Friday, June 01, 2018

What I Bought 5/30/2018

The second half of May wasn't supposed to be so dead for new books. But three comics I was expecting to come out didn't, and I still haven't tracked down the first issue of Coda. So here we are.

Ms. Marvel #30, by G. Willow Wilson (writer), Nico Leon (artist), Ian Herring (color artist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - Schiti is really going with a different style there. I wonder why.

Kamala is trying to figure out what to do about Red Dagger and Bruno. Bruno is trying to figure out what to do about Kamala and Mike. Zoe, Nakia, and Mike are trying to figure what to do about the new student, who Zoe is certain is a super-villain. When Kamala is finally aware of this, she confronts Kaylee, and gets trounced because that sentient virus has gotten itself a robot body. So it's turning into Ultron, if Ultron were an annoying twerp. Frankly, Ultron as a dinosaur is much cooler. Kaylee/Doc.X has something planned for the spring dance, but Kamala and the Red Dagger foil it, and then he decides to go home while Kamala sorts things out. OK, then.

I have no idea what Kaylee's plan was going to be. To use her popularity to incite violence against marginalized members of the student body? To humiliate a bunch of people by revealing their secrets? It never got off the ground, as far as we know, so that was kind of an anti-climax. I guess it's going to be an ongoing struggle with that virus, and so this is just another phase of the battle. It also seems to be dredging up the specter of everything Kamala is keeping from her friends and family. Red Dagger suggesting they reveal their identities to each other was running on a similar track. She's still avoiding that conversation. It'll have to happen sooner or later, though. She's letting too many things related to her friends slip through the cracks, and they're hitting their limit with it.

The fight scene at the dance was pretty well drawn. Doc.X's robot body is a solid design, and the teamwork between Kamala and Red Dagger was handled well. I especially liked the dual use of guitars as weapons. I wish that panel had been a little bigger, or zoomed in more. The musicians are supposed to be distraught, but they're just vague outlines, so it kind of blunts the potential hilarity. Probably not supposed to find it funny, but our heroes are dealing with relationship issues while Kwezi pretends to be a 19th Century European anthropologist with his commentary, so don't think it's meant entirely seriously, either.

Also, Kwezi's growing on me as a character. I haven't been super-interested in all these new characters Wilson's been bringing in, since it means less page time for the supporting cast I already like, but I appreciate that she and Leon are expanding the universe.

Leon's work on body language is solid as always. Kaylee's arrogance and dismissive attitude, Zoe's dramatic approach to everything. But hey, exclaiming someone might be a super-villain got Mike out of that bathroom stall, where Nakia's patient understanding wasn't, so drama gets results.

2 comments:

SallyP said...

Imam torn between Bruno and Red Daggar. I like Bruno, but he did dump Kamala, and he isn't treating Mike very well either. Thank god we aren't in High School anymore!

CalvinPitt said...

I still don't blame Bruno for wanting some distance from Kamala after his injuries, which he got trying to rescue someone she imprisoned for something the guy MIGHT do in the future. But I don't think the two of them should be a couple, even setting aside what Aamir told Bruno about their parents wanting Kamala to marry someone of their faith, which rules Bruno out unless he converts. They should just try and be friends again and call it good. So I guess I'm pro-Red Dagger? He seems generally pleasant.

As for Bruno and Mike, hopefully he's starting to make up for that. My worry is, since Mike is a supporting character, whatever reconciliation goes on between them won't make it on the page, so it'll look like Bruno's ignoring her to help Kamala with whatever, even if that isn't how we're supposed to read. Although I could see him getting so drawn into superhero stuff again he loses track of everyone else, unfortunately.