Comics Reviews (October 12th, 2016)

Deathstroke #4

Fine such as things are, with the book’s usual problem that Priest’s out-of-sequence storytelling can get in the way. But I’m dropping the book because when I got to page three of Comixology today I found myself staring at Doom Patrol #2 and Britannia #2 and going “well shit, those were both good books but this is already a big week.” Which is an old complaint, but still a big one – a six-book week fucking hurts when $3.99 is the normal price of a book. And when you have three that are $4.99+ it’s brutal. And frankly, this was the disposable one – being a perfectly nice and fairly clever superhero book just isn’t enough. There are addictions I’ll grudgingly feed, but frankly Deathstroke isn’t one of them, and it kept me from being able to afford a probably better book by dint of coming up too early on the list of new releases. So it’s dropped. God I hate comics.

Doom Patrol #2 (Bought by a reader)

The excessive weirdness of the first issue settles out, but it leaves a distinct “Grant Morrison fanfic” vibe in its wake. Inoffensive and even a bit fun – probably a better comic than the first issue by any reasonable standards. But its not even trying to be interesting to anyone who hasn’t read Morrison’s Doom Patrol. Probably done with this. (Oh, and dear reader who bought the comic and wanted to chat with me about it – send me an e-mail if you would.)

Cinema Purgatorio #6

An off issue for me, with the title story not really doing anything for me (or perhaps more accurately doing too many things to actually have any of them land particularly well), Code Pru being weak as well, and the backing two being their usual ballasty selves. Modded’s great, of course, but this is a $6.99 book on a week I’m already bitter as fuck about what my comics cost, so yeah, kinda stuck resenting this for existing this time around.

Darth Vader #25

In no way helped by the delay to its publication, as it means that a somewhat slender conclusion that could have worked coming off of momentous pace and a brilliant, weird previous issue is instead just somewhat slender. Aphra’s resolution is nice. Really, it’s all nice – a solidly OK stick-the-landing conclusion to what’s never been my favorite Gillen book anyway. I look forward to the inherent lunacy of Aphra’s solo series. 

Lazarus #25

A solid, focused issue hingeing on a single character interaction between two developed-enough characters that it would be hard to screw up. Sure enough, Ruck and Lark don’t, and if there’s a shred of honesty to Joanna’s spiel to Forever there’s even some interesting ways for the book to move forward from here. I suspect this book is done surprising me, and I admit I’ve gone off Rucka a bit between being sorely disappointed by Black Magick and Wonder Woman, but this is still solid more months than not. 

The Black Monday Murders #3

Like Lazarus this week, this is a tightly focused issue – aside from one three-page scene that’s basically raw crypticness it focuses entirely on a singular police interrogation. This means that some of the mad excess that’s animated this book is missing this time around, but it also means Hickman is forced to demonstrate his storytelling chops and to not let the story get away from him too quickly. All told it’s probably the weakest issue of the series so far and still one of the absolute most brilliant things coming out these days.

Kill Or Be Killed #3

Man, this just keeps being brilliant. The issue’s highlight is probably the fleshing out of Kira as a character – she’d been a major but undercooked character in the first two issues, and she gets a background here that’s unusual, unexpected, and still thoroughly sympathetic. In proper noir style you can see the “it all goes wrong” coming from a mile away, and the sense of grim and tragic ineviability permeates. But the book’s still funny as hell too.