Star Wars, man... these books are really juicin' my goose lately.
Fifth Place:
Superman Wonder Woman #21
This really isn't your father's (or your pre-New 52) Superman. He's a jerk. A lot happens in this book, but I can't get past the end where Supes admonishes Lois and Diana for doing the best they could to help him out. Its so bizarre that I hope he's being mind controlled somehow.
Lois reveals his secret identity to the public... to save his life. And Diana helps the government's interrogation of Lois, Perry and Co. to make sure it goes properly and smoothly... to help Supe's friends. This current Superman apparently isn't understanding like the old one.
As much as I love writer Pete Tomasi and artist Doug Mahnke, this issue was just bizarre.
Fourth Place:
Prez #4
Mark Russell really takes the kid gloves off this issue and shows us just how awful his future America is. Beyond just the illuminati-ish mechanisms of the big corporations, we get a first hand look at how wantonly the government kills too. This is the least "happy" issue of the run so far.
One of the most interesting characters is Senator Thorn. He's your basic crotchety old white Republican villain, but Russell manages to write him as one of the most entertaining characters in the book. I guess its like how we find Dick Cheney and Donald Trump amusing? Russell is mastering walking that fine line.
And cheers to penciler Dominike Stanton for doing his best Ben Caldwell. He does such a great job filling in in Caldwell's style, that I'm not 100% sure is ISN'T Caldwell. I also like it because he seems to draw big heads like I do.
Third Place:
Martian Manhunter #4
The plot thickens as our five separate characters begin to learn that 1. they're not human, and 2. they're housing the split consciousness of J'onn J'onzz. Rob Williams is doing what he said he wanted to do, and that's taking the Martian Manhunter to places the character has never been before.
With allowing J'onn to split his consciousness, and let the bodies he's inhabiting exhibit some of the same superpowers he has, I guess we're walking too close to making J'onn "too powerful." But Williams is still unrolling the story. This new talent seems to come from J'onn being in dire straights. Williams is really making this interesting.
And where would the book be without the art team? Nowhere. Or maybe just less successful. Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Gabe Elteab are simply crushing this thing. Its not quite on the level that Jason Fabok and Stuart Immonen are at right now, but its a damn well constructed book.
Second Place:
Star Wars #9
I'm shocked at how much of a difference the art in this book has made. I was considering dropping this one, but Stuart Immonen's pencils have turned the whole thing around and even legitimized un-legitimizable characters. Really, I don't know what happened.
Maybe its the cues taken from the Original Trilogy that are making things tick. Han and Leia are off on their own and Luke and R2 are similarly, alone, like in Empire. That way Jason Aaron gets to use similar beats and attitudes to make the voices of the characters ring true.
The story is still a little outlandish (Han and Leia on the run with Han's wife and Luke being kidnapped by a Hutt on another planet), but somehow they've turned this thing around. I'm all in and can't wait for the next issue.
First Place:
Lando #4
I really hope this book does well enough to turn into a regular on-going. Its been, hands down the best of Marvel's Star Wars line. Charles Soule and Alex Maleev are really hooking it up. They're telling a hell of an interesting story considering the whole thing essentially takes place in one location.
We get a little twist at the end of this issue that makes so much sense I'm mad I didn't think of it sooner. The book is about Lando, who apparently has done some swindly things with his buddy Han Solo in the past. It makes complete sense that he'd know some things about the bounty hunters in the galaxy.
The strangest thing about this book is still the design and naming of Pavol and Aleksin, the mercenary warriors that look like black panthers walking on their hind legs. The first thing that pulls me out of the story are their Russian-ass names. Those are some Earth names if I ever heard them. And also the Earthen quality of the panther motif... they should look more alien. Be more other worldly, you know?
Still cool, fucking book.
Panel of the Week:
Speaking of things I wish I had thought of sooner: Stuart Immonen draws a cut Hutt with a six pack! They're not all fat pieces of shit!
-Gint
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