What I Bought 3/25/2017 - Part 2

More comics. In both these books, things aren't looking too great for the heroes by the end of the issue. Oh well, it's only a middle chapter, there are still opportunities to turn things around.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #18, by Ryan North (writer), Erica Henderson (artist), Rico Renzi (color artist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - Everyone is always hunting Squirrel Girl and trying to put her on the wall. Kraven, that crazy cosplayer lady, now Melissa.

Doreen is really enjoying her flying suit, even offering to get ones for Koi Boi and Chipmunk Hunk. Nancy on the other hand is not convinced of Melissa's benevolence and quickly sniffs out that she is a one of those villains who conquers the world because she thinks she can save it, or rule it properly. And she uses the super-cheap electronic tags her company produces to control all sorts of animals, giving her an army of them.

One problem I had with this is, when Melissa's threatening to sic the rats on the squirrels, she's still standing right there in front of a super-strong person. Doreen, just jump forward and punch her in the face really fucking hard. I know this is not how problems are typically solved in Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, but some people are asses and need to get punched. I don't think Melissa is the sort of character who will be OK if her plan proceeds without her. Maybe we'll learn different in the next issue, but my interpretation is her ideology boils down to thinking she's better than everyone else and that's why she should be boss. Folks like that are not prepared to risk dying for the cause, because how are they gonna benefit if they're dead? So punch her hard enough to make her worried about that possibility.

Not really the right attitude to have for reading this particular comic, I know. Should have saved that for the book below. I wonder if Alfredo the Chicken and Chef Bear will make a surprise return at the end of this story to help Doreen? I just know Chef Bear is good on the inside.

Henderson draws Melissa more from a middle distance and at eye level up to the point where Nancy sees through her lies and Doreen takes them out the window. After that Melissa is drawn either from a lower angle, so we're looking up at her, or she's drawn looking downward, even if not necessarily at the reader. And she's much closer to us, dominating the panels she's in. If she and Doreen share a panel, Melissa is always positioned as dominant, looking down, Doreen looking up. It's good, solid work. Also, I still really like the Flying Squirrel Suit design. Pity its creator was evil.

Renzi used a lot of purple in the backgrounds this issue. The sky is purple, a lot of the windows seem to be purplish, and he uses it for the background in a lot of the close-up panels once they're outside. I think it gets darker over the course of the issue as well. Makes sense with the situation getting worse, plus it's getting later into the night, so it's also appropriate from that perspective.

Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #6, by Jon Rivera and Gerard Way (writers), Michael Avon Oeming (artist), Nick Filardi (color artist), Clem Robins (letterer) - All right, which one of you darn kids broke my window? I bet it was the guy in the mask. Who do you think you are, that one kid from the Mighty Ducks movies?

Cave and the others are too late to stop the release of the Whisperer, which merges with the elder head of EDX. Cave's attempt to kill the creature by ramming the Mole into its face comes up short, as they are confronted with a giant floaty brain. At which point Cave's cybernetic eye leaps out of his head and skitters away.

All this freaking out over one giant, floating brain. Where's the Star Fox team when you need them? They'd take this guy out and make it home for breakfast.

Cave, Wild Dog, and Chloe also drank the psychedelic night pudding to protect their minds from the Whisperer, which gives Filardi a chance to have some fun with the colors. The neon green he uses for the lighting inside the Mole, or the rainbows erupting from the guys Chloe shot. The red lines radiating out from Mad Dog's head, him as a source of violence, bringing death like the Sun brings light. I notice the current boss of EDX, son of the man now merged with a giant brain, was holding a bowl of something that also looked like night pudding. Is he also trying to keep his head clear. He certainly didn't look very happy for a man proclaiming victory, although he was pretty excited about the giant, floating brain. The sequence where Cave's eye deserts him is drawn as three panels that form a wide-eyed grinning face. Hard to make a guy's eye jumping bloodily out of the socket more disturbing, but that managed it. Nice work, Mr. Oeming.