Library Finds: IN by Will McPhail

I visit the local library at least once a week. I am always on the lookout for new graphic novels and this one caught my eye on a recent excursion. It took me a while to begin reading it. It was actually overdue by the time I opened the pages to give it more than a passing glance. Once I began reading, I couldn't put it down until I had finished it.

What initially drew me in was the clean art style

While I had an affinity for the art style, the writing pulled me into it's orbit. Here was a guy struggling to make human connections and not from a lack of trying. It was immediately relatable to my own struggles to make meaningful connections with other human beings.

Those charming, bulging eyes are a hallmark throughout the experience.

The central relationship between Wren and Nick had me in rapture. I immediately liked Wren and grew to dislike Nick as near the end of the experience Nick's personal pain caused him to lash out in ways that I found extremely childish and unrelatable. Here was this wonderfully funny, patient, and worthwhile person that Nick so easily could dismiss. It honestly made me angry. Now I know that that makes the story more realistic, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth. 

Some of the funniest scenes are when Nick talks to himself in his own mind

Despite disagreeing with the choices Nick makes, I admire his drive to make connections with others and his growth in trying to have that connection with his mother. That struck a personal chord for me.

Lastly, I applaud the dramatic use of color in the sequences where Nick is able to make those human connections. Those are some amazing sequences that I don't want to spoil for the reader.

When the colors appear, prepare to be dazzled

IN is a worthwhile experience and it puts Will McPhail on my radar. It's published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and can be purchased from Barnes and Noble, Book Soup, or Indiebound.

Worthy of Collection? Yes.

Mighty Morphin #1 Review

An exciting relaunch hampered by poor accessibility and questionable coloring

I've recently become aware of the increasing popularity and success of the Power Rangers comic universe by Boom! Studios and Ryan Parrot. The covers for the series has been eye-popping - often gorgeous cover after gorgeous cover adorning your local comic shop's shelves. I was too far removed from the beginning of the series, and admittedly I hadn't followed the series since my youth in the 1990s.

I was excited to learn that Boom! would relaunch the series, this time as two parallel series, in 2020. Here was my perfect opportunity to become a participant in a party I was obviously missing. Equipped with my limited 1990s nostalgia, I jumped into this issue with very little expectations, hoping to have my hand held, being that it was a newly relaunched series. I was disappointed to discover that there would be no hand-holding here. This is a series for die-hards only.

Thankfully, I have enough knowledge to glean the most basic information from the issue. I was aware of Tommy's history as the Green Ranger and adversary of the Rangers and his turn as the White Ranger. What I apparently forgot entirely was the Zords were also Dinosaurs. Being a parent, I often visit the libary (or used to before COVID), and I noticed all the different Power Rangers series there have been since the original. Dinosaurs, vehicles, samurai, aliens. I think all that change made me forget that the originals did have dinosaurs as Zords. All of this confusion could have been avoided with a more accessible entry point than what this issue provided. Perhaps a separate issue guide was in order. If there was, I missed it.

Cover Art:   EXCELLENT  

This is a beautiful cover by Inhyuk Lee. It is eye-catching and clean. A very iconic cover.

Materials:   EXCELLENT  

You have a sturdy-feeling card stock cover. Just right for a new series launch. The paper quality is high with thick, substantial paper stock.

Script:   GOOD  

I really enjoyed the Zordon back story and underlying mystery regarding the new mysterious Green Ranger with new powers. I think those are perfectly balanced plot points - along with the other interpersonal stories going on. Admittedly, I found it hard to follow as I am not as well versed in these characters as a fan of the series would be. Lastly, the biggest problem I have with the script is the lack of hand-holding for new readers. 

Art:   MIXED  

Pencils and inks from Marco Renna look really good here. Lettering from Ed Dukeshire is also great. What is really a problem in the art department is the coloring by Walter Baiamonte with assistance from Katia Ranalli. There must be a story behind it because the coloring in this issue is......terrible. Colors are clashing all over the place. Sometimes you have green on green on green or blue on blue on blue and the lack of contrast is really off-putting. Either the mistake that was made here needs to be avoided or they need a new colorist. That is the primary thing I am going to be focused on with the next issue.


Overall:   GOOD  

Despite the issues with coloring and accessibility, I did enjoy my experience reading Mighty Morphin #1. I am eager to read the next issue at the very least to see if the coloring improves and to further my knowledge of these characters and the universe. It was nice seeing Lord Zedd again in all his sinister glory. I might have to take some time to read a wiki and familiarize myself more with what is going on.

Upcoming Weekly Comics 10/9/2019

Amazing Spider-Man #832 - Everyone who has ever worn the Carnage Symbiote has a Codex, including Norman Osborn from his time as the Red Goblin! Can Spider-Man save Norman from Carnage? Does he want to?

Animosity #24 - The cruelest weapon is not a knife, or gun, or sword, or bow. The cruelest weapon...is a cage.

Battlepug #2 - “WAR ON CHRISTMAS,” Part Two The last Kinmundian and his faithful Battlepug have returned to his homeland to face his past, but are they prepared for what they will find? Meanwhile, his friends are at the mercy of the most ruthless band of criminals in the forest—The Nobody’s Ponies!

Coffin Bound #3 - In the clutches of the unstoppable assassin they call the Eartheater, Izzy must break free to rescue those she once cared for from the hands of the murderous poet Paulie. But once they learn of her past sins, will they want her to save them?

Detective Comics #1013 - Mr. Freeze is so close to reviving Nora but Batman can’t let it happen. Mr. Freeze has never been more vicious or more deadly. There’s nothing more dangerous than a desperate man with a cold gun and Gotham City is going to learn that firsthand!

The Flash #80 - “The Hunter and the Hunted” part one! Barry Allen is hurt, and his connection to the Speed Force is fading fast. With the Speed Force dying, the only person who can save it is…Hunter Zolomon? Hunter has returned to prove he’s the one, true Flash, and he doesn’t care who gets in his way. But who is left to deal with the Rogues? Captain Cold has assembled the newly amped-up Rogues to tell them about Lex Luthor’s offer...but are they all willing to take it?

Ice Cream Man #15 - "COAT CHECK STORY" Lillian is wearing someone else's coat.

Oblivion Song #20 - The danger rises for Edward Cole as he is lost deep in the wilds of Oblivion.

Outer Darkness #11 - Sex priests, haunted hallucinogens, and barbarian mercenary lizards, oh my!

Powers of X #6 (of 6) - THE INEVITABLE TRUTH. The revelatory tale of Mutantkind's fall comes to a conclusion that will lay the groundwork of the X-Men's stories for years to come!

Reaver #4 - Hell’s Half-Dozen has fought their way to the Anvil without losing a member… until now.

Sonata #5 - Sonata is dangerously ill, and her survival is in the hands of the deranged Korbys and his dubious expertise in herbal remedies. Meanwhile, an unexpected visitor brings catastrophic news from the Tayan home world.

Spawn #301 - TODD McFARLANE returns to pencil and ink SPAWN #301—with GREG CAPULLO, JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER, CLAYTON CRAIN, JEROME OPEÑA, and FRANCESCO MATTINA, and even more surprises to come in the record-breaking, longest-running creator-owned comic book in history!

Superman #16 - The Super Sons are back! But now Jon is five years older, and he’s sitting on the biggest decision of his young life. Damian and Jon team up again for a rip-roaring adventure and a huge catch-up! These two best buds have really needed each other, and now they are back!

Unearth #4 - Amidst a bloodbath, the truth of the flesh-warping disease—and the hideous cave system in which our heroes are lost—is revealed! Once these shocking secrets come to light, nothing in our world will remain the same. Meanwhile, the soldiers and scientists trapped underground face their most horrifying challenges yet… including the mind of the infection.

Wonder Woman #80 - After failing to save her friends, Wonder Woman must find the power within to vanquish her most powerful foe…who’s only gotten more formidable! But only Diana, who knows Cheetah best, can stop her god-killing spree! Little does Diana know, there’s a deity waiting in the shadows to assume the role of god/goddess of love and help save the world alongside our hero. Will they find each other in time?

Comic Book Reviews - 10/2/2019 - Part 2

Strange Skies over East Berlin #1

This was not one of my pulls. Despite an incredible track record of classic stories, I have an inherent bias against mini-series. Something about it must call to me and I have to say who wouldn't be entranced by that striking cover? The title also helps, I have a weakness of intriguing titles.

Many years ago I would not have been able to appreciate a title like this. The art is more impressionistic than clean, but who doesn't enjoy a good sci-fi story set in the backdrop of cold war Berlin? The story combines cold war anxiety with out of this world fear. As enjoyable as peanut butter and jelly.

Vampire State Building #1

Ablaze is a new comic book publisher, at the very least new to me. They have had some intriguing solicitations as of late, namely a Conan interpretation that they were forced to stop publishing. Here, we have Charlie Adlard's first post-Walking Dead art and he does an incredible job. What do you expect from a guy who has been a consistent monthly artist for more than 180 issues? This time we get vampies instead of zombies and I couldn't be happier for that. 

I did find the panel layouts to be strange in that it feels like the panels are smaller than they needed to be, publishing error? There is a lot of white space on the top and bottom of the page and text is small and difficult to read as a result.

It's Walking Dead....only with vampires, and inside a skyscraper. Where is John McClane when you need him?

Dead Eyes #1

This series was originally published as Dead Rabbit several months ago, but ended up causing a copyright infringement. I have to be honest, calling this Dead Rabbit makes no sense. The rename to Dead Eyes makes all the sense in the world. While reading this issue every time someone said Dead Eyes, I would substitute Dead Rabbit in my head and it sounds bizarre.

This issue took me by surprise because I didn't expect to know the identity of the title character right away. I thought it would be one of those slow reveals, I was not really disappointed because knowing who it is makes the contrast between the persona and the real person very entertaining. This issue was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to the next one soon. They should have a pretty good head start by now, so hopefully no delays.

Comic Book Reviews - 10/2/2019 - Part 1

House of X #6 (of 6)

The X-Men have changed drastically since this series began. During the previous volume of Uncanny X-Men, most of the mutants were stuck in an alternate reality within the mind of X-Man, while the rest were fighting for survival in the real world. Cyclops lost an eye, Emma lost some hair and gained a huge scar on her skull, and many mutants died. None of that seems to have mattered.

Now, we have a mutant nation in Krakoa. An established mutant government led by Xavier, Magneto, and Apocalypse. And finally, with this issue, this new mutant nation establishes their first mutant laws.

• Make more mutants
• No killing humans
• Respect Krakoa

Why no killing humans, but it is OK to kill mutants? Apocalypse argues that they will grow weak if not allowed to test their mettle against each other. Despite getting his way, in a later scene he seems filled with melancholy about having achieved his ultimate dream of a superior mutant-led society.  Plus, since Xavier has mastered the resurrection process, mutants can never really die anymore. 

With the no killing humans law now in effect, Sabretooth is the first mutant criminal to stand trial for his crimes. His punishment is eternal imprisonment within the dark bowels of Krakoa.

I've loved this series from the art to the epic world-building and I give it my highest recommendation.

Immortal Hulk #24 (LGY #741)

What a joy this series has been. Joe Bennett is establishing himself as a major artist with his inventively grotesque imagery. Al Ewing feels unleashed here to set the scope of the story to infinity. I would not be surprised at all if Ewing becomes the next major star for Marvel like Bendis or Hickman.

I've been reading Hulk stories for many years and this series has been so refreshing, dark, melancholy, full of sorrow and regret, and beautiful all at the same time. This issue continues this very special series that I hope never ends.

Copra #1 (LGY #32)

While I've been reading comics since I was a youth, I still feel as though I have a lot to learn about the medium. Every Previews I read is filled with numerous references to past masters that I have never heard of. One of my recent joys have come with the recently cancelled Gogor series by Ken Garing. There is something magical about the works of comic auteurs - those who take the whole process into their own hands and make wonders.

Suffice it to say when I saw Copra for the first time, I was mesmerized by the art. The inventive character designs and yet they have this high school art look about them.

While this issue is advertised as issue #1, it is actually issue #32. The previous issues were self-published and in an effort to focus more on the craft, Fiffe has decided to publish through Image. I applaud the decision because it expands the audience for the book.

While the story itself jumps headfirst into a continuing storyline, there is a summary at the end of the issue that tries to explain what has led up to this point -  a worthy effort.

It is books like this that make comics books a consistent joy in my life.

Everything #2

This series has me completely mystified. I simply cannot figure it out. I really enjoy the art and the references to potentially strange happenings, but the cadence or pace of the storytelling is baffling. Perhaps this is on purpose. The flow is off which fills the reader with unease - that sort of thing.

We are obviously following some specific characters around and some strange things are happening to those characters, but the behavior of these characters is not at all human-like. It's like reading a comic made by aliens with a foreign culture. Sure the materialistic trappings make sense, but that's where coherence ends. 

This reads like a David Cronenberg film. Naked Lunch the comic book. Maybe that is the point. I've considered dropping the series, but at the same time it is original enough that I want to give it the benefit of the doubt. 

State of My Hobbies: Manga - Looking Towards 2019

I began collecting manga in 2017. That year I took on the ambitious task of collecting and catching up on One Piece. I read an article on IGN about the anime and how nobody should start on the manga now, it would just be too much to catch up on - CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

I did catch up on One Piece that year. Since 2017, I have collected Monster, Death Note, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (in hardcover), One Punch Man, My Hero Academia, Platinum End, Devilman Classic (Hardcover). I began Berserk, but am not caught up to it. I ended by the end of the Golden Age arc. I became aware of the new deluxe hardcover editions, so I am anxiously awaiting their arrival in March.

This Christmas, I was gifted a copy of Abara by Tsutomu Nihei, which I enjoyed, and three hardcover volumes of Junji Ito (Uzumaki, Tomie, and Gyo). I borrowed Uzimaki that first year from the same friend and absolutely fell in love with it.

I will continue to follow One Punch Man, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Berserk, Jojo, and Platinum End, but I feel like I want to expand a bit more into some new territory - perhaps smaller fare instead of sprawling epics.

I think first on my list will be to find Pluto and 20th Century Boys by Urasawa. Monster is one of my favorite series and it would be a disservice not to collect his other works. There are also additional Junji Ito volumes floating around (Frankenstein, Shiver, etc.).

Beyond that, I honestly don't know. Attack on Titan and Tokyo Ghoul are popular, but don't entirely speak to me - perhaps that is a mistake. Hunter x Hunter is another series that intrigues me. Vagabond, Vinland Saga, and Blade of the Immortal are also intriguing avenues to follow.

Manga has been an invaluable font for incredibly emotional story arcs. I know there is so much more left to discover off the beaten paths once I graduate from neophyte to a more sophisticated reader.

Silos - A Collecting Method for American Comic Books

For the past few years I have been struggling to organize my comic book collection. Trying to keep up with the whims of American comic book publishing can often feel like an impossible task. The latest trend, at least for Marvel, is the overpriced one-shot. Marvel will string these together as a series, instead of.....you know....publishing a series. They do this because they can charge 5$+ doing it this way. Another trick is to publish an epilogue one-shot after the end of a limited series. Why not just publish this as.....the last issue of the series? Oh another one.....how would Spider-Geddon #0, which was entirely an overpriced advertisement for the Spider-Man game for PS4. Like I said, it is impossible to keep up. How do you sort them accurately?

Finally, I came up with a system, I hope, will help me to streamline the mess. I've been using a system for 10+ years that I call the Perennial system. Only the classic volumes that are always in print:

Marvel -

• Avengers
• Spider-Man
• Hulk
• Iron Man
• Thor
• Captain America
• Daredevil
• Fantastic Four
• X-Men

DC -

• Action Comics
• Detective Comics
• Superman
• Batman
• Wonder Woman
• Green Lantern
• The Flash
• Aquaman
• Justice League

The rules are:

• Just follow the singular series
• Often get annuals
• Follow the series wherever they may go, as long as, it is a multi-part crossover.
• Get major event limited series only

This has been a great system for me over the years and works most of the time. However, it is extremely rigid in the sense that you rarely will get to try something new. What I wanted to change was the discovery mechanism and now, I think, I have finally found a solution. I call it the Silo solution, or Perennial+.

The idea is that new titles can be added as long as they follow the same rules and don't overlap. Marvel/DC love to publish derivative characters - a cadre of bat-vigilantes, spider-men, avenger teams and justice leagues, as well as, teen versions of every character they have. This is all noise I need to ignore.

Let's begin with the new adds under the Silo system:

Marvel - 

• Doctor Strange
• Black Panther
• The Punisher
• Venom
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Captain Marvel
• Deadpool
• Wolverine
• (Theoretically - Ghost Rider, Iron Fist, Cable, Moon Knight, Sentry, etc.)

DC - 

• Green Arrow
• Shazam
• Hawkman
• (Theoretically - Atom, JSA, Legion of Super Heroes, Lobo)

Other -

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Conan the Barbarian
• (Theoretically - Spawn, G.I. Joe, Savage Dragon)

The idea was to develop a "new classics" list. Each had to exist in their own silo universe with their own main character and rogues gallery that does not rely on any other character in the silo. They have to be popular enough to support their own series for years. Another feature of this design is that I can get non-Marvel/DC characters as well.

The perks of the system:

• Allows for easy sorting as each silo is sorted linearly.
• Easy to follow each story as the story is linear within each silo.

What do I give up with this system?

• No more annuals unless they are part of a multi-part storyline. I have found over the years that those are the only annuals worth reading.

Every system has pros and cons. I needed a collecting method that was easy to sort and easy to follow in any publishing environment. In order to make the method work, I have to ignore what Marvel/DC want to do to entice me to spend more and enforce my spending pattern until Marvel/DC follow suit. Comic book publishing is small enough that individual spending patterns can have a large impact. For example, there used to be multiple ongoing Spider-Man titles for years. I argued against it for years and finally mandated to myself that I would never buy a Spider-Man series except the "main" one. Years later, there was only Amazing Spider-Man. Today, Marvel is just publishing Uncanny X-Men and some semi-random other series. The system works and it works over time, if, you are willing to play chicken with the publishers and not buy into publishing decisions you disagree with.

I want American comic books to be more like manga - linear and internally consistent. I am going to buy comics in a very specific way to encourage the publishers to publish comics exactly as I want to buy them.

Pull List - 8/8/2018 - Part 1

I've been using a tool to manage my pull list - leagueofcomicgeeks.com. It is a pretty awesome tool and I am very pleased with it. It has helped me manage my ever-expanding pull list.

I want to return to talking about upcoming issues, but with the volume I am now reading, it can be daunting for a single post.

Here are the first batch of pulls:

Amazing Spider-Man #804
Daredevil #606
Detective Comics #986
Fantastic Four #646
The Flash Vol. 5 #52

I've been toying with the idea of a thumbs-up, thumbs-down style of quickly-reviewing issues. The intent is to see trends in likability for a series over time. If a series is consistently unlikable, I should seriously consider dropping it. A tough prospect for an avid collector like myself, but I should have some standards.

Amazing Spider-Man #804 - Currently 2 Thumbs-Up

I was pleasantly surprised by the new creative team. I knew Ryan Ottley would do a good job, but Nick Spencer didn't seem great based on the preview pages Marvel sent out for the first issue. Thankfully, those preview pages were the worst pages in the whole issue and everything else was much better. When it comes to funny super-heroes this series is much, much better than the current Deadpool.

Daredevil #606 - Currently 1 Thumb-Up

Of all the major Marvel series, Daredevil remains the most consistent. Probably due to the fact that it avoids events like the plague. The current storyline involves Fisk as the Mayor and Murdock just recently quit as Deputy Mayor and then soon learns that Fisk rigged the election. Cue, the Find Out How Fisk Cheated Saga.

Detective Comics #986 - Currently 1 Thumb-Up

I was not happy with the previous Batman Eternal storyline. I don't like Batwoman as a character, maybe that had something to do with it. This time around, the role of Batman is replaced by Black Lightning and I have to admit I dig it. The art style is crisp and clean and dynamic, the covers have been interesting and even the characterization of the kiddos are not annoying. More, please.

Fantastic Four #646 - Currently N/A

Fantastic Four returns from a years-long hiatus. I have missed it a great deal. We get an interesting new creative team headed by Dan Slott and I am excited to see where he takes things. Covers by Esad Ribic provide some continuity in art, at least on the surface, from Secret Wars to now. I hope the continuity spreads beyond simply cover art.

The Flash Vol. 5 #52 - Currently Neutral

The one thing you can almost guarantee with a Flash comic book is the presence of bad art. Maybe it is the consistently low sales numbers that The Flash enjoys, but the series continue to have a litany of terrible artists over the years. In addition to the bad art, The Flash keeps a consistently bland  storyline. It is for that blandness, and my love of the character, that I seem unable to give this series a thumbs down. I mean it could be worse, I guess.

Doctor Strange #393 - Review

I was surprised to see the Infinity Wars tie-in image on the title. I guess I just didn't realize Marvel would use these existing series to tie-in to the overarching event. I have to say this is probably the best instance of an event tie-in that I have ever seen. It weaves seamlessly into the existing story. It also plays a pivotal part of the main story as it changes the owner of the time gem, so it will be interesting to see how this is referenced in the main series.

I am typically not a fan of the airbrush art look. I like the lines on the face to come from pencils and not coloring. It makes the line work look bare, but I think it is growing on me. It is probably done to keep up with a monthly schedule, so I can let it slide as long as it is consistent.

I think Kanna is a great addition to the series and I think the concept of Doctor Strange in space is interesting and original. I am really, really enjoying these new directions for each series that has come out of the Marvel Fresh Start. I recently saw that Marvel has been taking back dollar and market share from DC and I can see these books as part of that narrative.

The one thing I still don't understand though is Doctor Strange existentially. His fingers have nerve damage and yet he performs complex finger placements as part of being Sorcerer Supreme. Did he get them fixed? Does it matter? 

Incredible Hulk #719 (Immortal Hulk) - Review

Let's be honest, Hulk comics have not been the greatest comics on average. Sure, there have been legendary runs from Peter David and Greg Pak, but in between there have been some pretty mediocre comics.

Of all the films that star the Hulk, my favorite is The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton. The reason this one is my favorite is because they totally nailed how scary the Hulk would be in real life. This new series by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett feels like a further extension of that. What I really like about this new series is that it takes the idea even further and goes full-on horror.

I was really surprised by the art by Bennett in the first issue. It reminds me of the legendary Brian Bolland and I loved the double 2-page spread of the Hulk's face. Something about it felt so original.

This issue is a self-contained story that harkens back to the original idea that Banner's discoveries fall into the wrong hands. There are scenes in a graveyard, scenes steeped in darkness. It has a reanimator feel.

I was looking at the opening credits and realized the cover was by Alex Ross....how did I miss that. Compare this cover to the one for Captain America and this one feels like outside his comfort zone. I really like these covers.

I hope this team stays on the book a long time. If it remains consistent, it could be become one of the great Hulk runs which has me excited already.