Best Cancelled Comics--2016 In Review

Not Everything Great Lasts, Especially in Comics

Let's start this year in review with a downer, because I'm like that! Anyways, this year Marvel and DC made all kinds of cool comics and while DC almost cancelled one before it's time ("The Omega Men,") they allowed it to run its initially planned-for whole 12 issues so that was more of a really good mini-series. Two books from Marvel were clearly ended before their time however, and besides how depressing it is when a truly good book in axed, these books starred a successful and skilled man of color in one and a kick-ass and progressive woman in the other. Considering how often titles seem to be a bunch of white guys that makes the cancellations sting just that little bit more.

The Cancelled Books
Mockingbird (Ran 8 Issues)

The most ironically hilarious thing about all this is Chelsea Cain's, "Mockingbird," comic got more attention for the cover of its last issue after it was cancelled than the rest of the super-awesome book ever did. Maybe if Marvel hadn't cancelled the book they could have turned all that press about the, "Feminist Agenda," shirt into bigger sales. For real, though, this book was zany and extremely creative. The first five issues were incredible in how the first issues encapsulated a number of weeks, and then issues #2, #3, and #4, all led back-up to the ending of #1 for the fifth issue and then reached a conclusion. Issues #6-#8 were delightful too, with the main character, Bobbi, going on a cruise for fans of various super-related hobbies.

"Mockingbird," took all the problems the character of Bobbi had experienced--a complicated relationship with Hawkeye, a weird back-story and generally strange continuity--and turned these problems into things that helped make the book even more odd and fun. The thing is, odd doesn't always sell, even if it is a great kind of odd (I'm amazed, "Unbeatable Squirrel Girl," has kept going). Therefore, this book got to eight issues and no ninth. Quite the shame.



Nighthawk (Ran 6 Issues)

This book already had a lot of cards stacked against it--Hell, basically the whole deck. It was a book that featured a character many people consider a Batman knock-off, but with this version being from an alternate Universe readers saw in, "Supreme Power," and who was brought to the normal Marvel Universe during Secret Invasion--and this character also is kicking-around in, "Squadron Supreme." So, a less-liked character, a different version of him with tons of back-matter baggage, and he's in another book barely anybody has been reading. And yet, despite all these things going against, "Nighthawk," it was really, really good because it remembered some key things: Nighthawk is maybe a Batman knock-off, but he's a really pissed-off Batman imitator who doesn't hesitate to kill and has a political agenda.

The best comics to feature this version of Nighthawk in the past when he was part of the old Supreme Power Universe kept this in mind and presented him as less of a hero than a dangerous force of justice that you better pray is on your side (Daniel Way had a great take on this). This Nighthawk is named Kyle Rayner like the one in the original Marvel Universe, but he is very different. He is a black man who's parents were murdered by racists, he is fueled less by a sense of right-and-wrong than he is making those guilty of hurting others pay, and as I mentioned, he is very skilled and very dangerous.

Nighthawk's comic had him going-up against an evil businessman who was trying to sow seeds of racial discord in Chicago through arming white supremacists and laughing all the way to the bank as the city tore itself apart. There also was a serial killer who killed a lot of the same people Nighthawk hated and was arguably a reflection of what Nighthawk had to avoid becoming. In some respects the last page of the series (shown above) sums-up everything about Nighthawk well. He stops the serial killer but does nothing to help the other bad-guy, instead watching him die. It isn't the, "Right," thing to do, but it is what Nighthawk thinks is just. It is dreary, depressing, and a pitch-perfect way to end things. Writer David Walker may have had his run truncated, but he still stuck the landing perfectly. Even if sometimes books we love end sooner than we feel they should. It sucks, but at least we can be grateful for the time we got to spend with and enjoy these comics, you know?

Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Joyous Kwanzaa/Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas today, a Happy Hanukkah as that holiday continues into its 2nd night, and a Joyous Kwanzaa starting tomorrow. As has also become a tradition, between the 26th and 31st I will have my many posts discussing 2016 in Review going up. I hope you enjoy my big dose of content for looking-back over some of the best (and worst) stuff in 2016.

Rant-Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4

A 1st Issue, 2nd Issue and so Forth
With my affinity for numbers I'll often discuss first issues, or penultimate issues, and so forth. This time I thought I would count-up to four and review a debut issue of a comic, a 2nd issue, 3rd, and 4th. Why am I doing this? For no reason really other than it's fun!

Let the Counting Commence!
Atoll #1
This is a strange little comic from what I believe is a newer publisher (Creative Mind Energy) and has Tim Daniel (of "Enormous" fame) writing it. There are two different concepts here being smashed together in a way that maybe shouldn't work, but at least in this initial issue it does. We have two people who are a couple as well as rich and famous for very different reasons--a female professional athlete who has won Olympic gold and a genius programmer behind a popular app--and they've been abducted to witness and (I assume) take part in a twisted arena-contest broadcast over the Internet to a rich paying audience, where people "fight" against a Great White Shark. I put the word fight in quotation marks because it isn't a fair contest--the people are naked, covered in Chum and given only a sharp knife to protect themselves whilst swimming in deep ocean-water.

So, we've got the, "Rich people kidnapped by a evil mysterious entity that one of them may have wronged," plot as well as the, "People forced to fight and die for the entertainment of others in a sea-based Gladiatorial-style-but-with-a-shark," motif. It's a little bit, "Taken-meets-Saw-meets-Deep Blue Sea," with no Liam Neeson in sight coming to save the day (or Samuel L. Jackson to suddenly be engulfed by a shark). The overall conceit is arguably, "Rich people are terrible, especially to other rich people who have wronged them," with a big hungry shark thrown-in to bolster the drama further. For now there are a lot of unanswered questions (the couple clearly wasn't taken at random, who funds these shark fights, etc.) but this first issue presents the mysteries in an entertaining enough way I am genuinely curious what happens next.
3.5 out of 5 Stars.

Widow: Progeny #2
This book is a spin-off of Mike Wolfer's main, "Widow," comics that focuses on the island that created the horrific spider-human creatures. I quite liked the first issue of "Widow: Progeny," as a ton of cool stuff occurred. This issue has a lot more time spent laying the ground-work for what I imagine will be some big fights (inner-quarrels among the spider-people are becoming obvious) and therefore is a bit quieter in terms of events. Writer Mike Wolfer knows how to build suspense though, and this issue isn't without some gross bloodshed and more examples of how the ability of the spider-folk to seduce and then kill humans can lead to results that quickly go from sexy to grotesque. I'm just getting worried about if any members of the Coast Guard will be able to survive the island at this rate, and I imagine upcoming issues will answer that query with a bloody, "No, things are gonna just get more violent and scary." Superb stuff!
4 out of 5 Stars.

Jessica Jones #3
Some time ago writer Brian Michael Bendis and illustrator Michael Gaydos gave us the amazing comic, "Alias." A part of Marvel's then-new, "Max," line of comics, it took place in the, "Regular," Marvel Universe but was decidedly more adult. Full of uncensored swear words up to and often including the first official Marvel use of, "Fuck," Alias also had some nudity, and extreme violence. It was truly, "Mature," too however, covering the complicated life of former superhero Jessica Jones as she dealt with having powers she couldn't quite manage (she can fly but can't land well, is strong but gets hurt easily, etc.) and tried to figure out her relationships with other super-folk. It was really good, but ended and had a kinda-sorta follow-up known as, "The Pulse," before Jones just sorta popped-up in various, "Avengers" titles getting married to Luke Cage and having a baby with him. It was okay, but not the same. Until now!

"Alias," is back, thanks in part to the successful Netflix show, but because there was that television show about a spy with the same name it simply is called, "Jessica Jones," like the aforementioned Netflix show. A lot of changes have happened in Jones life since the series ended, but having it be Bendis and Gaydos doing the comic feels like a nice return home (they occasionally teamed-up on the other stuff but not on a true return to, "Alias," I would say). Since we are only on the 3rd issue a lot of mysteries are in the air, but clearly Jessica did something to alienate a lot of the super-hero community, and is keeping Luke from seeing their child for what may be good reasons or dumb and hurtful ones. In order to have some feeling of normalcy she has attempted to take on cases, but one case has taken a dark and murderous turn. So yeah, everything is going horribly wrong for her in a very interesting way, just like as with the old, "Alias," comic. It is some stellar stuff and even if Bendis occasionally has turned in hot garbage (the man just should not do team books or events) when he is writing a solo character he cares about, he does it masterfully.
5 out of 5 stars.

Glitterbomb #4
I'm not sure when fifth issue will be coming out, but the end of this comic indicates the story will be continued. I'm curious where it will go next because things ended in a quite nasty way for many of the main characters in the book--to the credit of writer Jim Zub I did not see something that monstrous coming. I said in my review of the first issue I wasn't sure if I would want to keep following it, but I did as each issue continued to get more and more interesting until the bloody climax in this final(?) for now issue. The plot has basically been how Hollywood ruins people, and is especially awful to women (a motif furthered by articles written by actual women who worked in Hollywood). Therefore, when an evil energy gets inside an angry, desperate, and sad actress, it is only all-to-easy for a lot of shit to go down. A depressing but solid read.
3 out of 5 stars.

Done Counting

I'm done counting for now, but enjoyed how this went. Maybe I should do something like this again in the future with the same numbers or even higher ones? Could be a good time!

Writing-Up my, "2016 in Review" Posts!

I've been in the process of writing-up my myriad of, "2016 in Review," posts that will got up in those days between Christmas and the start of 2017. As always, if anyone has a suggestions about things from 2016 to review I'm open to them. I do my best-of-whatever styled posts as well as other more esoteric ones and always love new ideas.

See Me at the Age of Adventure Comic Book Show this Sunday!

What are you up to this Sunday, December 18th, 2016? If you live near the Saint Louis area you should come to the Age of Adventure Comic Book Show! I will be there selling a large number of comics for a dollar as well as trade paperbacks and hardcovers. My collection has simply grown too big so I'm hoping to sell-off a bunch of stuff and clear-up space at home. Should you live in or be visiting the region you can come to the event by visiting the V.F.W. Post 3500 found at 1717 South Big Bend Boulevard, in Richmond Heights, Missouri, 63117. The show starts-up at 10AM and goes until 3PM so you'll have plenty of time to look-through all great stuff available for purchase.

I also want to thank one of the show's sponsors, AM Trading Co. (a store I've discussed before), for mentioning the show to me as an opportunity to sell my stuff! It's only two dollars to get in and food will be for available in exchange for donations to the VFW so why not come by, say hello to me, and perhaps buy some of my stuff as well as other seller's goodies?

Thoughts On the Spider-Man Trailer and Harley Quinn Movie News

Web-Slingers and Bat-Swingers

If you've been following the news about comic-related movies I'm pretty sure you've both seen the trailer for, "Spider-Man: Homecoming," and heard that there is going to a Harley Quinn-involving, "Gotham City Sirens," flick. Both pieces of news are interesting and have me cautiously optimistic while also taking into a possible, "Catch." Let's review

Spider-Man Homecoming and it's Trailer

Why I'm Cautiously Optimistic

Well first off, check out the trailer itself underneath the headline. I'll wait. Now then, as you can see the movie has found an awesome Peter Parker in the form of Tom Holland, it is eagerly incorporating the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to Sony's deal with Disney to share characters (they are chomping at the bit to have Robert Downey Junior AKA Iron Man appear), and Michael Keaton is always a joy to see onscreen whether he's a hero or a villain--here in the form of The Vulture (a villain I've always felt could be really cool if done right and am pleased to finally see appear on the silver-screen after a rumored false start years ago). We've got great casting, a plot that looks interesting, and again, Iron Man! It looks like a slam-dunk!

The Possible, "Catch"

Then again even when something looks like a slam dunk the rim and netting could always fall apart (if you'll excuse the clumsy metaphor). After all, this is the 3rd iteration of Spider-Man we've seen now, after the Tobey Maguire one fizzled out and the Andrew Garfield one was basically killed mid-story. This version has a lot more going for it thanks to the incorporation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but is the 3rd time a charm, or are audiences just going to be burned-out on Spidey at this point? 

Also, by having the MCU play a role in this will that dilute Spider-Man and turn this film into more of a, "Iron Man and friends," kind of flick? That, or is Tony Stark just being played-up for the previews and will actually have just a small amount of screen-time, allowing the story of Spider-Man to breathe? Also, will this movie simply pick-up from after, "Civil War," or will we have to see the origin of Peter Parker's powers yet again? I ask because if I have to watch Uncle Ben die one more time I'm going to be really hot-pissed (and don't get me started on the countless number of deaths we've witnessed for Thomas and Martha Wayne)! Again, these are possibly gripes and worries that will turn out to be unfounded, but I just gotta have my concerns. Here's hoping the movie is as good as we're dreaming it will be.

"Gotham City Sirens," Movie

Why I'm Cautiously Optimistic

Many people loved Margot Robbie as, "Harley Quinn," so a movie with her and other female heroes/villains already has Ms. Robbie as one cast member that is guaranteed to do a good job. Plus, as it takes place in Gotham we doubtlessly will get some Batman and even people who were critical of Ben Affleck as Batman before, "Batman Vs Superman," now agree he was one of the best parts of the film. Also, we have not yet had a super-hero movies that features female leads. We've had super-teams that have a female or females on them, but films that puts the focus on a group of female protagonists is currently unseen. This creates a stellar opportunity for DC to make something special. It has some great source material, for sure.

The Possible, "Catch"

Seriously, have you seen the DC movies so far? I didn't hate, "Batman VS Superman," but it had a myriad of problems. I also haven't even bothered to see, "Suicide Squad," in full yet but from what I've heard it had numerous concerns as well. Hearing that David Ayer is going to direct this movie only is good news in the sense that means Zack Snyder isn't doing it. Also, I wonder if DC has agreed to give Ayer more creative-control over this movie than, "Suicide Squad," because that was plagued with rumors of creative conflicts. As  I mentioned, we have never had a movie focused on a female super-hero/villain team. I honestly hope DC doesn't royally shit the bed and create an impression that movies with female heroes don't sell when the real problem could very well be DC and the people it has chosen to helm its cinematic-Universe.

Great Things Ahead, Or Tough Times?

This is in-continuity and could be on a movie-screen in the future.

I see a lot of potential in the trailer for, "Spider-Man: Homecoming," and the opportunities are abundant for a quality, "Gotham City Sirens," production. Whether Spider-Man will manage to impress this coming July and/or the Sirens will be good whenever their movie comes out is a big question-mark, but as someone who generally prefers good movies over bad ones, I know I'm wishing both the creative teams the best. Also, all the fans into Harley and Poison Ivy having a relationship (as the comics confirmed) would go nuts if we actually see Robbie and whoever plays Ivy hook-up. Putting aside the questionable portrayals of bisexuality in film throughout history (bisexual people often are shown as deviant or, "Evil,") I'm betting folk wouldn't protest too much.

A Batman and James Bond Cross-Over Comic Would Be Cool--and is Easily Possible!

This evening I was in the place where many of my best ideas strike--the shower--and had a real doozy occur to me. We've seen multiple cross-over comics between the Justice League and other properties, and Batman in particular seems to lately be hanging with all kinds of characters from other publishers (he can currently be seen kicking-it with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Therefore, why not have Batman fight against or team-up with someone else who knows a lot about fancy gadgets and getting out of dangerous situations? Yes, I'm talking about James Bond.

This idea sounds weird but it also works so perfectly (and would of course be out-of-continuity as most inter-company events are) because Batman and James Bond are as alike as they are different. Both men are smart, know how to lead secret lives, and can be charming when needed, but whereas Bond loves to womanize Batman lives a mostly chaste life (occasional hook-up with Catwoman aside), and while Bond loves the finer things in life Bruce Wayne simply uses his fortune as a means to fight crime as his night-time persona; oh, and don't even get me started on all the drama that would come about from how Batman refuses to kill and James Bond has a license to do just that. A comic where for some reason Batman and Bond face-off and then team-up would just be awesome and please the fanboy in me immensely--and it isn't even a big pipe-dream!

Why is it relatively possible to see Batman and James Bond team-up? Let me break it down: DC (obviously) owns Batman. Currently the publisher Dynamite has been putting out James Bond comics with other titles involving Bond and his foes on due to come out soon as well. DC and Dynamite have teamed-up repeatedly in the past with one occasion even being a different Batman cross-over--"Batman 66'," met-up with the Green Hornet who has had his comics published with Dynamite! Heck, DC has an upcoming book about Wonder Woman and the Bionic Woman teaming-up that is again being published in collaboration with Dynamite.

I imagine Dynamite would have to get permission from Ian Fleming's estate and such for such an idea as this to proceed, and who knows what writer and artist would be chosen, etc. etc. but I can hope. I want to give a shout-out to my shower for this great idea and if I see such a comic happen I'll be very pleased!

I Am Really Enjoying the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Expansion for Hearthstone

I have been playing, "Hearthstone," for quite some time (since the initial launch) and you would think with all that time spent playing it off-and-on I would be super-skilled but I am strictly average. Much to the credit of the developer, Activision-Blizzard, I still love the game and enjoy it since I called it my, "Game of the Year," in 2014. To think I'm still playing a game for that long is pretty impressive, even if sometimes I do it in bits and spurts. "Hearthstone," has had a number of expansions since it started, from the kind where everyone gets the same cards for a set amount of gold to expansions where you can buy a bunch of cards and hope you get something amazing in the random packs (but may very well get trash). The latest expansion--"Mean Streets of Gadgetzan," is the latter sort of expansion, where we get a ton of cards that do all kinds of random things to affect the game. It's been good fun.

Some of the expansions have given us stuff that seemed cool but ended up sucking, and other times we have seen some cards come out that are so absurdly overpowered it feels like everyone uses them in the same strategy resulting in most matches being really boring--"Oh, another Zoolock." The thing I like so far about, "Mean Streets of Gadgetzan," is it supplies enough card with unique effects that I could see a number of strategies forming once the game has been out more than the week-ish folk have been playing with the new cards. Plus, if anything else it finally allowed me to build a decent Rogue deck--which is a miracle considering that is the character I am by far the worst at playing.

The "Boss," Legendary Cards for the expansion.

While there are of course already some clearly optimal ways to play the new cards, I keep seeing all kinds of cool strategies popping-up and most importantly even when I'm losing I'm enjoying the game thanks to some zany decks I've made. "Hearthstone," has been a bit up-and-down for me at times depending on the expansions that come out, but right now its riding high in terms of sheer fun-value. Plus, ever since the introduction of, "Standard, " and, "Wild," modes that retire older cards I've noticed that really keeps people's play-styles ever-changing--and with a card game you've always gotta keep things fresh. I would recommend checking-out Hearthstone right now whether you're new to it, or a lapsed pro who got bored and is maybe mulling-over coming back.

Oh, and if you're a player of, "Hearthstone," and wondering about  the Rogue deck I made which works pretty well (get ready for jargon non-players): It is one that emphasizes how certain cards can summon the Jade Giants and tries to mill the opponent at the same time. Basically I try to draw as many cards as possible with the Coldlight Oracle and cards that put him back in deck whilst also summoning Jade Giants to smack around the enemy. The Jade Giants help stop enemy minions whenever I lack a Sap or Vanish card and can sometimes even defeat the enemy hero before I mill them to the point of fatigue. It's really annoying to my opponent and oh-so-satisfying for me.

Rant-Reviews: Mini-Themes

Mini-Themes Today
I don't always have a theme for my capsule-style reviews, and sure enough today lacks much of an overall theme. However, I have noticed a few mini-themes between some of the comics that I felt was worth spotlighting.

Theme: Humans Are Violent and Terrible
These three comics illustrate that sadly humans can often be violent and terrible creatures. Whether it is through our racism, because we want to be entertained, or a desire for money, human beings can kind of suck, you know?

Black #2

Anything else aside this is a great hook: A comic imagining a world where only a small percentage of people ever happen to gain powers, and all of those people happen to be black. It's a pretty charged concept but to the credit of the creative team--which includes stellar artist Jamal Igle--it so far has been working. It is also addressed how something as shocking as this idea could remain a secret in the world, namely that the Government/s out there have worked their darnedest to make sure the populace doesn't know about such a super-powered minority. Whether this is being done in the guise of, "If people knew they would treat black people unfairly [with the irony being they already are discriminated against]," or if therre are even more evil plans in-the-waiting is yet to be revealed, but I doubt anyone murdering witnesses to super-powered black folk has kind intentions for those with powers.

Another element of the book I like is that while there are clearly bad-guys and good-guys there is plenty of gray situated between these black-and-white matters (pun not intended, but I'll take credit for it anyways). There is a white police officer who helps another investigating the conspiracy because he feels he isn't, "Like the others," meaning other white police officers--although he previously shot some black teens who, "Fit the description," of an APB, so he ain't that innocent either. This is just one example of the ways, "Black," discusses racial politics, but don't think this is just a dull treatise on race-relations--the aforementioned Jamal Igle illustrates scenes of action wonderfully and his skill as always is something marvelous to behold. Between the creative storytelling and superb art I am quite enjoying, "Black," and look forward to future issues.
4 out of 5 stars.

Fish Eye #1
This comic is a little bit of a mixture of, "The Truman Show," and a really violent Tarantino movie, with all the positives and negatives that entails. The plot of this comic is that our protagonist, a small-town cop named Travis, is actually the star of a reality show completely unbeknownst to him. Everyone around him is an actor in this town and his adventures have been broadcast to an attentive audience. The thing is, ratings are slipping so the creator of the show has agreed to kill-off Travis and proceed onto other projects. However, Travis is maybe too good of a hero in this story, putting up an immense fight for the fictional world he holds so dear.

Putting aside the logic-question of how this show could get away with literally murdering someone (there aren't any hints this is some kind of ruined-future where such a thing would fly, it seems to be indicated this is a normal world just like ours), it is a clever concept and seeing the creator of the show distraught about having to kill his, "Baby," e.g. the son he's secretly cared-for through all these years running the show--brings with it some interesting moments too. The atrocious thing is the idea of a star being killed by disinterest of the very fans who once loved him/her isn't that far-fetched in some ways. Right now the book seems to be working at getting its footing with all these ideas, and sometimes it seems unsure if it wants to be more focused on gory-fighting or exploring concepts of entertainment and morality, but it' is still a solid first issue and a series worth checking-out.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Deathstroke #7
I'm just so happy that Christopher Priest has come back to comics (occasional toe-dipping back into a short project here-and-there aside) and is writing such a stellar series in the form of, "Deathstroke." It is saying something that a character I never, ever cared about and who seemed to be defined by, "He kills people and likes money," suddenly is so fascinating to me thanks to a talent like Priest. One thing I love is that Deathstroke's adventures clearly stand on their own but as he is a member of the DC-universe that brings with it the baggage and benefits one would expect. We've seen Batman in previous issues and this one gives us a very perturbed Superman. The amazing thing though is that Priest has been telling his own awesome and epic story while incorporating all these characters in a way that feels natural and makes sense. I mean, the skill on display isn't surprising considering how much experience Priest has in the field of comics, but its always just wonderful to read something so good. As I said, before I read Priest's first issue of this series I couldn't care less about Deathstroke, and now this comic is one of the books I get most excited to read when I see it waiting for me at the comic-shop. That is a testament to Priest's abilities and my statement about why you should be reading this book right now!
5 out of 5 stars.

Theme: Belief Can Be Dangerous
The things we believe and entertain ourselves with can be dangerous. We may joke about Krampus and have all the bible stories about Noah and the flood, but these comics show that mystical creatures and conceptions of wiping the world clean are not a laughing matter. After all, the power of a belief can be immense.

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #101
I realize I didn't actually review the 100th issue of, "Tarot," and feel a bit bad as it was of course a fun and great issue, with it being a huge accomplishment for an independent publisher to successfully hit triple-digits with a title. After all, how many publishers fold before even hitting a 10th issue with any of their books? Meanwhile, Broadsword (the publisher of, "Tarot,") has put out an issue of this book without fail every 2 months since its start (and other cool mini-series as well). That is a big achievement, and to the credit of Jim Balent and Holly Golightly they didn't rest on their laurels after hitting #100, they went and released this fun holiday piece that continues covering the, "Krampus," creatures that were introduced some years ago and have continuously caused trouble for Tarot and her sister (the start of this issue) Raven Hex.

The gist of this issue is that Raven tries to stop a number of Krampus (Krampuses?) from kidnapping and punishing naughty children, because even kids who misbehave don't deserve to be murdered, after all. However, in her effort to stop the Krampus-mayhem, Raven actually summons a horrific monster that destroys everything. It is pointed-out by a Krampus they aren't necessarily evil, they just kind of, exist, and it is because people believe in them they do what they do (e.g. kidnapping and punishing kids). The argument is made that Raven herself got revenge on kids who teased her when she was young and that she isn't too far removed from being a bit of a Krampus herself--so maybe there's a little Krampus in all of us? It's an intriguing concept if also a bit of a downer. Then again, if there is a little evil in all of us perhaps hopefully there is a lot of good? Whatever the case, another great issue of, "Tarot," was had!
4 out of 5 stars.

The Goddamned #5

I thought about putting this in the first theme about how humans are violent and terrible, because this comic has a ton of that. In the end however, the main reason all the humans in this story are so disgusting is because of belief. Jason Aaron has discussed before how this comic is his coming to terms with growing-up Southern Baptist before becoming somewhat irreligious. The story in these issues has concerned the biblical Cain fighting with the biblical Noah and it being clear that both men are doomed by an excess or lack of belief. The man cursed to roam this horrible Earth--Cain--believes in basically nothing, and the man who thinks he was told by God to build an ark and gather animals--Noah--violently forces others to assist him in his mission from God. The most depressing thing about this last issue before the next story-arc in 2017 is that right at the end when Cain feels like he may have found something to live for, it is violently taken away by yet another character who believes that eliminating something that made them weak/care was the right action. Belief in nothing or blind faith both bring little but ruin, as with everything in life there needs to be a balance of faith in self, others, and a higher power. Too much of anything just brings destruction, as this comic makes abundantly clear.

5 out of 5 stars.

Seven to Eternity #3
Man, this comic has just been gorgeous thanks to Jerome Opeña, and the idea behind it is clever, but the execution of the story just has left a lot to be desired for me. The concept of how a humanoid (there are all kinds of creatures in this series) developed the ability to give people their wishes in exchange for seeing through their eyes and was able to take over the world this way is smart  (a ruler who nobody realizes rules) but for some reason I just find the rest of the story isn't clicking for me. It is like I see all this potential (and again, it looks beautiful) but I'm not quite feeling it. Still, I love that idea of a man who people pledge allegiance to in exchange for their wish but in a process lose a bit of themselves. That is a good metaphor for how we will often give up much of ourselves in the hopes of achieving a dream or belief. I just wish the rest of the comic lived-up to that great concept and the visual splendor Opeña provides.
2.5 out of 5 stars, mostly thanks to the artwork.

Theme: Comics Experimenting With Form

I wanted to close with some delightfully different books. You see, the art-form of comics can be especially interesting when it experiments a bit. These two comics do some unique things with the comic-form, bringing in aspects of prose, or placing in-story, "Documents," into the book to further establish the world.

The Black Monday Murders #3 and #4

I know the 4th issue just came out (and it was great) but I wanted to talk about the 3rd and 4th issues together, if that's alright. "The Black Monday Murders," gives us these massive issues loaded with comic-pages as well as prose, faux police-records, and all sorts of interesting things; I feel that while the 1st and 2nd issue had to work at introducing the rather large cast, things really get going in the 3rd issue with the 4th being impressive too. Jonathan Hickman and Tomm Coker just are hitting it out of the park, as the saying goes. The overall idea of the story seems to be that fiance as we know it is a living and otherwordly creature--Cthulhu-esque almost. In order for the rich to remain rich they have to pay this force, and that payment is in blood. A lot of questions remain unanswered about a mysterious ancient language, and just how these strange groups full of arcane rituals and orders began. I'm eager to learn more however, and the clever incorporation of journal-entries, files, and other in-universe materials within the story continues to serve it well.
Issue #3: 5 out of 5 stars thanks to an awesome final scene.
Issue #4: 4 out of 5 stars for being great but a bit slower than the previous issue.

A.D. After Death #1

This is going to be three issues long and this first issue feels more like a mini-novel than a comic considering how it is both huge (it is quite taller and wider than a comic) and has a spine much like a book. From what I've observed, the present-day scenes take place in a world where death itself has been cured/beaten, but in the process of that happening Earth became a ruined planet we fled for what may be another dimension or a space-ship (it's not quite clear). These present-time scenes are also more in a general comic-format. However, when the character tells us about his background, growing-up, and seems to hint at how he's responsible for destroying Earth and curing death at the same time, in those segments everything becomes text-heavy with some pictures to establish the story but less in a comic-form and more like a picture-book with long strings of narration and an occasional image.

This format makes the story flow in an interesting way where the present-day scenes in comic-form breeze by much like the years of everyone's deathless lives and the past-tense moments are slow and methodical, breaking down small moments into long chunks of reading--almost as if simulating how when life was more precious we savored every moment, both the good and the bad. Scott Snyder is a writer who I've found to both create incredible stuff (I'm still waiting for more, "Wytches,") and terrible pieces just as well (his epic run on, "Batman," was itself full of peaks and valleys), and Jeff Lemire is both a stellar writer and magnificent illustrator who's drawings compliment the quiet melancholy of this book perfectly. Parts of, "A.D. After Death," are mysterious and make little sense, but I'm betting before too long a lot more will be clearer and just as fascinating.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Mini-Themes Are Now Mini-Done
I hope my reviews of these latest books made for good reading--and that if you pick-up the books I recommended that they make for good reading in your opinion as well!

Oh Snap, "The Last Guardian," Actually Comes Out Tomorrow!

As someone who loved, "Ico," and admired what, "Shadow of the Colossus," set out to do even if I didn't like it quite as much, the long and troubled development history of, "The Last Guardian," is something I've followed off-and-on throughout its many, many, many years (when five years is an eternity in video-games taking nearly double-that is madness). I of course recall when it was announced by Sony how the game was for sure alive and would be out sooner than later, but I thought something would eventually happen to delay it into nonexistence. I mean, these games that enter development Hell either never escape or come back as horrific examples of things that should have stayed dead ("Duke Nukem: Forever," is a prime example). Imagine my surprise then when I was reminded that, 'The Last Guardian," in fact comes out tomorrow.

The reviews that are out so far seem to be quite positive overall and the review entities I tend to trust (Kotaku and Polygon, oh and Rockpapershotgun  is good, but they only talk about PC games) had mostly positive things to say. I am going to try and rent/check out from the library a copy of this soon for sure and look forward to booting it up on my Playstation 4. Oh, and if you have a Playstation 4 Pro you can enjoy even snazzier (apparently) graphics. Though if you already have a Playstation 4 you know my feelings about anyone going out and buying a Pro. So yeah, "The Last Guardian," is actually coming out. Now we just need, "Shenmue III," to be finished and, "Half-Life 3," to at least be announced and all the mythical games will have entered reality in some shape or form.