Nice run of books this week moving steadily from blah to brilliant!
Sixth Place:
Princess Leia #5
Truth? I only bought this issue because I knew it was the last one. If this was an ongoing, I'd have dropped it this week.
The 5-issue miniseries concludes with Leia finding a shit-ton of Alderaanians and saving them and the day. Like we thought it would end any other way? And overall, it was a cute little story, but it didn't really provide anything to sink your teeth into.
What I really liked, and this is somewhat of a backhanded compliment, is that this story was inconsequential. Being that all these Marvel Star Wars books are now canon, if this story doesn't happen, it doesn't change a thing. But that's also what's wrong with it: it doesn't change a thing... so does it even need told? We'll touch more on the fine line of things that matter in the Darth Vader review below.
Overall this was a fun story about Leia and R2 going off on a mini-adventure. Unfortunately, no harm no foul is the best review I can give it.
Fifth Place:
Batman Beyond #2
I hate hate hate the design of the eyes on Bernard Chang's Batman Beyond suit. Hate them. Chang is a favorite of mine, but sweet Terry McGinnis do I hate these eyes. Its nitpicky, but if you know me, that's what I do.
Tim Drake gets sent into a future that's been taken over by Brother Eye. But somehow a dome has been erected over Gotham City protecting it from Eye's invasion forces. We get a little exposition this issue with Tim finding all this out. Barbara Gordon, now a 50-something hardened Sarah Connor-type co-stars.
Neat story, but nothing ground breaking. We get to see Inque, who is one of my favorite Beyond characters, so that was cool. And Chang's pages are essentially flawless. This is your basic superhero comic in all the best ways.
Fourth Place:
Darth Vader #7
So... about that fine line of Star Wars stories that matter. This issue, contrary to Princess Leia, has quite a lot of what a Star Wars comic should have. And oddly enough, it doesn't have much to do with Darth Vader.
The Star Wars universe, from the first time we saw A New Hope, offers a universe bursting with characters and untold stories. Stories that would be perfect for a comic that wouldn't interfere in any way with the movies, which should be held solely on their own. Yes this book is about Darth Vader hunting Luke between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, but its also about the side characters along for the ride. Characters like the bevvy of bounty hunters and scum that writer Keiron Gillen is able to flesh out without making anything from the movies seem wonky. The Princess Leia miniseries tried to do that, but being based around a character like Princess Leia, it seems unlikely that would really happen. But a character like Vader, who you don't really get much of in the Original Trilogy, we can shed a little light on him without causing many ripples.
Shit, maybe its just that Gillen's story is better than what Mark Waid was offering up. But I don't think so. As much as we want our Star Wars comics to be about Han, Luke and Leia, those stories are always more invasive and a little less fun.
Third Place:
He-Man: The Eternity War #7
God, I feel like this book comes out every other week. And its awesome. And maybe that's why we get Edgar Salazar on pencils instead of He-Man mainstay Pop Mhan. The poor guy is probably burned out. Rightfully so. He's been doing amazing work non-stop. Salazar fills in nicely; though being so familiar with Mhan doing the art, its hard not to critique a little harder.
This issue focuses on Skeletor and what he's been up to during the years of Adora's growing up in Despondos as the daughter of Hordak. Well, Skeletor has been her adopted father this whole time with Shadow Weaver standing in as her mother. There's time travel and an explanation of the Havoc Staff and its origins... and really, this issue gets a little out there. I appreciate Dan Abnett's pure passion for this property, but he should pump the brakes. This issue almost goes off the rails a couple times before he brings it back.
Still, the Masters of the Universe mythology has never been so rich. A real testament to Abnett and Mhan.
Second Place:
Nailbiter #14
The story gets a little deeper, literally and figuratively as our intrepid heroes find an Aztec temple buried beneath Buckaroo. And when they find it, they realize its only from the 1960s, and it was possible used as a depository for serial killers. How 'bout dem apples?
What I really liked was the hint that maybe there's something supernatural at play when Finch suggests it might be a curse that's responsible for the high serial killer rate coming out of Buckaroo. Unlike Pretty Little Liars, I hope that's the direction Nailbiter goes in. I mean, it has to, right? The odds of so many serial killers from one town has to be supernatural.
Each issue I am damn impressed with Mike Henderson's artwork. There's always at least one panel per issue, where I say to myself, "damn that's cool." Even something simple like three people riding in a car, Henderson makes interesting.
First Place:
Secret Wars #4
This book is really good. Now, its fucking huge and convoluted, and if I explained it it would sound like "comic book shit," but the way these first four issues have laid it all out, it's really digestible. You just get it. If you don't, you're bad at reading comics.
Reed Richards has rarely (in my limited Reed Richards-reading) been set up to be such a hero as he is in this issue. Doctor Doom has stolen his entire life and family. Doom knows it, but Reed doesn't. Reed thinks they're all dead. Instead, they see Doom as if he were always the husband and father of Sue and the kids. When Reed finds out, he's gonna flip his shit.
Its also my second favorite version of Doctor Strange courtesy writer Johnathan Hickman. Strange made some tough choices and got caught up helping Doctor Doom be God to save some of the universes that were collapsing. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and all that. For as big and sprawling as the story is, its the quiet, honest moments between Strange and Doom that really hook me.
Esad Ribic's art is pretty neat too. Besides his penchant for drawing weird bug eyes from time to time, shit is slick. These dudes are making a very cool Marvel story.
Panel of the Week:
The previously mentioned Mike Henderson panel of three people riding in a car.
-Gint
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