jobs; and the second story, which is much more visuals and symbology driven, and takes place at an as-yet unknown time in space. The two stories are connected, no doubt, but it will surely be some time before we can see that connection for ourselves. This is how Hickman tends to write: giving you the answers before you know how to speak the language they're written in. So to say. Artist Mike Huddleston consistently blows my mind with the dueling styles of art. One more clear and grounded, for the assassin's story, and more geometric and up for interpretation, for the second. Decorum is set to be an 8-issue series, so I highly recommend getting on board!
Empyre: Avengers #1
The first of at least 3 Avengers tie-in books, this will be focusing on the Avengers team members helping the Agents of Wakanda in the Savage Land. As I understand it, though, it won't be our regular team of Avengers from their Avengers book. This team will be comprised of former and current Avengers members, many of which we haven't encountered in the comics of late, and especially not on a team together. The Avengers team has been really incredibly NOT useful in Empyre so far, so let's hope these guys turn it around here and can actually do some good. ICYMI, Empyre #1 ended with a seemingly peaceful race of plant-people on the moon turning violent and using plant life as weapons. Knowing this, we can assume one of their targets is the Savage Land--a plant lover's paradise in the middle of the Arctic. It would make sense that they'd try and takeover there first, where they would have control of the entire environment.
Empyre: X-Men #1
To reiterate, the Avengers team did a whoopsies and now plant people from the moon are controlling all the flora in the sector with bad intentions. Who do we know who lives around a lot of plant life that may find this problematic? Johnathon Hickman and Tini Howard write this X-Men Empyre event tie-in, the first full event for the X-Men since ensuring their new status-quo on Krakoa. Speaking of Krakoa, the island is supposed to be sentient, so how will that affect the invading species' control? The solicitation for this book makes it look like we're headed back to Genosha, the last attempt at a mutant paradise, before millions of it's inhabitants were killed and the Island was a abandoned. It looks like somehow, the dead mutants are rising from their shallow graves to hunt humans! So, this is a war on two fronts. Illyana Rasputin leads the team as a Krakoan War Captain, which is enough alone to get me to read the book. This will be 4 plus-sized issues, with changing creative teams on each one, so make sure to pick up them all!
Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling #1
The new Emperor Hulkling is the son of Kree Captain Mar-Vell and Skrull Princess Anelle. Though he's been a character at Marvel for some time, this will really be the first time we get to see in-depth into his history, and what happened to enable him to live. Teddy from the Young Avengers becoming the Emperor of the Kree/Skrull alliance is a little surprising, to say the least. He has ties from his entire life on Earth, including friends, team mates, and his fiance, Wiccan. In choosing to become Emperor, he willingly pushed those ties away. On the one had, I can totally see why someone raised as a young hero would do such a thing. Here we have two species of alien who have warred needlessly and endlessly against one another for generations, and for whatever reason, he is given the opportunity to use himself as a symbol to unite them for good. Anyone can see how that would be the correct choice for a hero, but what is the true cost to Teddy? And how did he wind up in the position to stop the feud, after spending his whole life on Earth? These are all valid questions. This one-shot is written by Chip Zdarsky, Anthony Oliveira and Alex Paknadel. While I'm fairly unfamiliar with the second and third names on that list, I know and have confidence in Zdarsky's ability to show a reader sides of a scenario that never would have occurred to them otherwise.
Empyre #2
One more time for the poeple in the back: the Avengers messed up big time and allowed Earth and the neighboring Kree/Skrull army to be attacked by nefarious plant-people who control all plant life. The first issue of the event ended in the team realizing just how much they messed up, while the incoming army began to attack. We're left with three Avengers team members on the moon, and the Fantastic Four stranded in moon-space on Kree/Skrull warships. Everyone is under attack, including Earth. While the FF and the remaining Avengers do what they can to survive in their respective situations, Carol Danvers is left to save the day, I won't lie, this concerns me as much as it excites me. It's not news that I'm a big Captain Marvel fan, and it's also not news that she hasn't been given justice properly in too long. In fact, in the prelude to Empyre, Al Ewing write Carol to have the same exact personality as Tony Stark. Anyone who's ever read either of those character's gets why that's wrong. They have similarities, including stubbornness, but they are in no way similar people. Al Ewing is again writing this issue, so my concern is he will leave us with yet another shitty rendition of Carol Danvers (looking at you, Brian Michael Bendis). Maybe that's just what happens when Marvel spreads their writers too thin. With all concerns aside, I truly am looking forward to this issue. It's been a while since we've seen all the super-teams interacting, which is always a hoot. Marvel did do a fantastic job on keeping the true nature of this event a secret until the first main issue, so I'm hoping more pleasant surprises are on the way in #2.
Hellions #2
The basic plot of Hellions, for those who missed it's premier issue, is that these are the mutants who continue to struggle to integrate themselves into Krakoan mutant society safely. An intriguing theory in the mutant community is that no mutant is born evil, they just have to learn control of their mutant abilities for the good of others. Krakoa being a second chance at a permanent and safe home for all mutants (okay, the um-teenth chance), it makes sense their new government believes strongly in the power of second chances and putting faith in someone. The Hellions team has been given to none other than Mister Sinister to take charge of them. Sinister's position in the mutant community has changed drastically in their new world, which is both entertaining and clearly problematic. Now it loos like they are going to be more like Sinister's private clean up party, fixing his messes where he leaves them. And, it's been hinted one of those messes is none other than Madelyne Pryor, the Goblin Queen! And I. Love. Maddie. I've read every issue of her as the Goblin Queen (alright, not that difficult), and collect custom art prints of her. Few women have been so misused, refrigerated, and tossed away, and all I want is for her to GET HERS. Whether she's swinging in to disrupt their plans or they're swinging in to disrupt hers, I can't wait to read this issue and find out how Zeb Wells is bringing my favorite red-head back into the X-Men universe!
Wolverine #3
Benjamin Percy is quickly becoming one of my favorite dark-and-gritty writers at Marvel. He's writing Wolverine as well as X-Force, and gets the voices, drives, and relationships of Wolverine and his team mates far better than the average writer. He also gave us one of the most satisfying PG-ish sex scenes a comic can give--and for Logan, no less, so mad respect. This story is following Wolverine as he tracks down the perpetrators behind illegal shipments of Krakoan flowers as drugs. And it's no holes barred: we get all of Logan's dark history straight to the face, mixed with the ever-present need to defend and get ahead of the enemies of Krakoa. Blob and Juggernaut guest star in this issue, along with Magneto and the somehow ever-present Kid Omega. Blood, guts, and gore to be certain in this issue!
X-Men/Fantastic Four #4
The series finale! Another Chip Zdarsky lead project, this book has been everything it promised to be. With the Dodsons on interior art and main covers, Mark Brooks on connecting variant covers, and a story focusing on the loyalties of Franklin Richard to both the Fantastic Four and mutantkind, there was no need for further information for me to buy this. We've seen the X-Men confront the FF about Franklin's mutation, his parents' very defensive reaction, Franklin and Valeria attempting to run away to Krakoa, and instead find themselves on Doctor Doom's island. It remains to be seen if Doom actually has good intentions for the youngest Richarads', or if they're being used in another one of his plots. Don't forget, Zdarsky spoke out about the ending, and how it might rub some people the wrong way. I can't help myself from guessing what that means--will the Richards children abandon their family? Will Reed be found guilty of what his son has accused him of? Will Franklin's mutant powers continue to wane until he is as human as the rest of us? Whatever the case may be, I'm looking forward to finding out this Wednesday!
New Mutants #11
This has been my favorite of the ongoing Dawn of X books so far, although this has been it's most dull plotline yet. Johnathon Hickman takes turns writing with Ed Brisson, who is at the helm again with this issue. We last saw the New Mutants in an anti-mutant country, trying to help an out of control mutant child. It's honestly a complete mess of diplomacy and legal verbiage, but that's for someone else to deal with, right? Previously, Armor tried to use her mutant armor to protect her as she approached the child, but was still caught in her power trap. It'll be up to someone else to save the team, I suppose.
Red Sonja #17
So far in Red Sonja, we've seen the she-devil with a sword start a revolution, win a war, become Queen of Hyrkania, and most recently, abdicate her throne for the survival of her people. Sonja is now the War General of Khitai, planning battles and prepping armies for a megalomaniac king. Fortunately, a familiar face from her past has arrived and seems to be sticking to her side, so we don't have too much to worry about her safety, at least. Sonja has learned a lot about Khitai in the short time she's been back, and can't ignore the fact that she's about to lead an army of teenagers and children into battle. If I know anything about Sonja, I know that isn't something she's going to let happen. This issue is promising chaos in the capital as Sonja the Red makes her decision and allegiances known. This series has been a lot of fun to follow along with, and has gotten progressively better. I'm hoping they keep it going for a good while longer, as they seem to have a great team who are all on top of it.
Daredevil #21
ANOTHER Chip Zdarsky book! What can I say, I like how the guy tells a story. We just finished seeing the destruction of Hell's Kitchen at the behest of the Stromwyn siblings, and Daredevil teaming up with the local color to stop the attacks. As normalcy returns to the Kitchen, Matt Murdock is about to find another old enemy lying in wait. We already know Typhoid Mary has awoken, which could be part of the problem. It looks as if Matt is putting the red suit back on and crime-fighting as Daredevil again, but his morality and sense of justice still aren't calmed. I love how beautifully Zdarsky writes Matt Murdock. He understands the integral parts of the character--religion, guilt, upbringing, moral guidelines, attractions, and friendships. He seems to get all the different facets of what makes Matt Murdock a hero to the reader, and is playing those against each other like a harp. The harmony of Matt's struggle to find peace with his guilt while still doing good as a vigilante, a balance he has yet to work out. I suppose it is just a metaphor for ourselves and our daily struggles with right and wrong, good and evil. I've read a good amount of Daredevil comics in the past, but this is far and beyond my favorite Daredevil series. I can't recommend it enough.
Monstress #27
If you're reading this, it means I broke. By which I mean, I broke and purchased the last arc of Monstress in single issues. Since the first volume came out, I've been keeping up with this game-changing series just by reading the collected editions each year or so. But when I found out the series is finishing with issue #30, and my local comic shop just happened to have all the issues since volume four ended, well. It was too perfect, and I don't regret it one bit. Still buying the collected edition later this year, for sure! Since this is my first time posting about Monstress in my weekly pulls, how do I describe what has happened so far? Monstress takes place in a matriarchal fantasy world, where three main types of being/species exist, all at odds with one another. It starts when their world is in flux, post-war. Intense fantasy world-building, powerful themes, exploration of trauma and survival stories, all on the backdrop of Sana Takeda's gorgeous manga inspired art. At this point in the story, things have just about climaxed. Maika is soon to discover a major betrayal in her life, just as we are finally going to discover what truly happened at Constantine that day that ended the war.
Batgirl #47
As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I am not currently reading the Batgirl series. There were some events that conspired that left a sour taste in my mouth, and I was so against trying again for too long that I missed out on the brilliant Cecil Castellucci's run. It goes without saying I'll be buying her issues on volume as soon as they come out. This Batgirl issue isn't just special because it's one of her last issues, it's special because it addresses the longtime favorite Batman story, The Killing Joke, in which the Joker shoots, paralyzes, and brutalizes Barbara Gordon. Having read the story myself, it isn't made totally clear, but it can be easily assumed the Joker raped her as well. This attack left Barbara paralyzed from the waist down, with some PTSD, but still wanted to be a hero. Using her computer and tech skills, Babs re-titles herself as Oracle, and runs the all-woman Birds of Prey team from her wheelchair. It's a phenomenal comeback story, and a big part of why I like the character of Barbara Gordon so much. A couple years ago, DC decided to put Babs back into the fight, and wrote up a simple technological fix for her spine so she can fly through Gotham once again. While this was taken mostly as a positive change, many believed this was DC writing off disabled peoples as a whole, which I can understand. Even more recently, after the tragedy that was Cameron Stewart at the helm of her book, Barbara had an incident with another villain that caused her spinal implant to short out, and left her temporarily paralyzed again. This story was done in an attempt to show growth in Barbara from point A to point B, and if I recall, was paired with a fairly inconsiderate cover. The cover was pulled, apologies were made, but Barbara Gordon has yet to be allowed closure on her life's biggest trauma. This week's issue boasts the Joker "having a conversation" with Barbara, and Castellucci promises Babs finally gets her closure. I trust Cecil Castellucci with with this story. She had similar themes of violence against women in Female Furies, a striking comic. I'm looking forward to seeing Batgirl on the other side. Go forth, and get sweaty about stupid nerdy shit!
Someday when I feel like crying, I'll make a post about the legend who coined the term "sweaty" in this context. Until then, you can just Google, "John Schnepp".
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