Four-Color Coverage

Thursday – 05 January 2017
Happy New Year and Happy Day-After-New Comic Book Day!

As yesterday was the first new comic book day of 2017, I went to my local comic book shop and came home with new things to read. This week, I picked up:

• Champions #4  (DC)
• Cyborg #8 (DC)
• Green Lantern #14 (DC)
• Hawkeye #2 (Marvel)
• Justice League #14 (DC)
• Nightwing #12 (DC)
• Scarlet Witch #14 (Marvel)
• Shade: The Changing Girl #4 (DC: Young Animal)
• Superman #14 (DC)
• The Unstoppable Wasp #1 (Marvel)
• The Unworthy Thor #3 (of 5) (Marvel)
• The Wicked + The Divine #25 (Image)

In all, it was kind of a mixed week for my books – some good, some kind of meh, and a couple of extraordinarily fun reads. My favorite reads were:

• Cyborg #8
  I’ve been a bit lukewarm about Cyborg after David Walker’s departure. But, there was something about John Semper, Jr.’s writing that drew me into this issue. Perhaps it was seeing Cyborg “intervene” in an instance of police brutality. Perhaps it was watching the interaction between Cyborg and Exxy Clark. Perhaps it was that the Cyborg we had been reading about for most of the issue wasn’t Cyborg. I’m not sure exactly what the special sauce was, but I not only enjoyed the read, it made me laugh at points.
  
• Champions #4
  A portion of this issue dealt with the literal fallout from Issue #3. And a fight with Atlanteans. And the question of leadership. And, a very quick and well-handled discussion about mutant-Inhuman relations. From the pacing to the dialogue to the artwork, I think that this is one of the freshest – and most fun – books in Marvel’s stable these days.
  
• Hawkeye #2
  Kate Bishop. Superhero. P.I. (kind of, sort of). This issue picks up right after the end of Issue #1, with Kate taking a perp from her first case to the police station. She then stops a back-alley assault – there’s a kinetic feel to the two-page spread showing how the action plays out, as well as a bit of the aftermath. That scene also includes the following bit of dialogue:

  Kate (aiming bow with nocked arrow at a mostly off-panel figure): Touch some sky, pal.
  Guy: Whoa whoa whoa. I am not with these dudes.
  Kate: Okay, then you should probably mosey on out of here, cowboy. I don’t need help.
  Guy: I buy that. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen anyone that needs help less than you in this moment.

  Our intrepid Hawkeye even has a run-in with a cultish mob. I have to admit that I didn’t see that coming, as I was reading. I look forward to seeing how it resolves.
  
  

• The Wicked + The Divine #25
  Gillen and McKelvie continue to knock it out of the park with this book. Where to start…? Persephone is on the warpath, Woden is in her sights, and it looks like Cassandra of The Norns has been cast in the unlikely role of Persephone’s Jiminy Cricket. Readers – and Woden – are treated to an interesting look at some of Persephone’s power set – more than just *KLLK*-ing someone’s head to explode, that is – and are rewarded with this:

  Woden: Listen. We’re the clever, practical two. Baal is practical. Minerva is clever. We’re both. Who else is going to work out what’s going on? Sakhmet? Dionysus? I think Amaterasu only wears sandals so much because she has trouble with shoelaces…
  Persephone: And I am…?
  Woden: You’re the wild card Dark Arts professor who scares the shit out of Slytherin kids like me. I still have no idea how you do half the things you do.
  Cassandra: Me neither. You’re the only god who’s ever affected me. Why? You projected a performance through Owly…
  Woden: She did? That’s impossible.
  Cassandra: And… you said something happened after Lucifer died. What was that?
  Persephone: Nothing important.
  Cassandra: See! That’s the kind of enigmatic wankery we haven’t got time for when we’re all going to be dead in two years!

  And the closing pages with Baal, Minerva, and… Sakhmet (?) were a curious look at a little “family” and how they were dealing with revelations about Ananke.
  
  

• Green Lanterns #14
  There’s a GL book on my list. Amazing surprise. But, this issue wrapped up a storyline that had an interesting premise: What if one ring could harness the entire emotional spectrum? (And, as much as I hate to admit it: I just made the “One ring to rule them all” connection. Yep, Slow on the Uptake Guy, that’s me!) While I found the character who found that ring a bit tedious, I liked the concept. What I enjoyed even more was a breakthrough for rookie GL Jessica Cruz. She has a lot of potential and want to see her live up to it. It was also nice to see other members of the Corps show up… and the reactions of Jessica and Simon’s to who it was that dropped in. Sam Humphries also left a nice little surprise to be unraveled at the story’s end.
  
• The Unstoppable Wasp #1
  When talking about Champions earlier, I said that it was one of the freshest and most fun books coming out of Marvel these days. This book is another. Let me first start by saying that I’ve been reading – and thoroughly enjoying – Jeremy Whitley‘s PrinceLess titles for the past few years. (As the father of twin girls, I love the concept of a princess who didn’t need a prince to rescue her. If you haven’t read PrinceLess or PrinceLess: Raven – The Pirate Princess, do so!) When it was announced that he and Elsa Charretier – and Megan Wilson – would be doing this book, I was intrigued. And then came the wait.The wait is over……and I’m happy to say that Whitley’s Nadia Pym is an absolute delight! And Ms. Charretier’s artwork is a perfect pairing with the writing.  Nadia is unstoppable. (Just ask Ms. Marvel and Mockingbird!) She has an irrepressible spirit and drive that is a refreshing change from so much of the angst associated with so many heroes these days. And she has no pretense, just a passion to help and to do good. Oh, and she’s loves science. A lot. She’s also a total fangirl, as evidenced in this post-battle conversation with Mockingbird and Ms. Marvel:

  Nadia: You worked on one of my father’s projects? I’ve researched them all. I don’t remember a Bobbi.
  Mockingbird: “Bobbi” is short for Barbara. Barbara Morse.
  Nadia (realization dawning ): Biologist Barbara Morse? Like, “Project: Gladiator” Barbara Morse? Like, almost succesfully reproduced the Super-Soldier serum Barbara Morse?
  Mockingbird (somewhat astonished): Those are not usually the things people remember about me.
  Nadia: Like, lady adventurer scientist in the Savage Land and hanging out with Man-Thing in the Everglades Barbara Morse?
  Mockingbird: That is… weird that you know all of that.
  Nadia: You are my hero! I read your research on the super-soldier serum and you talked about all the traveling and the Savage Land and I thought– I thought “This is who I want to be when I grow up!” A woman who’s a super scientist but doesn’t stay in the lab all day. She has adventures! (reaches over and hugs Mockingbird) You inspire me.
  Mockingbird: Okay… that… that’s a lot right there, and I just… you know, I’ve worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. for a long time… and I… I don’t know that anybody has ever said that I inspire them, and… and it’s totally cool for a super hero to just cry in public… people don’t remember that I’m a scientist. They just remember that I used to be married to Hawkeye¹ and I hit things with sticks. So that means a lot. Come here, kid. It’s been a rough couple of months for me. Can I have another one of those hugs?
  Nadia: Heck yes!

  See, unabashed science-loving fangirl. And superhero. And, from the look of the last page, ready to take on the world.

  If there is one book that I’d recommend reading from this week’s new titles, this is it. Buy it. Read it. You won’t be disappointed.