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the Kids Are Alright: West Coast Avengers (Marvel, 2018)

In the late 80’s the West Coast Avengers had become the quasi-respectable b-team. This was largely due to a run by John Byrne. Eventually, the West Coast team was disassembled. considering how few comics seem to take place outside of the New York locations of so many Marvel comics, this is a bit of a shame.

But in 2018, Marvel brought back the team. Once again led by a Hawkeye, the team is a bit different this time around. There are two Hawkeyes, for one thing. Clint Barton is more along for the ride, giving the leadership mantle to Kate Bishop.

Along with the Hawkeyes…Hawkei? Is there a special term for this situation? Anyways, along with the two Hawkeyes, there is America Chavez (super strong and able to transport the team to locations), arrogant telepath Quentin Quire, the quirky Gwenpool and Kate’s boyfriend Fuse.

Through Quentin, the team is filmed by a documentary crew, allowing for character asides a la the Office. In their first storyline, giant monsters are attacking the city (beginning with former West Coast Avenger Tigra). The man behind it is B.R.O.D.O.K. however, he claims at first he is reformed and no longer evil. to get to the bottom of it all, they allow him to hang out with the team.

to an extent, this series feels a bit more like a spiritual cousin to Young Avengers, rather than a continuation of the West Coast Avengers. This is not a bad, thing, as writer Kelly Thompson seems to have a specific vision for this team. mainly, that seems to be…fun:

Land sharks folks.

I really like the line art by Daniele Di Nicuolo. The characters are slightly cartoony with a really expressive look. when you add the often bright “neon” colors from Tríona Farrell make this look different from prior Avengers books. It feels kind of…California. Joe Caramagna’s lettering keeps the playful feel of the book going.

Certainly, the use of a reality show to advance the character arcs is not a wholly new one, and Marvel has done it before. But Thompson understands how to use it in a fashion that keeps if from being either tired or intrusive.

West Coast Avengers has so far been a fun and enjoyable read. Thompson and the art team get the characters and how to make them both hilarious and interesting.

February 9, 2019
Tripping the Light Fantastic: The Fantastic Four (Marvel, 2018)

So…the Fantastic Four had a rough go for the last decade or so. They have had some memorable runs, but largely, Marvel seemed very uncommitted to the First Family of the Marvel Universe. Some of this has been believed due to forces outside comics. With the exception of Spider-Man, Marvel seemed to marginalize the properties that they could not utilize in the MCU. This meant that they played pretty fast and loose with the properties Fox had the film rights to. But ever since it looked like Disney would be getting the film rights to the entire Fox Catalogue, the X-Men got a real solid push, leading up to this year’s return of the Uncanny X-Men title. Ever Since the Secret Wars event a couple years ago, the Fantastic Four was off the radar.

When that event ended, Reed, Sue, their kids, Molecule Man and a select group went off to recreate the alternate universes that had been destroyed in the event. Or create new ones. Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm stayed behind and spent their time hanging out with the rest of the Marvel Universe. And that is the purpose of the first issue of the all new Fantastic Four series from Marvel.

Most of Issue one by Dan Slott and Sara Pichelli is exploring how Johnny and Ben are dealing. Johnny still holds out hope for the return of Reed, Sue and the kids.

Ben, however, has really given up hope. Time to move on. To give us a bit of story with the Four Together, Ben shares a “lost Story”. And this is a nice enough issue. It is a nice build up, though as a stand alone, it ends kind of…muted.

It is a prelude to the main story and it really feels like one. But the second issue? While, the second half of a prelude? This is a great build up. In the second issue, we get to see what Reed, Sue and company have been up too.

They have been, as noted earlier, been creating new alternate universes. And Val is meeting boys. Slott actually has a lot of fun with this part of the story. There is a strong community dynamic going on here, not just with the family, but with the various other individuals assisting them in their mission.

But an ancient destroyer has come to undo their work.

When all seems lost, Reed makes a bargain that leads into the very awesome third issue. In the third issue we get a terrific balance of super-hero action, humor and hope. This scene actually encapsulates it very well:

So far, Slott has shown a really nice grasp of the notions of family at the heart of the Fantastic Four. The characters feel like the the cast in the most classic sense, without feeling like the characters regressed.

A big draw for me when the series was announced, was the art of Sarah Pichelli. Ever since I first saw her work in the original Miles Morales series (a character she co-created with Brian Michael Bendis) I just loved her style. And the coloring by Marte Garcia in the book is really good. It is bright and colorful, fitting for the wondrous cosmic settings the book has spent most of its time in. And it really compliments Pichelli’s artwork.

I am going to admit, upcoming issues do not appear to be drawn by Pichelli, and I am hoping this is just temporary and she will be back on the book in 2019. But that concern does not change the fact that I really am enjoying the return of the Fantastic Four and they are off to a terrific start.

December 31, 2018
Boys Will Be Boys on the Border

So, on December 9th, a young comics creator named Cynthia Naugle made the following tweet:

In the thread, she did not name the individual. But what she detailed was an awful history of abuse and general mistreatment from a comics professional she thought she could trust. The response was largely sympathetic and supportive. People condemned what she had been through and expressed a sense of regret. I say largely. ComicsGate was like sharks closing in on chum.

They spent the following hours accusing their “enemies” of silence. They believed that the “SJW” comic fan and creator community had been caught covering up for another sleazy creator. Which is weird, because, Cynthia had not named her abuser. It is hard to denounce a person directly when we do not know who it is for sure. But about a day later, she confirmed that the guy in question was Eric Esquivel.

For most of us, Esquivel was known for being the writer Vertigo’s recent series Border Town. I liked this book a lot. It was the last comic book review I did on this blog…and it was easily on track to being a favorite of 2018.

But this reveal of Esquivel’s character destroyed that. And not just for me. The creative team all left the book and DC opted to cancel the book. Esquivel offered a weak defense based apology. But his behavior was terrible and cruel. Cynthia was brave to come forward, and she also made public something that was apparently a known secret in her comics community. It appears that Eric was the guy everyone was warned about.

Sadly, Cynthia’s horrifying experience here and the “known secret” thing were weaponized by ComicsGate in an attempt to shame the “SJW” community they despise. They saw a real opportunity to shame their critics by claiming everyone from cosplayer Renfamous to creator Gail Simone were well aware of Esquivel’s reputation and all of the lefties in fandom and the industry were complicit in his behavior and the cover up of it. This is pretty ridiculous, and all their “evidence” fell apart quickly. Three tweets in as many years to Esquivel from Gail Simone a close friendship between the two does not make.

I am just going to say…this attempt to make this terrible situation for Cynthia Naugle into some example of the true face of the SJW crowd (that somehow we harbor more predators in a unique fashion) is a cruel attack on Naugle. It does not help her. It does not support her. And she deserves the comic book community to stand with her and against Esquivel and his predatory ilk.

Because, in the end? Esquivel is the villain here. He is the bad guy. He can try and excuse his actions all he wants. His abuse of Naugle cannot be excused. There may come a day when he has truly searched himself and does not create excuses, but genuinely regrets his actions and seeks to make amends. But he is not there, and I refuse to support his work. Get out of here, Esquivel.

December 30, 2018
We Care A Lot (About Stan Lee)

So, Stan Lee has passed away. For a lot of us that was a bummer, and we all were tweeting and posting about Stan. Then Bill Maher had two step into it and blamed us for Trump.

November 22, 2018
Monsterfest: Border Town (DC/Vertigo, 2018)

UPDATE: After four issues, Vertigo has canceled Border Town in light of allegations of abusive treatment of women. I had not read the fourth issue yet, and canceled the book from my pull list before the announcement of cancellation. Also, both Tamra Bonvillain and Ramon Villalobos left the book before cancellation.

Frank’s family have moved Devil’s Fork Arizona…a small town on the border…well, two borders. One the Arizona/Mexico border…and another between our world and the land of the dead, ruled by Mictlantecutli. Monsters are slipping into our world and attacking people.

Frank is just trying to fly under the radar, but he attracts the attention of the local racist skinhead…This leads to him begrudgingly becoming friends with Julietta, Aimi and Quinteh. After they witness monsters attacking local skinhead Blake, they find out from a local woman that they may have just entered a battle to defend the town (and greater world) whether they want to or not.

At the same time, a young Chupacabra desires to be free of the brutality of his homewrld (the land of the dead). After Mictlantecutli declares the creature must be punished, it flees and seeks the help of ur intrepid group of friends.

The cast of the book is a lot of fun, especially Quinteh. As a young boy, he took to wearing a luchador mask to feel more confident, and has never removed it since. There is a lot of mystery here…what is the long term goal of Mictlantecutli? What about Frank’s lineage has tied him to this town?

There were a few moments in the first issue where I felt the dialog was a little stiff, but this was not the case for most of the book. And by the second and third issues, I felt the dialog flowed much better. Monsters can be allow for all sorts of creative avenues, and here Esquivel has focused on the idea that the monsters take on the appearance of what the person seeing them fears most.

I like Ramon Villalobos’ art. It has a feel similar to Frank Quitely. It establishes a certain reality and roughness within the fantasy worlds being established. Tamra Bonvillain’s color schemes really help complete the feel of the book. Her palette for the daytime hours is dry and warm…buy when set at night the colors cool.

The book has taken heat from a certain segment of fans who seem rather outside the target audience. The book became a target for having political overtones. And certainly, the book is full of both social and political hot buttons. There topics related to race and citizenship. Though the idea that racism is to political for comic books seems remarkably silly. Border Town is part of the newly revived Vertigo line from DC. Vertigo books have always been full of social and political commentary. From Swamp Thing to Constantine to American Virgin and so on…social and political and religious commentary. Sometimes through sincere drama and others through biting satire. So, is Border Town from a very specific perspective. And that is okay. Expecting Vertigo titles to be free of such things when they never were before is absolutely ridiculous.

Border Town is an entertaining read so far, with a distinct perspective and an intriguing premise.

November 8, 2018
Right Place, Wrong Time: The Wrong Earth (Ahoy Comics 2018)

Dragonflyman is an upbeat hero with a teen sidekick named Stinger. He works with the local police and the local banker to fight crime. His top criminal is the self absorbed Number one.

Dragonfly is a grim anti-hero who is dealing with a lot of emotional baggage, including the brutal murder of his sidekick Stinger at the hands of the vicious psychopath Number One. He operates outside the law, the government and police force are corrupt and as much of a conflict for him as any villain.

One day, in a fight with their respective Number Ones, Dragonflyman and Dragonfly find themselves trapped in each others universes.

Dragonfly/Dragonfly Man are clearly Batman analogs, with Dragonflyman representing the relentlessly cheery Batman of the 60’s TV show. His world is full of people so honest that they happily dismiss charges against Duece (Number One’s girlfriend) because she stayed with Stinger after he was nearly killed.

Dragonfly, on the other hand, is the Dark and Gritty Batman…and this is where Peyer finds a lot of room for some deep satire of super-hero comics. As both men try and navigate their way through the other’s world, they find themselves struggling to make sense of it all. How does Dragonfly deal with discovering a world where he is beloved and trusted by authority and citizens? And even more, how does Dragonfly face a world where Stinger is still alive…where his failure of his young charge never occurred?

And how is Dragonflyman going to navigate a world where he is seen as the real danger, no more trustworthy than his evil villains? A world without Stinger. Where his friends are corrupt officials? Both heroes are seeking to find a way home, but decide they must try and fit in in the meantime (this leads to shocking instances like Dragonfly resolving a fight almost instantly by just shooting a guy in the head on TV).

But the book is not merely satirical. The characters are interesting and likable. Peyer is not making fun of these characters, instead, he appeals to their situation as a an emotional punch for the two men.

Jamal Igle’s pencils provide a terrific foundation. He is a skilled artist who can draw great super-heroes. Here he makes subtle stylistic differences. Dragonflyman is almost undefined, but his outfit has wrinkles and does not show off his physique as much. Meanwhile, Dragonfly’s outfit shows every vein and muscle. The inking by Juan Castro enhances these little differences. And then there is the colors. In Dragonflyman’s world, Andy Troy paints a bright and upbeat palette. Dragonfly’s world is perpetually dark and grim.

I am really enjoying the Wrong Earth. It is a fun concept that is well written with great and perfectly fitting art.

November 8, 2018
Blog Update

So…I thought I would add some links, mostly the links section. I was getting ready to add links…and I decided to check my existing links. I went through and cleared out all dead links. I also removed most of the blogs that had not update for five or more years. I also updated to new web addresses.

And I also added several comic book related links and a few political video essayists I like. I am getting some more reviews ready, and plan to do a video to cover sone of the current events going on in comics and quickie reviews of some books I was not a big fan of.

The Features image is from the cover of Imaginary Fiends by Richard Pace. The comic book is written by Tim Seeley and has interior art byStephen Molnar andQuinton Winter. Published Vertigo Comics and ©2018 Tim Seeley.

September 16, 2018
For the Dream: Captain America (Marvel, 2018)

America is in tatters. A megalomaniacal leader took over and corrupted the nation. And then there was Secret Empire in the comics. Eh…that joke seemed better in my head.

Anyways, in the aftermath of Secret Empire, Steve Rogers is actively trying to regain the trust of America. Mainly he is trying to stop the rogue factions of Nukes, super enhanced soldiers that helped bring down Hydra. They have become home grown terrorist, believing America has betrayed them.

Steve is trying to take down the factions as they spring up, at the same time struggling with his guilt over the whole Hydra Affair. Clearly, people look and see his face as the face of Hydra. Steve is both angry and frustrated. There is a recurring theme that there is something noble in the ideals of the dream. And a lot of those were used by Hydra to coerce Americans into complacency.

In the third issue, Steve sits in a hoodie conversing with a miner explaining why he was willing to live under Hydra rule. Hydra seemed to make everything work. Healthcare, schools, jobs…they made these things accessible, and nobody wanted to question the how. And now that they have gone, a new secretive company is covering where they left off. The Government is scrambling to put out fires and this private company is giving the illusion of jobs and a security and education.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is the writer on the latest Captain America series, and he is facing the controversial Secret Empire storyline in the eyes. Rather than trying to downplay or avoid it, he has Steve confronting and trying to correct it. Captain America and Steve Rogers have long represented a notion of the selfless man who always puts others above himself. He will throw himself on the grenade to protect everyone else. Coates has a precision focus on who Steve is in the aftermath of his heroism being poisoned in the eyes of the world. Coates also has really pushed Steve and Sharon’s relationship to the heart of the series. Sharon is the voice of serenity and forgiveness in Steve’s ear. She is also a badass sixty something agent. I really like that they have not chosen to present her as a thirty something babe, but as a more mature woman.

There were some upset when it was announced that Coates would be taking on Captain America. “He will ruin Captain America” they wailed angrily. And he has a long history of vexing certain folks with his less idyllic view of race relations in America. He was accused by these voices of being a diversity hire when he got his gig on Black Panther, as if he was not an established author.

If the fear was that he would make Cap to political…well, come on now. Captain America was punching Hitler before we officially entered World War Two. He is at his best when he is confronting the American Dream. Coates is infusing the book with a Rogers who has deeply held ideals and seeks to hold tightly to them, even when America lets them down. But I don’t really think Coates is preaching outwards. Honestly? I feel like, just maybe, Coates is writing as much to himself as anyone else. That he is trying to challenge himself.

In the third issue, there is an exchange between Rogers and T’Challa. When it is revealed that there may be a connection between the government and Nuke terror attacks, Steve wearily says, “I wish I weren’t so surprised. I should start expecting this stuff.” But T’Challa offers a rather hopeful note against the easier cynicism.

“No, you should not. You should never expect such things from your own people. They day you are not surprised is the day that Captain America dies.”

It is a powerful thought…and it feels like one of those things Coates wants to believe as much as it might be a messaged aimed at readers. The personal is political…and trying to tear the politics from Captain America is foolish.

The story is punctuated with amazing art from Leinil Francis Yu. I have always loved the kinetic energy of his fine line artwork. He draws an impressive and noble looking Cap. I have really appreciated his work throughout this series. The main covers are beautiful paintings by Alex Ross. And the colors by Sunny Gho flow wonderfully with the artwork from Yu. Sunny has a beautiful painted style that does not clash with the lines. Sometimes colorists can produce overly glossy colors at odds with the art. But here, Gho is complimenting Yu’s work perfectly.

Three issues in and I am extremely pleased with the latest Captain America series. I recommend this book.

September 11, 2018
Sibling Rivalry: New Mutants: Dead Souls (Marvel, 2018)

The New Mutants was one of the first big expansions of the X-Men franchise. It made sense from the company perspective. And although Chris Claremont (the writer) and Louise Simonson (the X-Men Editor) wanted the X-Men to be a unique world and title within the Marvel Universe, Shooter was insisting on a spin-off.

Claremont and Simonson opted to focus on students at the Xavier School. The series ended in 1991, and the team became X-Force. There was a follow up in 2003 which ran for thirteen issues and then was replaced by New X-Men Academy X. Then in 2009, they tried to bring back the original cast.

This latest mini-series is written by Matthew Rosenberg (who seems to be on the path to the guiding voice of the X-Men Universe) with art by Adam Gorham (artist) and Michael Garland (color artist).

The set up of the new series is that Xi’an Coy Manh (formerly Karma) has a company and hired Magick to lead an assembled team that includes Wolfsbane, Rictor, Boom Boom and Big Guy. I admit that this point kind of reminds me of the first Peter David run of X-Factor. However, this team’s purpose is to investigate strange goings on. It is a bit of the X-Files meets the X-Men.

The first three issues play up seemingly separate events. Zombies, Frost Giants and people becoming a violent mob on a plan all culminate in the reveal of a connection to the New Mutant’s past. The second have of the series becomes a race to get ahead of the villain. There is a side plot regarding the alien Warlock that eventually comes together with the main plot.

The series does presume that you are familiar with certain events from the various big event storylines. This is especially true of the conflict between Rhane (Wolfsbane) and Guido (Big Guy). It is actually a really nicely handled aspect5 of the the story that addresses the themes of forgiveness, personal responsibility and redemption.

The fourth issue is largely focused on Magick’s feelings of being a failure as a leader due to the events of the previous issue. Rosenberg has written one of his best works with a really touching portrayal of the X-Men trying to come to terms with loss and feelings of responsibility and inadequacy as heroes and leaders.

Much like the X-Files, this series calls into question of who can be trusted and where is the real danger.

I really liked the art in this book. Goran’s drawing have a rough edge and at times can look a bit stiff. There can be a lack of backgrounds, but I felt like it really served the story well, and one sees a lot of potential for the future as Goran continues to grow as an artist. And when there is a background to a panel, Goran puts a lot of work into the image. The colors by Michael Garland have a nice bright pallet. The look is a bit of hint of watercolors and this gives the book a surreal look for the surreal storyline.

The New Mutants: Dead Souls was a good read and I would recommend it to X-Fans, especially if you miss some of the crazier aspects of the original New Mutants run.

September 9, 2018
The Bulls**t of Meritocracy
So… the kids in ComicsGate apparently are releasing their list of ideals. Number one?
1. Hire people based on merit. Pay your dues and you eventually get your own title, Noone jumps the line because of race sex whatever
I am sure, on it’s face a lot of folks would shrug and may even think this is reasonable. But the truth is, the specify race and gender for a reason. Shortly before leaving Marvel for DC, Michael Bendis created RiRi Williams. A brilliant young adventure, she has taken on the role of Ironheart, armored hero taking over for Iron Man. Of course, this would always be temporary, Tony Stark and Iron Man were going to be their old selves eventually. But Riri set off the comic gate folks. They hated her. Tony was being pushed aside for the crime of being a white male they cried.

And Bendis (who has adopted black children) has certainly expressed a desire for his kids to be able to see super-heroes that reflect themselves. Which is not a crime. In spite of the attempt to treat the notion of the social justice warrior as a derisive notion…that there is something wrong with valuing justice and goodness and respect for people and their identities… Bendis is seeing this through the eyes of a parent. Diversity within the world of fantasy is not a bad thing. It is not an attack on the reader. The same for diversity among the creators.

So, you might be wondering what this has to do with the “merit” philosophy. Well, recently, it was announced that this woman would be writing a Riri Williams series:

Who is she?

Eve Ewing is an award winning poet and writer who, last year, gave Marvel a shoutout on Twitter asking to write for Riri. She joked that they have the same hair and skin color. A couple years ago, Ta-Nehisi Coates got a gig writing Black Panther. Neither Ewings nor Coates have a history writing comic books. They, of course, hardly are alone. Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Gilbert Gotfried, CM Punk, Kevin Smith, Joss Whedon and Brad Metzler all got gigs with little to zero comic book writing experience. CM Punk got what many feel is an underrated series for Drax of the Guardians of the Galaxy after a couple short backup stories. Kevin Smith got Daredevil with almost nothing prior. These guys? They all love comics. That was their reason to get in. They wanted to write comics. They did not work their way up writing comics before the big leagues. Joss Whedon got to write comics because of his celebrity. And this was celebrated. Actually, pretty much all the guys I mentioned were either celebrated, or at the very least? Nobody really lodged a complaint.*

Upon the announcement of Eve Ewing getting the Riri Williams gig? She got a tweet response that said “that’s so lit” and featured a Klan rally with a burning cross. Diversity in Comics Richard Meyer has harped repeatedly that she only got the gig because she was black. They are insisting there is no racism behind their call for “merit”. The complain about diversity hires…they claim women in comics achieved their place via “sleeping their way to the top.” Yeah. They genuinely believe that women are having sex to break into comics.

They just want everyone to work their way up the ladder, right? But you might notice something about their rule.

They completely ignore the top reason people get to jump to the front of the line. Far less likely than race or gender? Celebrity. Companies love to give big name people a shot because it can sell books.

The problem with the whole merit argument is…well, talent, a good pitch, great ideas…these are what merit an opportunity in the creative world. And plenty of hacks work their way up the ladder writing endless books for hire. It is not whether you have written a comic book that gives you the opportunity. This is a ridiculous and stupid rule. And frankly, you know if Marvel or DC came and said “You have some great ideas, here is a big book to write” to Meyer or any other comicsgater dreaming of a comic book career would drop their snide ideals of merit like a hot potato.

*Nor do I now. The fact is, there is nothing wrong with how any of these individuals got their opportunity to write comic books. I do not begrudge them taking advantage of the opportunity their status afforded them. That is totally cool and unworthy of derision. But this applies to Ewing and Coates and numerous other folks getting to “cut to the front of the line”.
September 3, 2018