Once again, it's time to review the last year in comics. Once again, I'm spending four day on all the different titles I bought, and saving all the listing and whatnot for the fifth day. Let's get cracking!
A Calculated Man #4: The last issue of a mini-series meant to conclude in 2022, but I assume all those financial problems Aftershock had/has played a role. The question of whether former mob accountant Jack Beans would manage to kill his former employers before they killed him and escape into the sunset is resolved. I found myself really annoyed by the conclusion, and I'll leave it at that.
A Haunting on Mars #1: The second issue should appear this month, but for now it's a hodge-podge group sent to the abandoned (and shoddily-built) Mars colony, allegedly to retrieve something valuable. Whether that's actually what writer Zach Chapman has planned remains to be seen.
Agent of W.O.R.L.D.E. #4: Another final issue of a mini-series, at least for now. It certainly feels like Deniz Camp has more he could do with the story. For where it ends, with Phillip as someone who sees no issue in casually ripping apart families so he can go home to his own, because he's a fundamentally damaged person from being in the grip of this mess of an agency, it fits, but it's certainly not uplifting.
Blood Run #1: One-shot by Evan Pozios and Stefano Cardoselli about a madcap Death Race situation, with a group of strange and unique racers. Mostly an opportunity for Cardoselli to draw weird stuff like a giant electric angler fish fighting a Grim Reaper, or evil garbage men chasing a sword-wielding redhead in a muscle car. On that count, a total success.
High Point: As always, Nocenti stuffs her books with stuff. The frustrated teens, the anthropologist excited to learn about another world. An antagonist angry that Earth uses their planet, but all disingenuous enough to say whatever she needs to gain an advantage. Goad Nitro's resentment, play at Carol's compassion, offer power to the others and encourage them to enjoy it.
Low Point: Five issues is not nearly enough time to explore all the stuff in this mini-series. Many elements are remarked upon, but not shown, expanded or resolved. There's no resolution to Earth companies dumping toxic materials on this alien world, or even an explanation how they do it. Villanelli also never gives us a visual reference for what the world looked before, so we can see how "ruined" it is. We're told the richer inhabitants of the world went underground, but we never see it. There's something going on with the A.I. gaining greater independence and goals of its own in issue 3, but it's abandoned in issue 5 when the bot has combined with its creator. Either Nocenti needed to get more issues to work with, or she needed to dial things back a bit.
High Point: For a book that revolves around fighting, Skroce makes the Thing a bit easier to injure, to better play up the odds he's overcoming in these battles. The art can be graphic, but exaggerated enough it isn't too gory, if that makes sense. But he also plays up the Thing's power with some truly impressive punches. The Hulk team-up in issue 1, and the Dr. Doom team-up in issue 4 are the best, as Skroce seems to get the relationships between Grimm and those two very well. He draws out the humor of the Hulk and Thing trash-talking each other, or Doom egging on Ben when he needs it, while Ben remains unimpressed by Doom's whole shtick.
Low Point: I didn't love the earpiece that feeds Ben more diplomatic or cultured responses Skroce introduces in issue 2, though it ends up being relevant in the conclusion. Issue 3 with Dr. Strange felt like a missed opportunity. Didn't do enough with Ben mouthing off to big magic muckety-mucks or anything like that. Really, Strange gets the best lines.
High Point: Bergara's art is still fantastic. When the scene call for wide scope on a strange castle or landscape, he's got it. When it needs something quiet and sweet between Serka and Hum (rare that is), he's got it. When it needs some frankly horrifying, like Mildew using the out-of-her mind sprigmother to produce messengers and probably killing her in the process, Bergara's got it.
That amid all that fighting for the future, Serka and Hum are just trying to move forward with their own lives, and having their own problems. The "don't-call-it-a-quest" in issue 4, which Serka hopes will both solve their problems and bring them closer together, instead only seems to drive the wedge deeper.
Low Point: Hasn't really been anything I was dissatisfied with so far. We'll see if they stick the landing this month.
Darkwing Duck #1-3: Much like I drift back to Street Fighter comics every so often, I drift back to Darkwing Duck whenever someone gives it a whirl. This attempt didn't do anything for me, though, so I dropped it after 3 issues. Credit to Amanda Deibert and Carlo Lauro, I think they captured the feel of the cartoon, but I suppose I was looking for them to do something more with it, and they didn't.
Deadfellows #1: A guy coming out of a bad relationship moves into a new place. When he finds he can't reconnect with any of his old friends, he tries to kill himself, only to learn his place is haunted and the ghosts don't want another one hanging around. Seems like it's got potential to go a lot of ways, but there hasn't been a second issue in the 9+ months since this came out.
Deadpool #3, 4: Yeah, I just didn't dig Alyssa Wong giving Deadpool a symbiote. At all. The relationship with Valentine had some potential. The question of whether Wade can trust yet another person who seems to be messing with his body. Issue 3, the date at the zoo, was entertaining. Had some humor, which was nice. But again, the symbiote's there as an active presence.
High Point: Henry Ponciano's colors. He uses blocks of solid colors, especially in the backgrounds, as a point of emphasis in scenes with the gods, and it works. Breaks up the muddier coloring when Casper's playing Sam Spade (or I guess Tom Magnum would be a more '80s appropriate reference.) Ringel having the different pantheons take different looks and approaches. The Greeks all bright power business suits (except Nemesis and her '80s aerobics outfit), the Norse as a biker gang. Hades saving a guy from walking in front of a car in issue 2 (because it wasn't that guy's time) was a nice brief scene, that the gods haven't come close to abandoning their old positions, even if they don't hold them any longer.
Low Point: Certain threads don't really line up. It's the drug Apollo and Loki are selling to mortals that brings Casper back in originally, but that's not connected to the god murders, which is what the story is actually about. So it kind of gets resolved offhand, without much involvement from Casper.
That's it for Day 1. Tomorrow, not nearly as many titles.
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