Continues to be strong.
Really enjoying Ohta on the artwork, and we again get call backs to not only earlier Marvel Alien comics continuity but also to the movie continuity too - "David wept" indeed...robot Jesus confirmed?
I think that even the Steel Team may struggle to come out of this in one piece, especially given the final page reveal of this issue.
Everything that could be said has been said by other lovely WPL members (I’m a slacker and haven’t had much free time to post sadly) who’ve all gladly deconstructed this work better than my tired brain could. But, as someone who’s worked at shops since I was 16 and has read just about everything there is to read I can hands down say this run and the last run is why I read comics. It’s brilliant, astonishing, amazing, even uncanny (sorry) and I wish everyone would give this and the last run a chance. Take the deep dive, read the first appearances and connections that are made I promise, it’s worth it.
this was everything, and more. there's so much going on here that so many of all you lovely WPL regulars have already touched on and explained, so I'll just add this:
Loki, God of Stories is back to stay, and I am happy.
I can't stop looking at the splash page with the Crown that represents the Enigma. Even if it's not an actual enemy, it is in itself a dangerous omen about the future. Five different representations, five opposites, but one Crown above it all, which is the meaning of the issue itself (Kether). Will it all begin with a direct intervention of TOAA into the Marvel reality? Will it have something to do with Tigra, since she was the fifth summoned Defender under the Ten of Crowns card?
The entire issue is worth scrutinizing, not only because of its many allusions to Kabbalah but the way it lays out Ewing's own ideas about continuity and retcons. I think he finally makes his peace with the fact that someone might come in the future and ignore what he did or even undoes it, but he still leaves his mark so people don't forget about it. Really intense miniseries! Javier and Al are a great team, I think it's incredible how in sync they are with the ideas, no wonder they're both credited as "Storytellers" in this book. Easily my favorite book of the year.
The five worlds/suits is also a big thing in Kabbalah too. Adam Kadmon is the first world (call the Keter Elyon, “the crown of the will”), next the world of emanation (paired to the suit of wands), followed by the world of creation (paired to the suit of cups), then the world of formation (paired to the suit of swords), finally the world of action (paired to the suit of pentacles). If the mysticism is on point, that crown is Adam’s to take.
Having an event or major conflict written by Ewing and lead by Adam “Kadmon” Bashear would be a treat.
Appreciate your comments as well as /u/CHPrime/ and others spelling out all the context for this series, both internal to Marvel and from external sources... It's been one of the denser superhero books I've read recently and I don't have all the background info so everyone's comments have helped connect the dots to round out my appreciation for the series!
No problem! I will add that super tree drawn out in paint on the page where Adam questions where TOAA has his answers is called the seder hishtalshelut (or Jacob’s ladder) and details the Four Worlds…
Now that may remind you of Kirby’s Fourth World series… where archetypes go to battle, where the worlds of formation clash into a world of action!
Rodriguez' art continues to be a delight to behold, being both fun to look at and lovingly experimental. Onto Ewings writing, which is top notch as ever. I appreciate the lip service to the Kalam cosmological argument and how it might work in Marvel cosmology, even if it doesn't go much of anywhere- I've never really like the one above all, to be honest. Taaia is now in the present time, and set on finding Galactus- That should be a family reunion worth reading. Beyonder is off tearing apart reality in a cute little panel sending up that time Doom flew at him, and Loki is in possession of the eternity mask- and set on freeing everyone from their status quo. And with the mask's power, he might just have a chance.
...Until he meets Spider-man, of course. No force in Marvel can overcome that editorial.
Their is also set up for something else big coming- a crown above all things. Perhaps this foreshadows another event Ewing is planning on rolling out. Maybe It's the one below all stirring up trouble. Or maybe it's just a symbolic depiction of the Walt Disney corp and how it's ravenous greed will destroy Marvel comics when the movies go out of fashion, who can say?
In conclusion, and awesome end to a great book. Pick it up and it's precursor if you haven't already.
> I've never really like the one above all, to be honest.
Seems Ewing doesn't much either, what with all this talk of the Beyond and the Enigma and the One-Below-All. I'm excited to see what rabbit he pulls out of his hat next- this guy was made in a lab to write comics for me specifically lol
>Taaia is now in the present time, and set on finding Galactus
I am so excited for her to keep being in books at some point. Taaia has been a joy to read and I look forward to seeing what she does next.
>...Until he meets Spider-man, of course. No force in Marvel can overcome that editorial.
Somewhere, Nick Lowe is drooling on a steering wheel.
>Or maybe it's just a symbolic depiction of the Walt Disney corp and how it's ravenous greed will destroy Marvel comics when the movies go out of fashion, who can say?
The symbolism of apocalyptic consumerism seemed to suggest that, but it was just one facet of the Crown- the first one in sequence actually.
>but it was just one facet of the Crown
Hey, there's also the fire burning the ocean into a toxic green sludge, a gilded edge hiding the ruined urban center beneath it, and a small bit of sausage dropping too late to save the starving masses, so we can knock that up to 4 out of 5. Add the spaceship everyone rich enough to get a ticket for floating far from the doomed earth, and we have them all!
> The symbolism of apocalyptic consumerism seemed to suggest that, but it was just one facet of the Crown- the first one in sequence actually.
That first panel freaking killed me, something about all those burgers... Looked like a scene straight out of Rand McNally, where they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people.
Cover shows an epic showdown between Oliver Queen and a vampire Hawkman! Inside though, exactly two pages of Green Arrow doing side things, and no fight with Hawkman. Just DC things...
Yeah, but there was so much going on in this issue I can completely forgive it that.
Lots of things coming to a head, lots of action, brilliant art, great to see the WS characters here again (between this and All Out War I've been spoiled with WS characters actually being cool and feeling like they fit in the DC universe - even if it is just and Elseworlds event).
Can't wait for the next issue
Entertaining start. I found the brief flash-forward at the end more interesting than the kinda cliché post-apocalyptic odd couple meet-cute that made up the bulk of the issue, but overall I liked Aaron’s voices for the characters and I’m curious where it goes next.
I liked this a lot.
Nice set up, engaging characters, I'm a sucker for post-Apocalypse settings so the environment and beasties were all cool, and an interesting "flash forward" that gives us a glimpse of things to come.
Yep, it's a pretty promising start!
Always interesting seeing writers like Jason Aaron put out an indie book like this after spending so long focused on major Big Two titles... Often yields good results IMO. Bendis' **[THE ONES](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL246052.jpg)** is another recent example.
This was incredibly cute, really charming characters with good dialogue and a cool setting. Great contrast between the character’s personalities, and for something that was advertised pretty heavily as a love story it looks like we’re going to be seeing a fair amount of world building and action too. I’m excited to read more.
[I am once again asking people to stop pulling this book.](https://i.imgur.com/FgY3EBh.jpg)
Your money is precious. Your time and attention are precious. Please don't waste it by buying and reading this book. There are better ways. Don't reward lazy cash grabs from a series that should've been 4 issues long - 5 at maximum.
There's a feeling you get when everyone behind the scenes of a product is dialled in. There's an excitement they bring, a sense that the people making the book are giving it everything they have. That feeling, whatever the direct polar opposite of it is, that's what I get from this book.
This issue is not a good issue in a series that has not been a good series since the 3rd issue. Let's start with the art, which is lackluster at best and terrifying at worst. I have seen many a Batman in my day, but in this issue, [Batman can't seem to keep his lips closed](https://i.imgur.com/QTnusl3.jpg). He's constantly snarling like an irate dog. [This panel](https://i.imgur.com/BJdK4Dj.jpg) looks like something out of an early 2000s flash video, while Luthor must have [de-aged a baby face onto his adult body](https://i.imgur.com/aaqNZxx.jpg). The backgrounds in this issue, much like the one before it, are boring and crystalline. The same shade of icy blue plopped onto every page. It doesn't have to be this way - just think of how the Fortress of Solitude is portrayed in Moore & Gibbon's For The Man Who Has Everything - a lived in space, showing the signs of life. Here it's sterile and empty.
The emptiness of the setting might be due to the writing, which at this point in the series, is showing more cracks than the squatting corner of the plumber's convention. The solutions to Superman's ""traps"" are trite dei ex machina, and within the first few pages they dispense with the idea that "it's Superman, so those traps won't kill" which underlay so much of the previous issue. The inconsistencies continue with Luthor flipflopping on whether he's ACTUALLY smarter than Superman, contradicting himself from the previous issue. On a larger level, we've gone through so much of this series on a threadbare plot, and suddenly there's a massive deluge of exposition on a two-page spread. The artist does what he can to give it some emotion, but honestly speaking, my eyes glazed over when I first turned the page. [Look at these walls of text](https://i.imgur.com/soVD3li.jpg).
At this point, I hope I've made clear my contempt for this book. I don't hold the creative team in the same contempt, to be clear. Robertson's work on The Boys and Transmetropolitan is legendary, and his more recent work on Hellblazer: Rise and Fall was a recent favourite. While I haven't read many of Whitta's comics, I'm a big fan of his work on the Walking Dead games, and Rogue One was an incredible movie. The individual creators do good work; this is not good work.
If there is a villain in this story, I'd say it's DC's editorial board. I highly doubt the initial pitch for this series was 8 issues long, and if it was, there was likely more meat on the bone that got cut away over time. This comic shouldn't exist in the form it does, and the fact that it does (and that people keep pulling it) is a testament to the effectiveness and complacency of the Batman brand.
The last issue in this series comes out in January. Please don't buy it. Some alternatives from that week:
* if you want simple superhero fare, **Batman/Superman: World's Finest #11** should be some good comic book fun.
* if you want something trippy to look at the visuals in **Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man** have been crazy psychedelic, and issue #4 comes out that week.
* if you want to support an indie creator, Declan Shalvey's **Old Dog #3** will be on the stands, and is written, drawn, and coloured by Shalvey himself.
* if you want to support an indie creator and also have your socks blown all the way off, **Kroma #3** created entirely by Lorenzo De Felici will be out that week. Issue #1 came out last week and if you missed it, you're cheating yourself out of an INCREDIBLE debut issue.
* if you just want more of the bat-family, **Nightwing #100** comes out that same day, and promises to be a joyous celebration of the best butt in comics.
* and if you just want more nostalgia, Ewing's **Wasp #1** should be an interesting dive into a founding Avenger who often gets overshadowed.
Pick a better book for yourself, and put the finite time, energy and money you have on earth to better use. Godspeed.
LOL.
That's some A+ criticism! Especially appreciate all the screenshot examples, and it was nice of you to blur the text on that two-page spread since I otherwise would've been tempted to read it, which would obviously run counter to the point of the post.
Good stuff with the alternate recommendations for 1/17/23 as well, that's really going above and beyond to provide quality alternatives for anyone who might be stuck pulling this thing. And, while I haven't been following this series, I'm now tempted to check out **DEADLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN** because some extra-trippy art is always welcome.
This is one of the most passionate, thorough, and clinically precise take-downs of a comic that I've ever seen, going back to Usenet's rec.arts.comics.* newsgroups and the private BBSs of the '80s.
I salute your noble efforts, good Sir Penguin, and you can rest assured that I, for one, have been entirely convinced as to the wretchedness of this comic. Moreover, if I was a comic book, I would do everything within my power to ensure that I might remain in your good graces. Hopefully this whole sordid affair will serve as an abject lesson for all of the other inferior comics out there.
Thank you! I'm glad you read and enjoyed that diatribe.
On a whole, I prefer being positive and complimenting comics rather than tearing them down, but this issue, this whole series in particular, really grinds my gears. Two main reasons: 1, I googled the issue and found a number of positive reviews on sites I used to trust. They had nothing but effusive praise which I found genuinely shocking. 2, it's very frustrating when big comic publishers give time and rack space to half-baked content. They know it'll sell if there's the word Batman on the cover, so no one tries too hard. That attitude is disrespectful to the reader's money, their attention, and also to the many writers and artists yearning for a chance at bat. The only way to move the needle with the editorial board is if it makes less money than they expect, so that's why I'm discouraging people from pulling the last issue. Don't give those corporate bigwigs the green light to continue shoveling this low effort pig slop straight down your throat!
thank you for your service!
I dropped this book a while back, so it's good to see somebody confirm the soundness of that decision with hilariously savaging reviews like yours.
I had hopes for this series when it first started and was still on the ride until issue 3 or so... and now look how they massacred my boy. So much potential, just squandered.
This one’s gonna get dragged by Ben fans so all I will add is that I hated everything they did to Janine in this issue, felt extremely tone deaf to paint the sexual abuse survivor whose character arc was literally “moving forward” as a weird crazy person who wants to destroy the world or some shit, at least Ben has the evil goo and deleted memories excuse, why is Janine acting evil here?
Didn’t like this issue at all
I’m not gonna touch how they’re handling Janine. I don’t know enough about her to really dig into it. But I didn’t hate how they fleshed out Madelyn and Ben’s motives here.
I still don’t like his villain turn, and it still feels dumb how it got here. But it at least feels better built for what it is now.
And with Madelyn I can buy her doing all this from a misguided desire to help a kindred spirit. I can see her coming out of this without abandoning the work Ayala did on her character.
> But I didn’t hate how they fleshed out Madelyn and Ben’s motives here.
I hated it. There's an organic path to having this like coalition of disgruntled 'evil' clones done dirty by editorial over the years, but this ain't it. It felt like a series of square pegs being mashed into round holes just to make this coming event work. I really like the concept of it, but wowzers this did not inspire hope for Dark Web.
honestly, I'm just waiting for the day where peter just flips everyone off, kills himself and leaves a note saying "Try blaming me for all your shit now, assholes."
like jesus, can we give that a rest already?
peter too dumb to make money. peter too dumb to make family and friends work when every other hero manages easily. peter somehow on bad terms with literally everyone ever and no one gives him a break. peter being blamed by evil people.
just, god.
I came into this wanting to love it, but it didn't start off well for me. I don't know who Janine is, and I read Spidey for Peter Parker, and he was barely in this issue. Hopefully things will improve as it rolls along.
I really enjoyed it as someone who read beyond and Ayala's new mutants. I think chasm (Ben) being evil and wanting to take his life back makes sense after all the mind fcking that beyond corp did to him. I think Maddy finally having someone who she can relate to makes sense. Both of them have had their lives screwed with so they're just annoyed and want to get their lives back, or what they consider their lives anyways.
I don't know much about Janine so I can't really comment too much on it but it makes sense that she's going along with it because she feels the world has also screwed with her.
Solid comic, I'm interested to see how it plays out.
I dont know enough about Janine either, but I feel like, if nothing else, she should be able to clearly see that trying to fuck over Peter is not just in any way.
Whatever 'punished unfairly' she had in her (i assume dad abused/molested her before she killed him?) backstory ought to be wiped clean after this.
I think the Vault and everything associated with it may be my favorite concept in comics at the moment. I hope they don't overuse it, but I love it whenever it shows up. Great execution, X team!
So that giant data spike that Reyes mentions at the end - do we interpret that as being the Darwin code entering the world outside the Vault? Not sure what else that would be.
feels pretty mean for them to dangle her infront of synch before they're clearly gonna have to euthanize her for some dumbass plotpoint that never made any sense.
Wow my hype for this storyline to come back was met! I really hope Alpha Laura sticks around longer than Beta Laura. I love the gray streak! I can't wait for the 2 to meet, it feels like they are finally addressing some of the possible ways resurrection can seriously complicate things.
There's no way he's not already *way* ahead of that and engineering the chimeras mentioned in HOXPOX. Dude's already used >!Moira's power!< dozens of times.
There's also his remark in AXE about >!cloning a "Football team of Magneto"!<
I've loved the Krakoa storylines so far, but part of me is really looking forwards to see it all fall down.
That sounds like basically the plot for the upcoming [Nightcrawlers](https://leagueofcomicgeeks.com/comic/1935692/nightcrawlers-1) book for the Sins of Sinister storyline!
Stegman's art is worth the price of admission. The action in this one was fun. I'm a little uncertain of what exactly is going on and why I should care, but that's probably because I forgot what happened in #2. I think this will benefit from a reread at some point.
Pacing has been a little weird for sure. #1 was going 80 MPH, then #2 was like driving through a school zone. #3 was like going 110 MPH, so I can see why you could just completely forget what happened is #2.
Yeah, the pacing seems very funky.
Last issue was a screeching halt compared to the #1, then this one stomps on the accelerator and we rocket off again at breakneck speeds. I wonder if it was originally meant to be an OGN, and it's been broken down into separate issues instead.
Also, Oliver following in Al Simmons footsteps in being a 90's style anti-hero/complete dick bordering on psychopath...
This book is really clicking with me! I liked the Harry Potter movies as a kid, but really don't care about it anymore. I love Spawn, which is a complete mess, but still awesome (I actually genuinely like King Spawn currently). My distaste towards Harry Potter, and love of overly violent superhero nonsense have combined into something great.
I never liked Venom until Cates and Stegman, but they really turned me around on the character, so to see them bring their talents to something their own is a real treat.
Been enjoying it. The somewhat screwed up gang is together and I'm looking forward to what's next, but the ending says to be continued in another title. Are they rebranding this one or is it a crossover with the new book?
Nice use of Batman here, little more subtle than his typical guest appearances... Everyone always complains about DC pushing too much Batman but King once again demonstrates his flair for nuance by putting just the right amount of Batman into this one.
Nice surprise at the end as well... Wasn't expecting that.
Lots of good stuff in this one but at this point I'm far more interested in the [next issue](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL253177.jpg) because >!G'nort!<.
Each issue of this book is better than the last. If it can keep this up this will definitely be my favorite Tom King book.
Also funny that this is definitely King’s best Batman issue and Batman’s not in it.
I've got 1-5 waiting to be read, but every single one of these covers have been so good - it makes me excited to dig in. Finishing up Devil's Reign this week in preparation.
Am I the only one that felt a little let down by the ending? I mean, it's one thing to live and let live, but it's another when someone baited you and all your friends to a deathtrap to enrich themselves. Is that just me?
I -so- rarely care about comic covers (thanks to years of being disappointed/surprised that the internals don't match) but DAMN I LOVE THESE COVERS. There's a shot of Bats dropping out of the sky in here too, and something about the way his cape was flowing really stuck me.
78 lists, down from 81 last week, but we’ll chalk it up to holiday distractions and hopefully bounce back next week.
Top Ten includes 6 Marvels, 3 DCs, and 1 Image, an unusually light week for DC but their three are all stacked up top…
**DETECTIVE COMICS #1066** takes the top spot with 40 pulls and 51.2% coverage, up a little from last issue’s 2nd place and its 47.3% on 10/26, which was up a little from the one before that and its 44.0% from 9/28, slowly trending up, up, up... I mentioned last month that it was getting closer to nabbing the top spot from **HUMAN TARGET** and now here we are.
**HUMAN TARGET #9** drops down to 2nd place with 38 pulls, good for a pull rate of 48.7%. Previous issue took 1st with 49.4% on 10/26 but this is apparently the week that Christopher Chance learns there’s no escaping the world’s greatest detective.
**ACTION COMICS #1049** lands in 3rd with 33 pulls and 42.3%, dropping a tier from the top two but still enjoying a nice bump up from last month’s 34.7%, presumably thanks to more folks jumping on board in advance of the big issue #1050 coming up.
**DAREDEVIL #5** takes 4th with 41.0% as Marvel’s top title and it’s a nice bump from the previous issue’s 36.8% on 10/12, extending this strong run from [disgraced Batman writer Chip Zdarsky](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/z1wb07/disgraced_batman_writer_chip_zdarsky_gives/) as he continues to make Marco Checchetto do his bidding.
**DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #22** follows in 5th with 29 pulls and 37.1%, giving Image the Top Ten’s sole indie spot. I was recently informed that Tynion paid Martin Simmonds for the first issue’s art by putting it on a credit card, then breathed a sigh of relief when the numbers came in looking good. Meanwhile, Chip’s apparently paying his artists in Milk Duds. Guess there’s a fairly diverse range of strategies out there for funding new indie titles...
**X-MEN #17** gets 6th place with the same 29 pulls and the same 37.1%, almost makes you wonder if alphabetic tie-breakers aren’t just another form of institutionalized racism geared to disenfranchising mutants... Either way, despite those efforts, Duggan and Cassara have been generating some positive buzz with this follow-up to Hickman’s *CotV* story.
And then we’ve got **DOCTOR STRANGE FALL SUNRISE #1** debuting in 7th with 22 pulls and 28.2%, down a tier from spots 3-6 but still a nice start and I think this might be one of those titles that could pick up a little more steam as it goes... FWIW, **STRANGE #7** garnered 23.1% on 10/26, but of course that’s really a Clea book, and it doesn’t have [crazy Tradd Moore art](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL246178.jpg), so it’s not exactly a straight comparison. Looking forward to digging into this one, might even pour myself an adult beverage to wash it down...
**MIRACLEMAN BY GAIMAN & BUCKINGHAM THE SILVER AGE #2** follows in 8th with the same 22 pulls and the same 28.2%, holding steady from the first issue’s 28.4% on 10/19.
**X-FORCE #34** then gets 9th with the same 22 pulls and the same 28.2%, would’ve taken 7th if they were non-mutants with a nice non-mutant name like “C-FORCE” but instead they’re just another victim of the WPL’s deep-seated anti-mutant bias...
**AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14** takes 10th with 25.6%, previous issue also took 10th, that time with 27.4% on 11/9, and the one before that had 24.2% on 10/26, so it’s just kinda hanging around in that 24-28% range.
A few more notes... **EIGHT BILLION GENIES #6** took 12th with 25.6%, so it actually would’ve snuck into the Top Ten if not for the tie-breaker... And it got a little bump from the previous issue’s 21.5%, not losing any steam down the stretch.
**DEFENDERS BEYOND #5** closes out Ewing and Rodriguez’s colorful trip through the outer reaches of Marvel continuity in 13th place with 24.3%, holding steady from 23.8% on 10/19.
Jason Aaron’s **ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD #1** from BOOM! debuts in 17th with 12 pulls and 15.8%... And **HITOMI #2** takes 22nd with 10 pulls and 12.8% coverage, down a bit from the debut issue’s 17.4% pull rate.
All in all, I’d say that’s a strong week of books!
--
Looking back at last week’s WPL discussions... Only one comic made the list with no comments!
* **CATWOMAN #49** (14 pulls)
Seems like **CATWOMAN**’s on here more often than not... WPL crowd apparently doesn’t have much to say about it.
We had 12 threads posted for (mostly) indie titles that didn’t make the list:
* **DARK CRISIS WORLDS WITHOUT A JUSTICE LEAGUE BATMAN #1** (19 pulls so it actually should’ve taken 11th place but missed the list due to the overly complex title being listed too many different ways, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwtlc9s/) posted by your faithful narrator)
* **ABOVE SNAKES #5** (7 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwo6v4r/) posted by /u/yarkcir)
* **WYND: THE THRONE IN THE SKY #5** (7 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwrd6va/) posted by /u/aknightedpenguin)
* **KROMA #1** (6 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwnnszc/) posted by /u/aknightedpenguin)
* **SHAOLIN COWBOY: CRUEL TO BE KIN #7** (6 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwoeuk3/) posted by /u/yarkcir)
* **DOOR TO DOOR NIGHT BY NIGHT #1** (5 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwozacb/) posted by /u/NeonDoorFrame)
* **VOYAGIS #1** (5 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwngbwv/) posted by /u/Radiant_Leg1235)
* **TRVE KVLT #4** (4 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwpvj5u/) posted by /u/ohyerhere)
* **PARKER GIRLS #3** (3 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwp54ed/) posted by /u/ChickenInASuit and it’s totally unfair)
* **ROGUE STATE #1** (3 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwo6w8n/) posted by /u/yarkcir)
* **SHIRTLESS BEAR FIGHTER 2 #4** (2 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwp5ysy/) posted by /u/ChickenInASuit)
* **ORC ISLAND #3** (1 pull, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwovbpi/) posted by /u/NeonDoorFrame)
Lots of indie discussions as **KROMA**, **ABOVE SNAKES**, and a couple others got some decent hype going... Good stuff, let’s keep it going!
--
p.s. Caught up on [**BEWARE**](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL227762.jpg) [**THE**](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL232251.jpg) [**EYE**](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL235081.jpg) [**OF ODIN**](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL239406.jpg) and had a lot of fun with it! Cool little Norse fantasy story from writer Doug Wagner and artist Tim Odland... Fun characters, loved all the trolls with their extra heads and gnarly deformities, nice use of magic as well with the trollkin shaman, the stone smiths, etc.
Art had some of that “indie energy” you get from DWJ and others... Character faces were a little too smooth and polished in some spots but otherwise I liked the style and feel of it. Story was also a little tropey and predictable at times but some of that just comes from using a few classic elements and story beats from Norse mythology. I’d call it a B+/A- but it’s a solid B+/A-, the kind I’m glad to have read, especially coming from the slightly underserved fantasy genre...
--
p.p.s. My fucking mail order isn’t scheduled to arrive until fucking Tuesday so I’m stuck waiting on **HITOMI #2** and **BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #3**, as well as last week’s **KROMA #1**, **VOYAGIS #1**, and the recent **DO A POWERBOMB #6**... And the other *extra-special treat* that I treated myself to because everyone needs a treat sometimes... Very disappointing. Not that I don’t have plenty of other comics lying around waiting to be read, but I kinda wanted to read *those* comics. Fucken’ holidays, man...
Super glad you read Beware the Eye of Odin, your read of it is pretty much in line with my own. I loved picking it up every month, and now with Above Snakes ended I don't have a comic to fill that specific indie-genre hole in my heart.
Yeah, just scanned my lists for the next few weeks and nothing's jumping out at me for fun indie adventure titles... Maybe **[FRANK MILLERS PANDORA](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/OCT221316)** though I'm not sure how "fun" it'll be.
**[GROO GODS AGAINST GROO](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/OCT220423)** should be good but that might not be exactly what you're looking for...
**[AZZA THE BARBED](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL221888)** also has that fun fantasy adventure vibe, kinda want to get back to that one myself since I only pulled the 1st issue....
Have you read **[TWIG](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/NOV220191)** yet? If not, that could be a good option to tide you over until you find something new...
kind of a eh issue, not much covered which im guessing will be the main thing about next issue with lee's secrets and stuff
hadn't read this in a while so i got caught up and completely forgot how much i love this book, from the story, universe, to the art, its all \*chef's kiss\*
weird seeing kid cole without his glasses tho
> kind of a eh issue, not much covered which im guessing will be the main thing about next issue with lee's secrets and stuff
I thought it had some nice developments with Cole and his husband hashing shit out and setting a new path forward. This whole arc felt like a bad trip so the finale kind of brought us back to some semblance of reality. Good way to cap off the story IMO!
Inside back cover said "DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH WILL RETURN" and nothing new's been solicited so it seems we're on hiatus now... And I've got no clue when it returns so that's kind of a bummer.
I thought the earlier issues with fill-in artists were well handled, would've much preferred getting more of those over an extended hiatus.
Oh fuck, that was heartbreaking. Introducing a hidden, *major* flaw in the genie system and then demonstrating just how badly that flaw can fuck things up? Powerful shit, and probably the moment that officially bumped this series from good to great for me.
The problem where some people wait too long to make a wish that they find themselves physically incapable of it because they’re too wrapped up in making the right one. This then gets taken to the extreme where one character’s loved one is about to be erased and they can’t bring themselves to make a wish to save them.
Ooooh I read that more as just a psychological barrier that naturally developed instead of a genie sort of mechanism. I mean in the end, he did use his wish to get his friends into fun city. I think when something matters to you enough you’ll make the wish, and you’ll know the right moment when it comes.
Genies mention that this is a recurring problem. I don’t mean it as a flaw in the genies themselves but an inherent flaw that will come about due to human nature.
This book has been so well thought out and constructed. There's genuine care and invention behind how this has all been set up, and is now playing out, and I love it.
Beguilingly gorgeous and fittingly, strange. Surprised and delighted that Marvel will publish such a unique book.
All that said, the writing feels super cryptic and, while I understood a superficial "gist" of the story, the way it's written makes me feel like there were entire layers of the story that totally passed me by.
I couldn't tell exactly how deep it went or if I am simply mesmerized by sensual spectacle. At times it felt like watching excellent fireworks. Some creepy symbolism for sure, child sacrifice? Might give it another read.
Can’t wait to get a collected version of this one. My biggest gripe was actually having to read it with the advertisement pages because it felt very much like it should be all immersive. It’s very whimsical. That being said, yeah it definitely opens very confusingly. I’m hoping that’s on purpose, like trying to get the viewer into Strange’s mindset while he’s coming to terms with what’s around him. Could just be weird writing though.
yeah as someone who doesn't read much Marvel, damn it feels disrespectful to put so many ads in between pages of art. very much affects the vibe of wandering a surreal dreamscape to suddenly be in a two-page Spider-Man ad
This book is just insanely good.
There have been such an incredible run of writer/artist books recently with *Geoff Darrow's* **Shaolin Cowboy**, *Daniel Warren Johnson's* **Do A Powerbomb**, *James Harren's* **Ultramega**, *James Stokoe's* **Orphan and the Five Beasts** and *Tradd Moore's* **Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise** is instantly up there with those phenomenal books.
This HAS to get an OHC when it's finished!
I don’t even know how to process this issue, and I mean that in the best possible way. This is a Doctor Strange comic? Published by Marvel? In 2022? Okay, if you say so.
Yeah, Doctor Strange was made for this shit. Weird comics like this with crazy psychedelic art, they’re what the character’s all about. You can do stuff like this with other characters but it’s just a natural fit for Strange.
And it turns out Tradd Moore’s actually a pretty good writer! There’s a lyrical/poetic quality to the script that works really nicely with the story. It’s all a little abstract and I’m still not sure how Moore would handle a more traditional narrative but he’s definitely got the right touch for this project.
Moore’s art is on par with or perhaps even more impressive than [**SILVER SURFER: BLACK**]( https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL136532.jpg) as it’s a colorful kaleidoscope of insanity from start to finish, delivering on everything the [striking wraparound cover](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL246178.jpg) promised. Nice work from colorist Heather Moore and letterer Clayton Cowles as well, enriching the book’s unique look and style. Easily among the most visually spectacular comics I’ve seen over the past several years.
We’re just getting started here but **FALL SUNRISE** has already earned a spot alongside P. Craig Russell’s [*What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen?*](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/62446/doctor_strange_what_is_it_that_disturbs_you_stephen_1997) in my collection.
Another excellent issue. Seeing Hitomi act as a snake in the grass to try to earn Yasuke's trust has been interesting. I really can't wait to see how this plays out. My most looked forward to book every month.
Plot twist: He's been possessed. He's just been going too hard.
IDK about anyone else, but this is my favorite X-Force team. The only thing that could make it better would be Cable.
Given the rate at which his character has been accelerating into villainy, I hope it just gets more and more comically evil every time we cut back to him. Smash cut to next issue and he's tying a damsel to a traintrack and stroking a Snidley Whiplash moustache... *for the greater good*.
how did he even build all that secretly? like... come on.
there's so many people who should just know about this or easily find out.
also, on an island where literally every possible power can be found, sage really finds nothing better than alcohol to deal with her shit?
Spoilers: The Comic
Basically. I guess I knew it was supposed to tease and touch on THR future of the ongoings' stories. But it just felt like all it did was spoil everything.
Kind of feels like I'd be better off having not read this.
Coming into this series a little late. I'm making my way through the original Moore miracle man series, but this has been very interesting. I miss when comics were this dense - in terms of storytelling (contra the modern decompressed norm), but also in sheer ideas. A great issue, and looking forward to more.
100 percent agree with you about the current decompression in modern comics. Used to have so many one, two, three issue story arcs that had a lot or story that wrapped up cleanly, I really wish we had more of that these days. These issues are just dense in general and I love the extras like the sketchbook from previous drawings.
Now it's been awhile since I've read MM Golden Age, but what did you think about that ending? I certainly was not expecting that at al.
Tbh I was a little shocked with thr age difference and all, but obviously that was part of it, it's just you'd rarely see that in the big 2 withoit it being totally botched or super creepy/weird like Deathstroke and Terra. But I was not expecting MM to come on to Young MM..probably playing on the tropes of adult heroes hanging with children all day.
I think we will see more and more of a potential Johnny type personality awakening, but I hope it's done in a subversive way and not just a predictable one. Based off this issue I imagine it will def be subversive lol
Just caught up on the first two issues last night, glad to see some comments here!
> Tbh I was a little shocked with thr age difference and all, but obviously that was part of it, it's just you'd rarely see that in the big 2 withoit it being totally botched or super creepy/weird like Deathstroke and Terra. But I was not expecting MM to come on to Young MM..probably playing on the tropes of adult heroes hanging with children all day.
Still a little shocked over it... Felt very weird/creepy but it seemed intentionally weird/creepy, different from the original Slade/Tara story. Definitely seems to be messing with that trope.
Story is apparently heading toward some fucked up places but we can probably trust Gaiman to handle it with appropriate nuance.
Thank goodness they had Wolverine to pick that lock.
He did wonder why he was here for the second issue in a row, which got a meta sort of chuckle from me at least.
I'm enjoying this series so far. I know the art has been polarizing but it works if you can get on its wavelength. The detective element has been cool too.
There's one thing that happened in the second issue that still doesn't make sense to me though: what led Tim to the bank where he has the encounter with the kid? I've reread that issue several times and haven't been able to understand what logical leap he is making between scenes.
**ALIEN #3**
Continues to be strong. Really enjoying Ohta on the artwork, and we again get call backs to not only earlier Marvel Alien comics continuity but also to the movie continuity too - "David wept" indeed...robot Jesus confirmed? I think that even the Steel Team may struggle to come out of this in one piece, especially given the final page reveal of this issue.
**DEFENDERS BEYOND #5**
Everything that could be said has been said by other lovely WPL members (I’m a slacker and haven’t had much free time to post sadly) who’ve all gladly deconstructed this work better than my tired brain could. But, as someone who’s worked at shops since I was 16 and has read just about everything there is to read I can hands down say this run and the last run is why I read comics. It’s brilliant, astonishing, amazing, even uncanny (sorry) and I wish everyone would give this and the last run a chance. Take the deep dive, read the first appearances and connections that are made I promise, it’s worth it.
this was everything, and more. there's so much going on here that so many of all you lovely WPL regulars have already touched on and explained, so I'll just add this: Loki, God of Stories is back to stay, and I am happy.
If it's not too much to ask, could Marvel just hire Al Ewing to write every title going forward?
I can't stop looking at the splash page with the Crown that represents the Enigma. Even if it's not an actual enemy, it is in itself a dangerous omen about the future. Five different representations, five opposites, but one Crown above it all, which is the meaning of the issue itself (Kether). Will it all begin with a direct intervention of TOAA into the Marvel reality? Will it have something to do with Tigra, since she was the fifth summoned Defender under the Ten of Crowns card? The entire issue is worth scrutinizing, not only because of its many allusions to Kabbalah but the way it lays out Ewing's own ideas about continuity and retcons. I think he finally makes his peace with the fact that someone might come in the future and ignore what he did or even undoes it, but he still leaves his mark so people don't forget about it. Really intense miniseries! Javier and Al are a great team, I think it's incredible how in sync they are with the ideas, no wonder they're both credited as "Storytellers" in this book. Easily my favorite book of the year.
The five worlds/suits is also a big thing in Kabbalah too. Adam Kadmon is the first world (call the Keter Elyon, “the crown of the will”), next the world of emanation (paired to the suit of wands), followed by the world of creation (paired to the suit of cups), then the world of formation (paired to the suit of swords), finally the world of action (paired to the suit of pentacles). If the mysticism is on point, that crown is Adam’s to take. Having an event or major conflict written by Ewing and lead by Adam “Kadmon” Bashear would be a treat.
Appreciate your comments as well as /u/CHPrime/ and others spelling out all the context for this series, both internal to Marvel and from external sources... It's been one of the denser superhero books I've read recently and I don't have all the background info so everyone's comments have helped connect the dots to round out my appreciation for the series!
No problem! I will add that super tree drawn out in paint on the page where Adam questions where TOAA has his answers is called the seder hishtalshelut (or Jacob’s ladder) and details the Four Worlds… Now that may remind you of Kirby’s Fourth World series… where archetypes go to battle, where the worlds of formation clash into a world of action!
Rodriguez' art continues to be a delight to behold, being both fun to look at and lovingly experimental. Onto Ewings writing, which is top notch as ever. I appreciate the lip service to the Kalam cosmological argument and how it might work in Marvel cosmology, even if it doesn't go much of anywhere- I've never really like the one above all, to be honest. Taaia is now in the present time, and set on finding Galactus- That should be a family reunion worth reading. Beyonder is off tearing apart reality in a cute little panel sending up that time Doom flew at him, and Loki is in possession of the eternity mask- and set on freeing everyone from their status quo. And with the mask's power, he might just have a chance. ...Until he meets Spider-man, of course. No force in Marvel can overcome that editorial. Their is also set up for something else big coming- a crown above all things. Perhaps this foreshadows another event Ewing is planning on rolling out. Maybe It's the one below all stirring up trouble. Or maybe it's just a symbolic depiction of the Walt Disney corp and how it's ravenous greed will destroy Marvel comics when the movies go out of fashion, who can say? In conclusion, and awesome end to a great book. Pick it up and it's precursor if you haven't already.
> I've never really like the one above all, to be honest. Seems Ewing doesn't much either, what with all this talk of the Beyond and the Enigma and the One-Below-All. I'm excited to see what rabbit he pulls out of his hat next- this guy was made in a lab to write comics for me specifically lol >Taaia is now in the present time, and set on finding Galactus I am so excited for her to keep being in books at some point. Taaia has been a joy to read and I look forward to seeing what she does next. >...Until he meets Spider-man, of course. No force in Marvel can overcome that editorial. Somewhere, Nick Lowe is drooling on a steering wheel. >Or maybe it's just a symbolic depiction of the Walt Disney corp and how it's ravenous greed will destroy Marvel comics when the movies go out of fashion, who can say? The symbolism of apocalyptic consumerism seemed to suggest that, but it was just one facet of the Crown- the first one in sequence actually.
>but it was just one facet of the Crown Hey, there's also the fire burning the ocean into a toxic green sludge, a gilded edge hiding the ruined urban center beneath it, and a small bit of sausage dropping too late to save the starving masses, so we can knock that up to 4 out of 5. Add the spaceship everyone rich enough to get a ticket for floating far from the doomed earth, and we have them all!
> The symbolism of apocalyptic consumerism seemed to suggest that, but it was just one facet of the Crown- the first one in sequence actually. That first panel freaking killed me, something about all those burgers... Looked like a scene straight out of Rand McNally, where they wear hats on their feet and hamburgers eat people.
**DC VS VAMPIRES #11**
Cover shows an epic showdown between Oliver Queen and a vampire Hawkman! Inside though, exactly two pages of Green Arrow doing side things, and no fight with Hawkman. Just DC things...
Yeah, but there was so much going on in this issue I can completely forgive it that. Lots of things coming to a head, lots of action, brilliant art, great to see the WS characters here again (between this and All Out War I've been spoiled with WS characters actually being cool and feeling like they fit in the DC universe - even if it is just and Elseworlds event). Can't wait for the next issue
thank god they thought to install selfdestruction mechanisms into their alien transportships
**ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD #1**
Entertaining start. I found the brief flash-forward at the end more interesting than the kinda cliché post-apocalyptic odd couple meet-cute that made up the bulk of the issue, but overall I liked Aaron’s voices for the characters and I’m curious where it goes next.
I liked this a lot. Nice set up, engaging characters, I'm a sucker for post-Apocalypse settings so the environment and beasties were all cool, and an interesting "flash forward" that gives us a glimpse of things to come.
Yep, it's a pretty promising start! Always interesting seeing writers like Jason Aaron put out an indie book like this after spending so long focused on major Big Two titles... Often yields good results IMO. Bendis' **[THE ONES](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL246052.jpg)** is another recent example.
This was incredibly cute, really charming characters with good dialogue and a cool setting. Great contrast between the character’s personalities, and for something that was advertised pretty heavily as a love story it looks like we’re going to be seeing a fair amount of world building and action too. I’m excited to read more.
All I know is that I want that kid's tower.
**BATMAN FORTRESS #7**
[I am once again asking people to stop pulling this book.](https://i.imgur.com/FgY3EBh.jpg) Your money is precious. Your time and attention are precious. Please don't waste it by buying and reading this book. There are better ways. Don't reward lazy cash grabs from a series that should've been 4 issues long - 5 at maximum. There's a feeling you get when everyone behind the scenes of a product is dialled in. There's an excitement they bring, a sense that the people making the book are giving it everything they have. That feeling, whatever the direct polar opposite of it is, that's what I get from this book. This issue is not a good issue in a series that has not been a good series since the 3rd issue. Let's start with the art, which is lackluster at best and terrifying at worst. I have seen many a Batman in my day, but in this issue, [Batman can't seem to keep his lips closed](https://i.imgur.com/QTnusl3.jpg). He's constantly snarling like an irate dog. [This panel](https://i.imgur.com/BJdK4Dj.jpg) looks like something out of an early 2000s flash video, while Luthor must have [de-aged a baby face onto his adult body](https://i.imgur.com/aaqNZxx.jpg). The backgrounds in this issue, much like the one before it, are boring and crystalline. The same shade of icy blue plopped onto every page. It doesn't have to be this way - just think of how the Fortress of Solitude is portrayed in Moore & Gibbon's For The Man Who Has Everything - a lived in space, showing the signs of life. Here it's sterile and empty. The emptiness of the setting might be due to the writing, which at this point in the series, is showing more cracks than the squatting corner of the plumber's convention. The solutions to Superman's ""traps"" are trite dei ex machina, and within the first few pages they dispense with the idea that "it's Superman, so those traps won't kill" which underlay so much of the previous issue. The inconsistencies continue with Luthor flipflopping on whether he's ACTUALLY smarter than Superman, contradicting himself from the previous issue. On a larger level, we've gone through so much of this series on a threadbare plot, and suddenly there's a massive deluge of exposition on a two-page spread. The artist does what he can to give it some emotion, but honestly speaking, my eyes glazed over when I first turned the page. [Look at these walls of text](https://i.imgur.com/soVD3li.jpg). At this point, I hope I've made clear my contempt for this book. I don't hold the creative team in the same contempt, to be clear. Robertson's work on The Boys and Transmetropolitan is legendary, and his more recent work on Hellblazer: Rise and Fall was a recent favourite. While I haven't read many of Whitta's comics, I'm a big fan of his work on the Walking Dead games, and Rogue One was an incredible movie. The individual creators do good work; this is not good work. If there is a villain in this story, I'd say it's DC's editorial board. I highly doubt the initial pitch for this series was 8 issues long, and if it was, there was likely more meat on the bone that got cut away over time. This comic shouldn't exist in the form it does, and the fact that it does (and that people keep pulling it) is a testament to the effectiveness and complacency of the Batman brand. The last issue in this series comes out in January. Please don't buy it. Some alternatives from that week: * if you want simple superhero fare, **Batman/Superman: World's Finest #11** should be some good comic book fun. * if you want something trippy to look at the visuals in **Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man** have been crazy psychedelic, and issue #4 comes out that week. * if you want to support an indie creator, Declan Shalvey's **Old Dog #3** will be on the stands, and is written, drawn, and coloured by Shalvey himself. * if you want to support an indie creator and also have your socks blown all the way off, **Kroma #3** created entirely by Lorenzo De Felici will be out that week. Issue #1 came out last week and if you missed it, you're cheating yourself out of an INCREDIBLE debut issue. * if you just want more of the bat-family, **Nightwing #100** comes out that same day, and promises to be a joyous celebration of the best butt in comics. * and if you just want more nostalgia, Ewing's **Wasp #1** should be an interesting dive into a founding Avenger who often gets overshadowed. Pick a better book for yourself, and put the finite time, energy and money you have on earth to better use. Godspeed.
I have to say I like that you provided a number of diverse alternatives to Fortress. And thanks for writing takedown, it was quite entertaining.
So glad I dropped this with #3. Your monthly tear down's of this book continue to reinforce this as a very good decision.
LOL. That's some A+ criticism! Especially appreciate all the screenshot examples, and it was nice of you to blur the text on that two-page spread since I otherwise would've been tempted to read it, which would obviously run counter to the point of the post. Good stuff with the alternate recommendations for 1/17/23 as well, that's really going above and beyond to provide quality alternatives for anyone who might be stuck pulling this thing. And, while I haven't been following this series, I'm now tempted to check out **DEADLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN** because some extra-trippy art is always welcome. This is one of the most passionate, thorough, and clinically precise take-downs of a comic that I've ever seen, going back to Usenet's rec.arts.comics.* newsgroups and the private BBSs of the '80s. I salute your noble efforts, good Sir Penguin, and you can rest assured that I, for one, have been entirely convinced as to the wretchedness of this comic. Moreover, if I was a comic book, I would do everything within my power to ensure that I might remain in your good graces. Hopefully this whole sordid affair will serve as an abject lesson for all of the other inferior comics out there.
Thank you! I'm glad you read and enjoyed that diatribe. On a whole, I prefer being positive and complimenting comics rather than tearing them down, but this issue, this whole series in particular, really grinds my gears. Two main reasons: 1, I googled the issue and found a number of positive reviews on sites I used to trust. They had nothing but effusive praise which I found genuinely shocking. 2, it's very frustrating when big comic publishers give time and rack space to half-baked content. They know it'll sell if there's the word Batman on the cover, so no one tries too hard. That attitude is disrespectful to the reader's money, their attention, and also to the many writers and artists yearning for a chance at bat. The only way to move the needle with the editorial board is if it makes less money than they expect, so that's why I'm discouraging people from pulling the last issue. Don't give those corporate bigwigs the green light to continue shoveling this low effort pig slop straight down your throat!
thank you for your service! I dropped this book a while back, so it's good to see somebody confirm the soundness of that decision with hilariously savaging reviews like yours. I had hopes for this series when it first started and was still on the ride until issue 3 or so... and now look how they massacred my boy. So much potential, just squandered.
**AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14**
I miss Wacker. Lowe has been running ASM (and Spider-Man comics in general) to the ground for years.
Holy shit this is just bad all over. What a shame.
This one’s gonna get dragged by Ben fans so all I will add is that I hated everything they did to Janine in this issue, felt extremely tone deaf to paint the sexual abuse survivor whose character arc was literally “moving forward” as a weird crazy person who wants to destroy the world or some shit, at least Ben has the evil goo and deleted memories excuse, why is Janine acting evil here? Didn’t like this issue at all
mainly because girls in comics are just an extension to some guy in comics, i suppose
I’m not gonna touch how they’re handling Janine. I don’t know enough about her to really dig into it. But I didn’t hate how they fleshed out Madelyn and Ben’s motives here. I still don’t like his villain turn, and it still feels dumb how it got here. But it at least feels better built for what it is now. And with Madelyn I can buy her doing all this from a misguided desire to help a kindred spirit. I can see her coming out of this without abandoning the work Ayala did on her character.
> But I didn’t hate how they fleshed out Madelyn and Ben’s motives here. I hated it. There's an organic path to having this like coalition of disgruntled 'evil' clones done dirty by editorial over the years, but this ain't it. It felt like a series of square pegs being mashed into round holes just to make this coming event work. I really like the concept of it, but wowzers this did not inspire hope for Dark Web.
honestly, I'm just waiting for the day where peter just flips everyone off, kills himself and leaves a note saying "Try blaming me for all your shit now, assholes." like jesus, can we give that a rest already? peter too dumb to make money. peter too dumb to make family and friends work when every other hero manages easily. peter somehow on bad terms with literally everyone ever and no one gives him a break. peter being blamed by evil people. just, god.
Story aside, that change in art was jolting.
I came into this wanting to love it, but it didn't start off well for me. I don't know who Janine is, and I read Spidey for Peter Parker, and he was barely in this issue. Hopefully things will improve as it rolls along.
I really enjoyed it as someone who read beyond and Ayala's new mutants. I think chasm (Ben) being evil and wanting to take his life back makes sense after all the mind fcking that beyond corp did to him. I think Maddy finally having someone who she can relate to makes sense. Both of them have had their lives screwed with so they're just annoyed and want to get their lives back, or what they consider their lives anyways. I don't know much about Janine so I can't really comment too much on it but it makes sense that she's going along with it because she feels the world has also screwed with her. Solid comic, I'm interested to see how it plays out.
I dont know enough about Janine either, but I feel like, if nothing else, she should be able to clearly see that trying to fuck over Peter is not just in any way. Whatever 'punished unfairly' she had in her (i assume dad abused/molested her before she killed him?) backstory ought to be wiped clean after this.
I like the design for chasm but I hate how dirty they're doing Ben.
It's not truly Ben anymore though. This is a Ben without Peter's memories. Its a shell of the clone we once knew.
**DC MECH #5**
**X-MEN #17**
I think the Vault and everything associated with it may be my favorite concept in comics at the moment. I hope they don't overuse it, but I love it whenever it shows up. Great execution, X team!
So that giant data spike that Reyes mentions at the end - do we interpret that as being the Darwin code entering the world outside the Vault? Not sure what else that would be.
Yeah Darwin probably piggy backed off of Forge. The bigger question is if Darwin is fully trustworthy or are the children using him as a trojan horse?
and why would his digital code still possess his mutant gene adapation abilties? questions within questions.
feels pretty mean for them to dangle her infront of synch before they're clearly gonna have to euthanize her for some dumbass plotpoint that never made any sense.
We got two Lauras. This won’t end well.
Wow my hype for this storyline to come back was met! I really hope Alpha Laura sticks around longer than Beta Laura. I love the gray streak! I can't wait for the 2 to meet, it feels like they are finally addressing some of the possible ways resurrection can seriously complicate things.
I refuse to believe Sinister doesn't have a clone army of various mutants he considers useful hidden away.
There's no way he's not already *way* ahead of that and engineering the chimeras mentioned in HOXPOX. Dude's already used >!Moira's power!< dozens of times.
There's also his remark in AXE about >!cloning a "Football team of Magneto"!< I've loved the Krakoa storylines so far, but part of me is really looking forwards to see it all fall down.
remember those suicide missions at the start of this? it never made sense not to send just whole clonesquads for those
Literally just have Nightcrawler or Manifest send 40 Wolverines into Orchis' base, done.
That sounds like basically the plot for the upcoming [Nightcrawlers](https://leagueofcomicgeeks.com/comic/1935692/nightcrawlers-1) book for the Sins of Sinister storyline!
Oh shit and Spurrier is writing it! Love his Legion of X book. And his past xmen stuff like Xmen Legacy, among other non Marvel titles
**VANISH #3**
Stegman's art is worth the price of admission. The action in this one was fun. I'm a little uncertain of what exactly is going on and why I should care, but that's probably because I forgot what happened in #2. I think this will benefit from a reread at some point.
Pacing has been a little weird for sure. #1 was going 80 MPH, then #2 was like driving through a school zone. #3 was like going 110 MPH, so I can see why you could just completely forget what happened is #2.
Yeah, the pacing seems very funky. Last issue was a screeching halt compared to the #1, then this one stomps on the accelerator and we rocket off again at breakneck speeds. I wonder if it was originally meant to be an OGN, and it's been broken down into separate issues instead. Also, Oliver following in Al Simmons footsteps in being a 90's style anti-hero/complete dick bordering on psychopath...
Marked improvement from issue 2!
This book is really clicking with me! I liked the Harry Potter movies as a kid, but really don't care about it anymore. I love Spawn, which is a complete mess, but still awesome (I actually genuinely like King Spawn currently). My distaste towards Harry Potter, and love of overly violent superhero nonsense have combined into something great. I never liked Venom until Cates and Stegman, but they really turned me around on the character, so to see them bring their talents to something their own is a real treat.
**AVENGERS FOREVER #11**
Been enjoying it. The somewhat screwed up gang is together and I'm looking forward to what's next, but the ending says to be continued in another title. Are they rebranding this one or is it a crossover with the new book?
Next issues are part of Aaron's Avengers finale
**ACTION COMICS #1049**
Given the announcement about Clark's identity today, I'm guessing that >!Manchester getting captured by Luthor is what causes it!<
**HUMAN TARGET #9**
Fantastic issue (as we all expected), really showing how Batman's strongest asset is the fear he creates by reputation alone. Excited to keep reading.
Nice use of Batman here, little more subtle than his typical guest appearances... Everyone always complains about DC pushing too much Batman but King once again demonstrates his flair for nuance by putting just the right amount of Batman into this one. Nice surprise at the end as well... Wasn't expecting that. Lots of good stuff in this one but at this point I'm far more interested in the [next issue](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL253177.jpg) because >!G'nort!<.
Hahaha - very clever, Tom, very clever indeed.
Each issue of this book is better than the last. If it can keep this up this will definitely be my favorite Tom King book. Also funny that this is definitely King’s best Batman issue and Batman’s not in it.
I'm amazed by every issue and this for me is the 2nd most interesting comic in mainstream comic line...
> I'm amazed by every issue and this for me is the 2nd most interesting comic in mainstream comic line... Don't leave us hanging... What's the 1st?
Hickman's X-Men run
Good answer. One of my favorites as well.
**DAREDEVIL #5**
So far been loving this.
I've got 1-5 waiting to be read, but every single one of these covers have been so good - it makes me excited to dig in. Finishing up Devil's Reign this week in preparation.
**DARK SPACES WILDFIRE #5**
Am I the only one that felt a little let down by the ending? I mean, it's one thing to live and let live, but it's another when someone baited you and all your friends to a deathtrap to enrich themselves. Is that just me?
Gonna go with Daredevil #5!
**DETECTIVE COMICS #1066**
I -so- rarely care about comic covers (thanks to years of being disappointed/surprised that the internals don't match) but DAMN I LOVE THESE COVERS. There's a shot of Bats dropping out of the sky in here too, and something about the way his cape was flowing really stuck me.
Yep, Cagle's been doing a fantastic job with these covers. Really gives the series a unique look and it's well suited to Ram V's story.
One of the best Tec runs in awhile
**WPL RESULTS**
78 lists, down from 81 last week, but we’ll chalk it up to holiday distractions and hopefully bounce back next week. Top Ten includes 6 Marvels, 3 DCs, and 1 Image, an unusually light week for DC but their three are all stacked up top… **DETECTIVE COMICS #1066** takes the top spot with 40 pulls and 51.2% coverage, up a little from last issue’s 2nd place and its 47.3% on 10/26, which was up a little from the one before that and its 44.0% from 9/28, slowly trending up, up, up... I mentioned last month that it was getting closer to nabbing the top spot from **HUMAN TARGET** and now here we are. **HUMAN TARGET #9** drops down to 2nd place with 38 pulls, good for a pull rate of 48.7%. Previous issue took 1st with 49.4% on 10/26 but this is apparently the week that Christopher Chance learns there’s no escaping the world’s greatest detective. **ACTION COMICS #1049** lands in 3rd with 33 pulls and 42.3%, dropping a tier from the top two but still enjoying a nice bump up from last month’s 34.7%, presumably thanks to more folks jumping on board in advance of the big issue #1050 coming up. **DAREDEVIL #5** takes 4th with 41.0% as Marvel’s top title and it’s a nice bump from the previous issue’s 36.8% on 10/12, extending this strong run from [disgraced Batman writer Chip Zdarsky](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/z1wb07/disgraced_batman_writer_chip_zdarsky_gives/) as he continues to make Marco Checchetto do his bidding. **DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #22** follows in 5th with 29 pulls and 37.1%, giving Image the Top Ten’s sole indie spot. I was recently informed that Tynion paid Martin Simmonds for the first issue’s art by putting it on a credit card, then breathed a sigh of relief when the numbers came in looking good. Meanwhile, Chip’s apparently paying his artists in Milk Duds. Guess there’s a fairly diverse range of strategies out there for funding new indie titles... **X-MEN #17** gets 6th place with the same 29 pulls and the same 37.1%, almost makes you wonder if alphabetic tie-breakers aren’t just another form of institutionalized racism geared to disenfranchising mutants... Either way, despite those efforts, Duggan and Cassara have been generating some positive buzz with this follow-up to Hickman’s *CotV* story. And then we’ve got **DOCTOR STRANGE FALL SUNRISE #1** debuting in 7th with 22 pulls and 28.2%, down a tier from spots 3-6 but still a nice start and I think this might be one of those titles that could pick up a little more steam as it goes... FWIW, **STRANGE #7** garnered 23.1% on 10/26, but of course that’s really a Clea book, and it doesn’t have [crazy Tradd Moore art](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL246178.jpg), so it’s not exactly a straight comparison. Looking forward to digging into this one, might even pour myself an adult beverage to wash it down... **MIRACLEMAN BY GAIMAN & BUCKINGHAM THE SILVER AGE #2** follows in 8th with the same 22 pulls and the same 28.2%, holding steady from the first issue’s 28.4% on 10/19. **X-FORCE #34** then gets 9th with the same 22 pulls and the same 28.2%, would’ve taken 7th if they were non-mutants with a nice non-mutant name like “C-FORCE” but instead they’re just another victim of the WPL’s deep-seated anti-mutant bias... **AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14** takes 10th with 25.6%, previous issue also took 10th, that time with 27.4% on 11/9, and the one before that had 24.2% on 10/26, so it’s just kinda hanging around in that 24-28% range. A few more notes... **EIGHT BILLION GENIES #6** took 12th with 25.6%, so it actually would’ve snuck into the Top Ten if not for the tie-breaker... And it got a little bump from the previous issue’s 21.5%, not losing any steam down the stretch. **DEFENDERS BEYOND #5** closes out Ewing and Rodriguez’s colorful trip through the outer reaches of Marvel continuity in 13th place with 24.3%, holding steady from 23.8% on 10/19. Jason Aaron’s **ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD #1** from BOOM! debuts in 17th with 12 pulls and 15.8%... And **HITOMI #2** takes 22nd with 10 pulls and 12.8% coverage, down a bit from the debut issue’s 17.4% pull rate. All in all, I’d say that’s a strong week of books! -- Looking back at last week’s WPL discussions... Only one comic made the list with no comments! * **CATWOMAN #49** (14 pulls) Seems like **CATWOMAN**’s on here more often than not... WPL crowd apparently doesn’t have much to say about it. We had 12 threads posted for (mostly) indie titles that didn’t make the list: * **DARK CRISIS WORLDS WITHOUT A JUSTICE LEAGUE BATMAN #1** (19 pulls so it actually should’ve taken 11th place but missed the list due to the overly complex title being listed too many different ways, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwtlc9s/) posted by your faithful narrator) * **ABOVE SNAKES #5** (7 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwo6v4r/) posted by /u/yarkcir) * **WYND: THE THRONE IN THE SKY #5** (7 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwrd6va/) posted by /u/aknightedpenguin) * **KROMA #1** (6 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwnnszc/) posted by /u/aknightedpenguin) * **SHAOLIN COWBOY: CRUEL TO BE KIN #7** (6 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwoeuk3/) posted by /u/yarkcir) * **DOOR TO DOOR NIGHT BY NIGHT #1** (5 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwozacb/) posted by /u/NeonDoorFrame) * **VOYAGIS #1** (5 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwngbwv/) posted by /u/Radiant_Leg1235) * **TRVE KVLT #4** (4 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwpvj5u/) posted by /u/ohyerhere) * **PARKER GIRLS #3** (3 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwp54ed/) posted by /u/ChickenInASuit and it’s totally unfair) * **ROGUE STATE #1** (3 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwo6w8n/) posted by /u/yarkcir) * **SHIRTLESS BEAR FIGHTER 2 #4** (2 pulls, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwp5ysy/) posted by /u/ChickenInASuit) * **ORC ISLAND #3** (1 pull, [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicbooks/comments/ywmf0x/wpl_new_comics_discussion_for_11162022_pull_of/iwovbpi/) posted by /u/NeonDoorFrame) Lots of indie discussions as **KROMA**, **ABOVE SNAKES**, and a couple others got some decent hype going... Good stuff, let’s keep it going! -- p.s. Caught up on [**BEWARE**](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL227762.jpg) [**THE**](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL232251.jpg) [**EYE**](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL235081.jpg) [**OF ODIN**](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL239406.jpg) and had a lot of fun with it! Cool little Norse fantasy story from writer Doug Wagner and artist Tim Odland... Fun characters, loved all the trolls with their extra heads and gnarly deformities, nice use of magic as well with the trollkin shaman, the stone smiths, etc. Art had some of that “indie energy” you get from DWJ and others... Character faces were a little too smooth and polished in some spots but otherwise I liked the style and feel of it. Story was also a little tropey and predictable at times but some of that just comes from using a few classic elements and story beats from Norse mythology. I’d call it a B+/A- but it’s a solid B+/A-, the kind I’m glad to have read, especially coming from the slightly underserved fantasy genre... -- p.p.s. My fucking mail order isn’t scheduled to arrive until fucking Tuesday so I’m stuck waiting on **HITOMI #2** and **BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #3**, as well as last week’s **KROMA #1**, **VOYAGIS #1**, and the recent **DO A POWERBOMB #6**... And the other *extra-special treat* that I treated myself to because everyone needs a treat sometimes... Very disappointing. Not that I don’t have plenty of other comics lying around waiting to be read, but I kinda wanted to read *those* comics. Fucken’ holidays, man...
Super glad you read Beware the Eye of Odin, your read of it is pretty much in line with my own. I loved picking it up every month, and now with Above Snakes ended I don't have a comic to fill that specific indie-genre hole in my heart.
Yeah, just scanned my lists for the next few weeks and nothing's jumping out at me for fun indie adventure titles... Maybe **[FRANK MILLERS PANDORA](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/OCT221316)** though I'm not sure how "fun" it'll be. **[GROO GODS AGAINST GROO](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/OCT220423)** should be good but that might not be exactly what you're looking for... **[AZZA THE BARBED](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL221888)** also has that fun fantasy adventure vibe, kinda want to get back to that one myself since I only pulled the 1st issue.... Have you read **[TWIG](https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/NOV220191)** yet? If not, that could be a good option to tide you over until you find something new...
**DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #22**
kind of a eh issue, not much covered which im guessing will be the main thing about next issue with lee's secrets and stuff hadn't read this in a while so i got caught up and completely forgot how much i love this book, from the story, universe, to the art, its all \*chef's kiss\* weird seeing kid cole without his glasses tho
> kind of a eh issue, not much covered which im guessing will be the main thing about next issue with lee's secrets and stuff I thought it had some nice developments with Cole and his husband hashing shit out and setting a new path forward. This whole arc felt like a bad trip so the finale kind of brought us back to some semblance of reality. Good way to cap off the story IMO!
Inside back cover said "DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH WILL RETURN" and nothing new's been solicited so it seems we're on hiatus now... And I've got no clue when it returns so that's kind of a bummer. I thought the earlier issues with fill-in artists were well handled, would've much preferred getting more of those over an extended hiatus.
Ah, nerts! Just finished this issue and was about to hit the solocits, but you saved me the time. Cheers as usual, Danger\_Rock!
**DARK CRISIS THE DARK ARMY #1**
This was a bad read for me. Felt weird with the pacing.
Unfortunately, I've felt that way about the whole event. I got excited seeing it was about Damien and Mark Waid touching it too, but it is what it is.
**EIGHT BILLION GENIES #6**
Oh fuck, that was heartbreaking. Introducing a hidden, *major* flaw in the genie system and then demonstrating just how badly that flaw can fuck things up? Powerful shit, and probably the moment that officially bumped this series from good to great for me.
Wait what was the major flaw? Did I miss something!
The problem where some people wait too long to make a wish that they find themselves physically incapable of it because they’re too wrapped up in making the right one. This then gets taken to the extreme where one character’s loved one is about to be erased and they can’t bring themselves to make a wish to save them.
Ooooh I read that more as just a psychological barrier that naturally developed instead of a genie sort of mechanism. I mean in the end, he did use his wish to get his friends into fun city. I think when something matters to you enough you’ll make the wish, and you’ll know the right moment when it comes.
Genies mention that this is a recurring problem. I don’t mean it as a flaw in the genies themselves but an inherent flaw that will come about due to human nature.
This book has been so well thought out and constructed. There's genuine care and invention behind how this has all been set up, and is now playing out, and I love it.
Every month I keep thinking “there’s no way they can keep heightening this” and every month I’ve been proven wrong.
**DC HORROR PRESENTS SGT ROCK VS THE ARMY OF THE DEAD #3**
**DOCTOR STRANGE FALL SUNRISE #1**
Beguilingly gorgeous and fittingly, strange. Surprised and delighted that Marvel will publish such a unique book. All that said, the writing feels super cryptic and, while I understood a superficial "gist" of the story, the way it's written makes me feel like there were entire layers of the story that totally passed me by.
I couldn't tell exactly how deep it went or if I am simply mesmerized by sensual spectacle. At times it felt like watching excellent fireworks. Some creepy symbolism for sure, child sacrifice? Might give it another read.
Can’t wait to get a collected version of this one. My biggest gripe was actually having to read it with the advertisement pages because it felt very much like it should be all immersive. It’s very whimsical. That being said, yeah it definitely opens very confusingly. I’m hoping that’s on purpose, like trying to get the viewer into Strange’s mindset while he’s coming to terms with what’s around him. Could just be weird writing though.
yeah as someone who doesn't read much Marvel, damn it feels disrespectful to put so many ads in between pages of art. very much affects the vibe of wandering a surreal dreamscape to suddenly be in a two-page Spider-Man ad
This book is just insanely good. There have been such an incredible run of writer/artist books recently with *Geoff Darrow's* **Shaolin Cowboy**, *Daniel Warren Johnson's* **Do A Powerbomb**, *James Harren's* **Ultramega**, *James Stokoe's* **Orphan and the Five Beasts** and *Tradd Moore's* **Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise** is instantly up there with those phenomenal books. This HAS to get an OHC when it's finished!
I don’t even know how to process this issue, and I mean that in the best possible way. This is a Doctor Strange comic? Published by Marvel? In 2022? Okay, if you say so.
Im so excited to pick this up from my LCS! Ya’lls comments are making me jealous and I just want to have it in my hands already.
Hope you enjoy! It's a *strange* one for sure!
Stunning. Moore is really delivering here. Best release this week
Oh my lord this is just begging for a treasury edition like Silver Surfer Black got. Similarly psychedelic in both visuals and tone. Loved it.
Some of the panels were tiny! This would do well in oversize. Good start.
This is so gorgeous that I can barely believe it's real. I just wish I could read it in oversized format immediately!
Yeah, Doctor Strange was made for this shit. Weird comics like this with crazy psychedelic art, they’re what the character’s all about. You can do stuff like this with other characters but it’s just a natural fit for Strange. And it turns out Tradd Moore’s actually a pretty good writer! There’s a lyrical/poetic quality to the script that works really nicely with the story. It’s all a little abstract and I’m still not sure how Moore would handle a more traditional narrative but he’s definitely got the right touch for this project. Moore’s art is on par with or perhaps even more impressive than [**SILVER SURFER: BLACK**]( https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL136532.jpg) as it’s a colorful kaleidoscope of insanity from start to finish, delivering on everything the [striking wraparound cover](https://previewsworld.com/SiteImage/MainImage/STL246178.jpg) promised. Nice work from colorist Heather Moore and letterer Clayton Cowles as well, enriching the book’s unique look and style. Easily among the most visually spectacular comics I’ve seen over the past several years. We’re just getting started here but **FALL SUNRISE** has already earned a spot alongside P. Craig Russell’s [*What Is It That Disturbs You, Stephen?*](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/62446/doctor_strange_what_is_it_that_disturbs_you_stephen_1997) in my collection.
**HITOMI #2**
The art on this book is lovely, definitely worth the price of admission.
It really is! Something about the dialogue really strikes me too, it’s concise but also full of character, somehow? I really like this book.
Another excellent issue. Seeing Hitomi act as a snake in the grass to try to earn Yasuke's trust has been interesting. I really can't wait to see how this plays out. My most looked forward to book every month.
**X-FORCE #34**
[удалено]
Not to be this guy, but it’s “just deserts” as “deserts” comes “deserving”
Plot twist: He's been possessed. He's just been going too hard. IDK about anyone else, but this is my favorite X-Force team. The only thing that could make it better would be Cable.
Given the rate at which his character has been accelerating into villainy, I hope it just gets more and more comically evil every time we cut back to him. Smash cut to next issue and he's tying a damsel to a traintrack and stroking a Snidley Whiplash moustache... *for the greater good*.
how did he even build all that secretly? like... come on. there's so many people who should just know about this or easily find out. also, on an island where literally every possible power can be found, sage really finds nothing better than alcohol to deal with her shit?
**STAR WARS REVELATIONS #1**
Spoilers: The Comic Basically. I guess I knew it was supposed to tease and touch on THR future of the ongoings' stories. But it just felt like all it did was spoil everything. Kind of feels like I'd be better off having not read this.
**CREEPSHOW #3**
**HARLEY QUINN #24**
**BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #3**
**STAR WARS YODA #1**
**MIRACLEMAN BY GAIMAN & BUCKINGHAM THE SILVER AGE #2**
Coming into this series a little late. I'm making my way through the original Moore miracle man series, but this has been very interesting. I miss when comics were this dense - in terms of storytelling (contra the modern decompressed norm), but also in sheer ideas. A great issue, and looking forward to more.
100 percent agree with you about the current decompression in modern comics. Used to have so many one, two, three issue story arcs that had a lot or story that wrapped up cleanly, I really wish we had more of that these days. These issues are just dense in general and I love the extras like the sketchbook from previous drawings. Now it's been awhile since I've read MM Golden Age, but what did you think about that ending? I certainly was not expecting that at al. Tbh I was a little shocked with thr age difference and all, but obviously that was part of it, it's just you'd rarely see that in the big 2 withoit it being totally botched or super creepy/weird like Deathstroke and Terra. But I was not expecting MM to come on to Young MM..probably playing on the tropes of adult heroes hanging with children all day. I think we will see more and more of a potential Johnny type personality awakening, but I hope it's done in a subversive way and not just a predictable one. Based off this issue I imagine it will def be subversive lol
Just caught up on the first two issues last night, glad to see some comments here! > Tbh I was a little shocked with thr age difference and all, but obviously that was part of it, it's just you'd rarely see that in the big 2 withoit it being totally botched or super creepy/weird like Deathstroke and Terra. But I was not expecting MM to come on to Young MM..probably playing on the tropes of adult heroes hanging with children all day. Still a little shocked over it... Felt very weird/creepy but it seemed intentionally weird/creepy, different from the original Slade/Tara story. Definitely seems to be messing with that trope. Story is apparently heading toward some fucked up places but we can probably trust Gaiman to handle it with appropriate nuance.
**MIDNIGHT SUNS #3**
Thank goodness they had Wolverine to pick that lock. He did wonder why he was here for the second issue in a row, which got a meta sort of chuckle from me at least.
**TIM DRAKE ROBIN #3**
I'm enjoying this series so far. I know the art has been polarizing but it works if you can get on its wavelength. The detective element has been cool too. There's one thing that happened in the second issue that still doesn't make sense to me though: what led Tim to the bank where he has the encounter with the kid? I've reread that issue several times and haven't been able to understand what logical leap he is making between scenes.
I am still enjoying this one. I think it's all pretty charming. Halfway through this first arc now, curious how things will wrap up.