0
0
So many Secret Wars! All the Secret Wars! Secret Wars upon Secret Wars! But, the stack is getting smaller. And in the next post I’ll be giving my spoiler-free thoughts on some non Secret Wars books. I HAVE been reading a few here and there, I am just waiting to put them in their own post. As always, past blogs here, with the newcomics hashtag.
Years of Future Past #1 – Based on one of the most popular X-men stories, this book was a pleasant surprise. DOFP has been adapted and played with enough over the years I wasn’t sure how this would play out or it’d be fresh enough to say something new about the story. Thankfully, it is! This takes place many years into the future of the DOFP storyline, where the future depicted there wasn’t prevented. There’s some really gorgeous art on display here, and the incorporation of the Secret Wars elements (especially as displayed at the end of the book look to be a LOT of fun.
Ghost Racers #1 – It’s pretty hard to beat this setup (and the gorgeous francavillarts cover) and GR totally delivers. It’s Ghost Riders past and present, stuck in the Killiseum. I’m not too familiar with the latest Ghost Rider, Reyes, but that’s not really necessary to enjoy the story. There are some really fun design choices here. Carter Slade’s skeletal centaur design, for instance, is really dynamic. And having Johnny Blaze in an Evil Knievel-esque outfit is pretty inspired. I keep hoping for a SW book I can drop, to be honest. It’s not going to be this one.
Marvel Zombies #1 – Zombies leave me pretty cold. At this point, I watch The Walking Dead, but I’m pretty much numb to their over-indulged existence otherwise. But, I thought I’d give this Elsa Bloodstone starrer a try. I didn’t care for it. The art was pretty good. Although towards the end of the book there’s a full-page panel that’s a bit confusing because the artist didn’t render a zombie horde with much detail. So it kind of just looked like a bunch of trees in the distance upon first glance. But, overall, it’s just not my cup of tea. There’s some humor that feels a tiny bit forced. We’re supposed to find Elsa “bad ass” and funny and tough, but she kind of just came off as an unlikable creep.
Captain Marvel and the Carol Corps #1 – Is this good? Of course it is. The writing pedigree here with Deconnick and Thompson is spectacular, of course. The idea of teaming up Carol with a squadron of female fighter pilots is totally appropriate, of course. The character and world building is pretty much flawless, and the story draws you right in. The art is wonderfully expressive. It sounds like I’m gushing here. I am.
Weirdworld #1 – Remember how I was gushing above? I’m going to be gushing again! Wow. This book almost feels like a throwback to Marvel’s Epic line. An amazing fantasy tale featuring the little-remembered Arkon. I was so excited reading this book, because it was a ton of fun. But the art is just gorgeous. It’s painterly, with a wild and wonderful color palette. And then.. THEN some guys show up that look an AWFUL lot like the villains from one of my favorite little-remembered 80s toy lines. Such a cool surprise of a book. Can this be an ongoing?
1602: Witch Hunter Angela #1 – Damn it! Here’s another excellent book! I write these as I read the books, so I have no idea when I’m going to end up reading a whole batch of really good books. Now it just feels like total gushing fanboying. Oh well. The match up of Angela with the 1602 version of Marvel (both being inventions of Neil Gaiman) is fun. It turns out to be inspired. I have to admit, Marvel’s desire to add Angel to their universe has always seemed a bit odd. I never really got it. But I really enjoyed her (and Sareh) here. The art, again, was a pleasure to look at. There’s a really easy humor to the book, partly derived from familiar concepts rendered in the mock-Shakespearean dialogue of the book. It’s a bit wonderful, really. I wonder if the real-world Angela is this interesting?
Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos #1 – I don’t really follow Deadpool. But the other SW Deadpool book was fun, and the idea of the Howling Commandos being rethought as a group of monsters was fun. As for this book… humor… humor is tough. One person’s gold is another’s…. not gold. You see what I mean. So, it’s interesting that both books I didn’t love this time involved a more humorous take on things. That’s not to say the book is bad by an means. I did smirk at times. It just didn’t quite gel with me humor-wise.
