Comics Reviews (October 22nd, 2015)
From worst to best of blah blah blah
Invincible Iron Man #2
Picked up because it was a massively light week, so I figured I’d give Bendis another issue to impress me, which he didn’t really pull off, though I’m more inclined towards this book after two issues than one. It’s Bendis, and so instead of a big splash at the beginning we’re going to put a multitude of chairs in place in a heavily decompressed manner that’s only arguably suited to serialization. It also remains the case that Bendis is generally good at making this improbable approach work, or at least not fail. And he does write a good Tony. I’ll probably give this until Mary Jane shows up at least.
Darth Vader #11
And the trap Gillen has been building around Thanoth finally closes, and in a clever and exciting way, pitting Vader against Aphra, who manages the impressive feat of escaping with her life, at least for now. We’re plummetting towards a big crossover, and it’s pretty easy to see how we’re going to get from here to there, but the pieces are all carefully enough positioned that I’m still excited about it. Hell, I’m more excited about this crossover than The Force Awakens, whose trailer didn’t have nearly enough lens flare for a J.J. Abrams film.
Karnak #1
Really a book that sells itself: Warren Ellis writes a character whose superpower is identifying the flaw in all things. Karnak is one of those ideas that you wonder how Marvel didn’t do something with him (like give him to Warren Ellis) years earlier. No, he probably isn’t an on-going idea on the level of Iron Man, but he’s obviously someone who can be used for amazing and brilliant stuff. Ellis being Ellis, this is a patient start – an introduction to what Ellis writing the character means, whcih is lots of bitterly nihilistic snark and competence porn, of course. But it’s electric in that classic Ellis way, and a book it’s impossible not to love. Or at least, for me not to love.
October 21, 2015 @ 5:04 pm
Grant Morrison sale over on Comixology this week
October 22, 2015 @ 12:23 am
Really looking forward to Karnak.
Also on sale on Comixology: Fear Itself. Mostly of minor interest here, I suspect, but that does include 9 of the 1st 10 issues of Gillen’s Journey into Mystery run.
October 22, 2015 @ 4:16 am
Was Fear Itself any good? I seem to recall it was the first Marvel crossover that didn’t enthuse me in any way shape or form so I never investigated further (that and after I got burned by Secret Invasion!)
October 22, 2015 @ 6:00 am
Only in the U.S. I think.
While we’re on the subject, has anyone else, like me, switched almost completely to digital comics? Comixology titles look great on my Kindle fire. I now only buy hard copies of titles unavailable digitally. Saves a lot of shelf space.
October 22, 2015 @ 8:04 am
I’m in the UK and just bought lots of cheap Morrison stuff on there!
October 23, 2015 @ 4:31 am
Re Digital.
Most of my Image titles are bought direct from them.
(I use Comic Glass as a reader). I subscribe to Marvel Comics Unlimited to read those titles.
I prefer owning the thing or subscribing at a low cost – not the halfway house of paying for ownership but actually renting the things.
I do still get a few from the local comic shop, but that’s probably going really going to get cut soon. A few Bendis Icon materials… not sure what else…
October 23, 2015 @ 2:23 pm
“Competence Porn” is my new favorite phrase which I intend to deploy liberally.