What I Bought 8/3/2019 - Part 1

It's weird seeing people on Twitter going on about feral hogs all of the sudden. They were becoming unpleasantly common down in the boonies where I worked a few years back, and killing them all is no easy task since they breed a lot and they're fairly smart.

Last month's books, last month's books! For today, we're looking at a couple of books on their 5th issue, both of them might be in danger of falling off my buy list.

Magnificent Ms. Marvel #5, by Saladin Ahmed (writer), Minkyu Jung (penciler/inker), Juan Vlasco (inker), Ian Herring (color artist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - I initially thought that symbol on her knee was a gear of some kind, and I couldn't figure why they'd go steampunk with her costume design.

Kamala and both sides of the civil war have united to fight the Beast Legions, but they're going to lose unless Kamala can get inside the Great Machine (which none of the locals can manage) and use it to turn the tide. The Machine is left over from the original savior of the world, who was some roaming Kree soldier. She decided the planet wasn't fit for colonizing, but didn't slaughter the natives anyway, which is unusually generous for the Kree. Since Kamala's sort of Kree, she can use it to destroy the uninhabited spaceship that creates the Beast Legions. And she gets a new nanotech costume that responds to her thoughts. Yes, like a symbiote. No way that goes badly.

She and her parents are returned home, and the guy who does it goes ahead and pulls the old mindwipe on her parents, so they don't remember the trip or that Kamala is a superhero. Well, hell, Wilson never did anything with that reveal anyway, and I guess Ahmed doesn't want to, either. But since it seemed like a big part of this story was both Kamala's parents knowing, and getting to see their daughter in action first hand, wiping the information from their minds makes the whole thing seem like a waste of time. Which is not really the impression you want me to have coming off your opening story arc?

The new costume is. . . OK, I guess. I wouldn't call it good, or an improvement by any stretch, but it's not eye-searingly bad. There are unnecessary lines on it, in the red V-neck part, and on the blue where extends down her upper leg. Reminds me unpleasantly of all those redesigns Jim Lee did for the Justice League back when the New 52 started. Superman with the high collar and the Flash with visible seams all over his outfit. I don't think her costume needed more pointless detail. And the scarf now appears to have daggers on the ends? I hope we're not going to see her start stabbing people with them. I don't need Kamala putting in her resume for the Savage Avengers.

Dial H for Hero #5, by Sam Humphries (writer), Joe Quinones (artist), Scott Hanna (inker), Jordan Gibson (colorist), Dave Sharpe (letterer) - That is the weirdest eye booger I've ever seen. He might want some eyedrops.

Miguel chases after Mr. Thunderbolt through the origin stories of several heroes, until they encounter The Operator. Thunderbolt gives them both the slip, and Operator (who is Robby Reed) explains how he got here, trying to find the source of the H-Dial's powers. Which exists beyond the Speed Force Wall, which is a thing, apparently? While the Operator wastes time trying to explain to Miguel what a hero's origin really is, Mr. Thunderbolt is busy using the dial to give every person in Metropolis the chance to have powers, which he believes is only proper and right. This happens just as Summer arrives - in the Supermobile - hoping to get Superman's help.

Summer getting lost and ending up in Gotham while trying to reach Metropolis was the funniest part of the issue. I'm not even sure where Metropolis is in relation to Gotham these days. Across the bay from each other, or is Metropolis back out in the Midwest while Gotham's on the coast? No wonder she got lost.

Miguel's second meeting with Superman is touching, and I liked the detail that the wheel on Miguel's bike bent when he threw it at Superman, and that Superman asks him to be careful or he'll hurt himself.

I think Miguel's right about the Dial drawing from a "Powerverse" more than a Heroverse, if a person's origin is what they choose to do with the powers, then unless the dial actually gives someone heroic impulses, which this story doesn't suggest it does, then yeah, it's just handing out powers. You can use them for evil if you want. The cop lady that turned into a Vertigo character might have thought she was doing good, but I kind of doubt it. The guy that turned into an Akira Toriyama character lost himself in the joy of fighting. They just wanted power, being a hero didn't seem to factor in.

But maybe the point is the person already has made a decision before they dial and that informs what they get. I don't know.

Mr. Thunderbolt still looks ridiculous to me with that massive chin, but most characters that come out of the H-Dial look ridiculous, so that tracks. The two-page spread of Miguel and Robby walking the dividing line between the two sides of the Powerverse was lovely. The way the sides mirror each other in some ways, but not all, and I really like the colors. They're bright and noticeable, but not overwhelming. You can still follow Miguel and Robby without getting lost. They're still the focus, but you can pause to enjoy the scenery if you want.