It's an oddly populated Fifth Week of comics, as we see the return to DC's big event, two annuals come out, and I'm once again vexed by my feelings on a certain Marvel comic.
Dark Nights: Metal #5
Writer: Scott Snyder / Artist: Greg Capullo / Inks: Jonathan Glapion / Colors: FCO Plascencia / Letters: Steve Wands
This is a comic that's constantly had me tilting my head at it throughout the run. The second issue made it onto my Top 10 2017 Comics List because of how well-paced and told it was, plus it kept pulling the rug out from under us with how crazy it would get, but subsequent issues have being so to negative effect. The Dark Knights are pretty much at fault for that, in my opinion. They're too overpowering. Everywhere they go they're invincible, so it's almost impossible for us to believe that our heroes will find a way to win out. The craziness that they bring is drowned out among all the other insane things going on.
In fact, the best moments, save for one moment, are the quieter moments, like Superman and Batman trying to console each other or when Hal Jordan and Mr. Terrific are suddenly given help from an unlikely friend. It's also greatly boosted by Greg Capullo's art; there isn't a single badly drawn character in this entire comic. The final double-page spread is also filled with tons of little things that make you wonder how this guy does it. Capullo's at the top of his game here, no question.
However, the constant "uh-oh, how will the heroes get out of this one?" moments are way too many at this point in the story. I get that there's only one issue left and things have to become super desperate, but at this point the odds have become so insurmountable that there's no feasible way for the heroes to win without there being some sort of Deus Ex Machina. I get that there are various items and do-dads lying around, like the Multiversal Tuning Fork, that are in play, but they're currently in the possession of Satan.
The stakes are just too high right now. If things weren't at the scale of the multiverse I think this book would be better, but we've been limited to just Earth for now. I hear that The Wild Hunt is supposed to offset that, but its supplementary reading and not part of the main comic. It really does seem that in their attempts to shoot for the stars, they may have shot too far and now don't have anywhere to land. Maybe Issue 6 will remedy that, but, for now, it's a bit of a tough time to get through. There are great, great character beats, but not enough to get through the otherwise boring moments.
Detective Comics Annual #1
Writer: James Tynion IV / Artist: Eddy Barrows / Inks: Eber Ferreira / Colors: Adriano Lucas / Letters: Sal Cipriano
Gah dang Eddy Barrows and Adriano Lucas. ENOUGH. We get it. You're good. This is just pouring it on now. It's not even fair when they're in an issue of Detective Comics, it just leapfrogs over everything else. And this time it's not even just the art that makes it stand out, I really enjoyed this issue about Clayface's origin. Is it "amazing?" No but it's framed very well and, thematically, fits with the rest of what Tynion has been doing over in Detective these last two years.
It's a pretty tragic tale, too, but the beats are so well laid out and foreshadowed in just the opening pages alone. I love the framing of it, too, how it's drawn with the panel lines being film reels. The entire story is sort of framed like a movie too, like some of the action sequences with Batman or some of the reveals that happen in the book.
The only downgrade to the story is how Basil's downfall begins, but it is ultimately paid off with a very heartbreaking reveal near the end after he starts his dive into Clayface. That almost broke me reading the story because it's just one of those moments where life came around and was a bit relentless toward him. It makes it difficult to feel sympathy for him, and more pity the situation he's in. But seeing his fall into villainy ultimately makes the story worth it as he pushes everyone away, including Batman, where we see hints of him wanting to save Basil from the life he would eventually lead.
I also like the coloring and inking being done in the comic: things seem to start light and simple before becoming more muddled and dark. It matches the tone of the story well, and, truly evolves this into the monster movie that Basil's life would eventually become.
Eternity #4
Writer: Matt Kindt / Pencils: Trevor Hairsine / Inks: Ryan Winn / Colors: David Baron / Letters: A Larger World Studios
And so another year begins, and another Matt Kindt Valiant comic comes to an end. And, once again, it's related to the Divinity tale of Abrams and Myshka, the two more powerful heroes in the Valiant Universe. This has certainly been an interesting story, as we explored the beings that are essentially the Celestials/ New Gods equivalent in the Valiant Universe, and the roles they have to play. I only have one major quarrel with the book but otherwise think this is a fairly solid conclusion to the Divinity saga...for now, as we see by the end.
I like the overall execution of this finale. The reveal for the Observer's death is ridiculous and ultimately mishandled, in my opinion, but it does help further Divinity's character and further cement him not as a deity, but as a man with the powers of a god. It also places Divinity and Myshka so close to the fringes of the universe, but in a clever twist, they never truly figure out how far they've gone, which could give us insight into how they got their powers in the first place. Eternity may have been an exploration of the Unknown, but by the end we still don't know much about it and I think that's for the best.
The one fault I have with this story can be rectified in a future story, but it has to be handled in such a way that it becomes, basically, the biggest Valiant story ever, even bigger than Harbinger Wars, The Valiant, or 4001 A.D., which was the conclusion to an entire character. It revolves around the recurring character David Camp and if handled right, he can become the single best villain Valiant has to offer not-named Toyo Harada, as he has had to suffer constant negligence but has now had his chance to rise. Given how some bits of this comic got rather meta, I think they can go places here.
I'd be remiss not to talk about the staple throughout this series: Trevor Hairsine's art. I love it. It used to bug me back in the first Divinity series, but either I've grown used to it, or he's gotten better, and I prefer to think it's the latter. He draw the definitive versions of Divinity and Myshka and his backgrounds are some of the best in Valiant right now. Everything always looks unique and outerworldy like it's supposed to.
Moon Knight #191
Writer: Max Bemis / Artist: Jacen Burrows / Inks: Guillermo Ortego / Colors: Mat Lopes / Letters: VC's Cory Pett
Agh...I don't wanna. I don't wanna say it...
But I don't like this current run of Moon Knight and it breaks my heart because I know that these creators like this character and are probably having a blast writing him, but it's just not great. It doesn't make much sense for the character, nobody really acts like they normally would, and the situation is so frustratingly underplayed. Maybe it's just a case of it not being for me. I saw good reviews for the first issue and didn't like that all that much either.
The art is mediocre at best, with fairly droll backgrounds and sometimes characters' faces just look a bit strange. The colors are nice...when there's a change of pace. Greens and blues are a much-welcomed addition to the cast of red, orange, and white.
I think the main reason I don't like this comic is how it seems to ignore the major facet of what happened in the latest series: Khonshu went away. This comic tries to explain that Mark just "silenced the voices" and then found out that Jake Lockley had been having an affair with Marlene, but then they somehow had a kid?
Is this the same kid from the Shadowland: Moon Knight miniseries? Or is she different? When in the timeline does this take place? Why wasn't she in the last series when Seth captured all of Mark's closest friends. It doesn't make sense and while it does make a momentarily interesting situation, the dialogue in this book just is not great. It hearkens back to the mid-2000s Moon Knight which was super edgy and had Jake Lockley painted as basically a criminal, but that wasn't all that great.
This comic did nothing for me either as a fan of Moon Knight or just someone that reads comics. It's a slog to read through and I'm just praying that they're working out kinks for the next arc. Please, please let this arc be done soon.
Spider-Gwen #28
Writer: Jason Latour / Artist: Robbi Rodriguez / Colors: Rico Renzi / Letters: VC's Clayton Cowles
FINALLY. MOVEMENT. Oh, goodness, this has to be the slowest moving comic of all time but we're finally getting somewhere exciting. Sure this issue was kinda boring and just showed this universe's Matt Murdock's rise to power that ultimately jumbles the timeline of this world a bit, but who cares! Things are finally happening!
And there were some genuine character beats between Gwen, the band, and the Parkers. We got just the right amount of that and I think that's really all Latour and Rodriguez wanted to do but needed to pad the time out, so they gave us Murdock's rise to power instead. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great, either. Matt Murdock as the Kingpin in this universe still works well as the biggest threat, and I am looking forward to the inevitable confrontation Gwen has with him.
Part of me hopes that this is the signal for the end. I think this book has run it's course, and a lot of ground was covered very quickly in this comic. It feels as if Gwen's past is finally coming back around for one last lap and that we're making a fast-break for the finish line, and there's definitely promise of finishing strong, if this issue is anything to go by. While it was more set-up, it was better than it's been since the start of "Legacy."
Also, again, another staple here, but Robbi Rodriguez on art and Rico Renzi on colors is just awesome. The art design and characters in this book are truly unique and fit the world very well. I can never mistake this book for another, which is a rare trait to say among modern comics.
The Flash Annual #1
Writer: Joshua Williamson / Artist: Howard Porter & Christian Duce / Colors: Hi-Fi / Letters: Carlos M. Mangual & Travis Lanham
I knew from the cover alone that this was going to be my book of the week. Detective Comics came close, but, ultimately, it was this pretty solid Wally West tale that ultimately won me over. Not to mention there's tons of fun goodies for eagle-eyed readers to pick up on in the first double-page spread ALONE. I'm still spotting fun things on that spread.
Having Howard Porter on art duties is also a solid way to win me over. He's done stuff for The Flash over the course of "Rebirth" here and there and it's always been great. He just brings such life and vibrancy to these characters. It definitely matches the tone of what this comic is going for; and when it's trying to slow down a bit, Christian Duce doesn't draw half-bad still shots of Wally and the others.
I should also give props to Hi-Fi for bringing it on the colors. They were popping. Wally's suit looks absolutely fantastic and the opening action sequence against Top stands out as a highlight of how he can color the Speed Force effects and really bring the three Flashes to life and distinguishable. Even some of the lighter scenes have good coloring to them, allowing characters to avoid just fading into the background.
The story is an interesting one: Wally isn't ready yet to confront Iris about who he is (and, really, that can't be an easy thing to explain) but Barry keeps pushing him to do so. The two argue and then Wally goes off to see if anyone else would remember him, to jog their memory of the old universe. The result is nothing you'd really expect.
This is supposed to be a prelude to the coming "Flash War" arc in May, and in many ways it's easy to see why: all three Flashes are in incredibly emotional states and the focus of their attention is all squarely on Iris. Anything having to do with her will set them off. I'm definitely looking forward to how Williamson handles that kind of arc, and given some of the reveals by the end, I'm very eager to see how things will play out for the remainder of the year for The Flash.
The Flash is definitely one of the more fun books DC is putting out this year. The last two weeks of comics alone have shown us that. If you're not reading it, give it a shot. I think you'll find yourself having quite a time.
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