Only 94 new comics this year. Which is down 25 from last year, and the lowest non-2020 year by 13 comics (2021's 107 comics). Couple of causes. One, I dropped several books after 1 or 2 issues (one of which we'll look at in a minute.) Two, a lot of stuff didn't ship, or didn't ship as often. Scout Comics alone had around 13 books I expected to see sometime in 2024 that just, didn't materialize.
All that being the case, Marvel went way up in percentage from 2023 (59.57% vs. 49.58%), despite having 3 fewer books (56 vs. 59.) It's Marvel's biggest piece of the pie since 2017. DC did drop a little, from 9 books to 3 (7.56% down to 3.19%), though there wasn't much room to drop. It was the other publishers that took the real hit, from 51 comics to 35 (though that's only a drop from 42.86% to 37.23%.) Either way, it's the other publishers worst year since. . .2017. Why can't I get anything good to revert to 2017? I'd like to be 7 years younger right about now.
Coda #5: The conclusion to Si Spurrier and Matias Bergara's return to the adventures of Hum and Serka, as they try to stop two different forces, each with a following that want to surrender control of their life to something or someone that promises to make it all make sense. It's not a perfect ending, but that's part of the point of the story: perfect doesn't exist, but you do the best you can.
Dazzler #1, 2: And here's a mini-series I abandoned after two issues. I wasn't invested enough in the mystery of who was staging these attacks on Dazzler, and some of the characters' decisions didn't make a lot of sense, or were immediately contradicted. Domino agrees Dazzler shouldn't use her powers in an offensive (meaning, to attack) way if she's attacked, and Dazzler agrees, only to ditch this at the end of her fight with Scorpia at the end of issue 1. Also, the lyrics for her songs are awful. So I wasn't digging Jason Loo's writing on any level, and Rafael Louriero's art wasn't bad, but also wasn't going to keep me buying the book.
High Point: The friendship between Eleanor and Princess is alternately sweet and funny. It was nice to see the book avoids having the two in some rivalry for their dad's affection. Likewise, that we learn in issue 8 that Deadpool and Valentine's relationship failed because the two of them couldn't find work-life balance, rather than the sort of disasters that usually mark Deadpool's relationships.
Low Point: I'm still not sure what Death Grip's fascination with Deadpool was (is?). Also, I'm not sure about Eleanor's inherited healing factor giving her aspects of Taskmaster's ability (at a much slower rate.) Mostly though, I'm wondering where the heck Preston is? Her adopted daughter just up and vanishes, now there's a girl Deadpool running around and Preston is, apparently, doing nothing about it?
High Point: Kivela's art is excellent, and finds a balance in drawing Bucky moving like a human, and the times where he moves or acts more like a deer. I don't know why the character's like that, as Lindsay doesn't go into it (not explaining things seems to be a trait of his.) The ending leaves certain things unresolved, but I think Lindsay makes that work within the context of the story. Bucky's not a cop, or even a private eye. He broke open a particular story. Now he's on to the next lead, even if it's for something else.
Low Point: There are some things that happen or are revealed in the third issue that feel rushed or kind of cheap. A character not only isn't dead, he's been acting as a mole for months, which we'd seen none of.
Doctor Strange #13, 14: Dr. Strange needs to get his hands on a sentient D&D book, and recruits a bunch of other characters Jed MacKay's written recently to help. Mordo gets involved, it's a whole thing. I really would have liked more time on them navigating the game aspects of the situation they were in, but MacKay treated it more as everyone being in a generic swords n' sorcery setting, like Kulan Gath showed up again.
Dust to Dust #1: It's only been one issue so far, but there's a rich guy throwing his weight around, a sheriff with a jaw bone he's got no answers for, a photographer in from Chicago, and a bunch of people looking for greener pastures elsewhere. I have no idea how all of that is going to combine.
High Point: Nicki's impression of her dad in issue 27 was pretty funny. So was the Halloween issue, as Johnny's boredom gets him to egg Reed into indulging his curiosity in bad ways. The skull with it's little top hat that says "bleh" while it spews blood cracked me up. I think I liked issue 20 the best, though. Ben and johnny competing for Employee of the Month at the grocery store. Gomez drawing Ben with a pencil taped to his finger to act as a stylus or to punch buttons was a thoughtful touch. cash registers are not built for fingers like The Thing's.
Low Point: I guess I could default to the two Blood Hunt tie-in issues, since I just skipped them. As far as issues I bought, the one where Doom's magic shield sends them back in time. Not that the notion of an Earth where the Moon never formed isn't intriguing, but how easily Reed tosses off a solution kind of diminished the scale.
Tomorrow, a bunch of stuff I, for a variety of reasons, bought 3 or fewer issues of!
2 comments:
How have I only now realised that "Deer Editor" is a pun?
It seemed too obvious?
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