Domino: Killer Instinct

by Gail Simone, David Baldeón, Michael Shelfer, and Jesus Aburtov
collects Domino #1-6
volume one | two |three – complete

I absolutely loved this! Domino has everything going for her in this six-issue arc, which I recommend not only for fans of Deadpool 2, but anyone who likes a kickass woman with a dark past and awesome power, a solid mutant (but non-X-Men) story, heaps of witty humor, and bug eyed pugs.

No offense to all dog lovers everywhere (I’m one myself), but if Domino’s gone all the time and needs an animal with innate luck…. maybe Outlaw should have given her a cat?

Domino’s luck powers just might have been at work here, because who better to write her than Gail Simone! I mean, there are lots of awesome female writers, but Domino (aka Neena Thurman) is such a natural character for Simone, you could probably convince someone that she created Domino herself. The elements of Domino’s abusive past and her dark character; her all-female team and relationships with Outlaw and Diamondback; the sarcastic and witty humor – it all felt like the best of Secret Six, Birds of Prey, and Deadpool, and by the way, does anything feel more right than Gail Simone writing Deadpool again?

Maybe Simone writing Outlaw. Simone is a master of memorable secondary or minor characters with big doses of personality – King Shark and Ragdoll from Secret Six, Misfit and Barda from Birds, Alysia from Batgirl, and Maizy in Crosswind. Outlaw is one of Simone’s best original characters, whom she created in her Deadpool series. Outlaw’s a mercenary who leans hard into the cowgirl routine, but it absolutely works for her, as does her fierce BFF love of Domino. Diamondback had a little less of a strong personality but she was still great, and I have no doubt we’ll see more of them in the next volume.

Cherrybomb is the perfect theme song for Domino, end of sentence.

The Domino of the comics is very different than her film adaptation, so have that expectation going in. But you don’t need an encyclopedic knowledge of her history: Simone highlights Domino’s backstory without spending too much time in exposition, and also establishes her team with Outlaw and Diamondback, who are just so, so much fun together.

The story grounds itself in Domino better understanding and controlling her abilities – which she describes as a mouse walking along her spine, cringingly perfect. The power of luck translated very well onto the big screen, but it also made Domino seem invincible. Not so here – we see Domino’s powers taken away from her, and even on contagious overdrive (not great in a casino), often threatening her and her friend’s lives. Connecting her abilities to her focus and emotions allowed for a lot of great character growth without relying too much on her powers for a perfect ending. Domino’s villains are also connected to her powers and her awful childhood, and Simone does an excellent job of pacing with flashbacks, the Topaz reveal, and their violent, very satisfying final confrontation.

minor spoilers. I only wish Domino was also able to interact with Desmond, especially with their connection – which seems pretty unique along the spectrum of mutant powers. How often is one mutant’s powers directly affected by another? It was a little disappointing that Domino only learned about Desmond through Topaz, but at the same time, it also heightens the tragedy that they never met each other but had a huge impact on the other’s life. It also makes perfect sense that, had she met Desmond, Domino might have been emotionally crippled by the guilt of it and walked away from her life entirely.

Baldeón’s fantastic art is cartoony and very expressive – very often it allowed for scenes full of movement, action and comedy that worked well alongside Simone’s writing (see some great examples of this above). He pays great attention to detail too. Other times it felt like a little much, especially with some of the darker material. I was also sort of disappointed that Domino is attacked and pushed through a window while in her underwear, and Simone/Baldeón chose to do a full spread page of…Neena fully spread…with an angle that I thought we had firmly left behind in comics. Shelfer was a guest artist for issue #5 and it was my least favorite art in the book – he lacked the movement and creative angles that made a big fight scene feel slower and less climactic.

Speaking of which, I was pleasantly surprised that there was also a romantic element to Domino’s story, and I 100% wanted more of it. I won’t spoil who the lucky person is – somehow I’d completely missed him in comics but apparently he’s been around since the 70’s and is getting his own MCU movie too! However, the romance moved too quickly for me to be completely convinced (not necessarily from Domino’s side, but the guy’s feelings seemed rather fast) – and only afterwards do they suddenly become more comfortable with “master” and “pupil” titles, which is…weird? Maybe it was all meant in a Simone-y bantering tone and I just read it wrong. Regardless, it was giving me serious Catman/Huntress feels (damn you Simone with your amazing but ill fated couple pairings!!) and I hope we see those two cross paths again.

I am thrilled that Domino has received all the praise it deserves, and that luck strikes again for her and all of us – not only is volume 2 of Domino being released this month, but Simone and Baldeón are also beginning an all-new Hotshots series, an all-female featuring Domino, Outlaw, Diamondback and others.

Kill or Be Killed 2 [DNF]

by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Collects Kill or Be Killed #5-10
(volumes 1 | 2 )

This is one of very few trades – and maybe my first review for one – that I didn’t finish (DNF). Nope. Because I have a lot of great comics waiting on my shelf and who knows if I’m going to die tomorrow. By an extremely boring dude with a terrible haircut and for some dumb reason, a shotgun.

Brubaker and Phillips take Dylan’s once-a-month killing spree to the next logical level – a detective has found obvious similarities between Dylan’s killings and is on his tail. But Detective Lily (one of two flower-named women we meet, who knows, maybe there were more to come!) is ignored by THE PATRIARCHY and must investigate on her own! Maybe it would seem more feminist if Dylan literally didn’t mansplain her entire backstory and motivation for existing like some weird omniscient narrator! Way to take all the fun out of learning who Lily is in the most mansplainy way possible.

Dylan continues to mansplain his way through his killing decisions – an interesting philosophical problem on his hands, for sure, but it would be more interesting if said ethical conundrums came about within the story than being expositioned to death with literal walls of text. The demon character has basically retreated to the background – and understandably sometimes in fantasy, the actual trope is meant as a backdrop for human stories (like Thor, or Walking Dead when it isn’t sexist), but instead the most interesting character is gone. Instead Dylan finds a similarly shallow rebound named Daisy, whose expressions were drawn so bizarrely, and Kira not only changes her hair color Donna in the last season of That 70’s show style, but also explains her backstory to us, in the most boring way possible, you guessed it. Expo-zzz-ition.

If the series really turns around and it is an absolute can’t miss dream of a story, please, leave me a comment and convince me. Otherwise, I have far better things to read. Brubaker and Phillips books will still be in the queue, mind you, sometime. Just not this one.

The Unbelievable Gwenpool: Believe It

by Christopher Hastings, Gurihiru, Danilo Beyruth & Travis Bonvillain
collects Gwenpool, The Unbelievable #0-4
original series: volumes one | two | three | four | five [complete]
miniseries: Gwenpool Strikes Back

In the world of superheroes, a lot of characters have weird, convoluted origin stories – but Gwenpool might take the cake for most unexpected creation overall! In 2015, Marvel did a special variant cover series imagining Gwen Stacy as different characters, following the success of Spider-Gwen. The Gwen/Deadpool “Gwenpool” variant cover was such a hit with fans and cosplayers that Chris Hastings was tasked with giving her a back story, and Gwenpool eventually got a one shot comic with Howard the Duck, and then her own ongoing series.

In a brilliant move, Hastings imagined Gwenpool with the same fourth wall breaking and nonchalant attitude similar to Deadpool, but also completely different – because Gwen is from our world. That’s right – she knows she’s in a world of comic book characters, so she doesn’t give a hoot about shooting people up! (At least, maybe she wouldn’t if she had any superpowers or weapons training!)

This first arc of Gwenpool is a hilarious adventure, featuring such B-list villains as Baltroc and MODOK – but it really works. Hastings wisely veers away from a traditional origin story (and Gwen even mentions it in her pink thought bubbles), so we get to know Gwen much more organically from her choices and personality, which is a great combination of DGAF snark and solving the problems she creates through a series of mishaps…until she tragically realizes, comic book world or not, her actions do have consequences. (And knowing everyone’s secret identity is an unexpected superpower on its own!)

This is my first time reading a comic book with Gurihiru’s art and it’s absolutely fantastic – their* anime style allows for some great over the top scenes but it never feels too cartoony or saccharine, not unlike Kris Anka’s work. They draw an unbelievable Thor. My only issue with it – and I’m very sorry, you won’t be able to unsee it – is that Gurihiru draws very tiny hands. (Check out the last panel in the picture above to see what I’m talking about.) Regardless I liked their art far more than Danilo Beyruth, who illustrated Gwenpool’s one-shot #0 issue – don’t think I could have done a whole trade by him.

It was refreshing to see Gwen have an impressive encyclopedic knowledge of comic book characters, making her a nerd in our world – but she doesn’t act like a typical fangirl. She realizes that in order to be relevant in the Marvel universe (and maybe make some cash along the way), she needs a suit and a mission – and perhaps surprisingly, she isn’t afraid of violence or killing people, fictional or otherwise. It’s ultimately better for the story to skip over Gwen’s origin – staying in that place would have made her story feel like glorified fanfiction – but at times, Gwen’s mishaps, successes, and ease surrounding herself with firearms does feel like a bit of a stretch. At least she reacts in a way every warm blooded human attracted to men should react upon meeting Dr Strange:

Thankfully, things become a little more grounded when Gwen is visited by Dr Strange, and while we still don’t find out exactly how Gwen hopped universes (to be fair, it’s not necessary), we still get some more emotional grounding of the character as she realizes she’s never going home. Strange’s comments that the Marvel world is indeed real, and leaves “footprints” on our own reality, is one that’s been done before but also smartly leaves room for Hastings to have a lot of fun here: Gwenpool’s Marvel Universe doesn’t have to look at all like Marvel titles next to it on the shelves, because it’s not a mirror image. I hope in a future arc, Gwen’s insider knowledge actually proves to be fake in some hilarious way.

(Unfortunately, it seems just as easy to get a boatload of guns in Marvel’s America as it is in our own.)

In the past, female superheroes were often regulated as the “girl” versions of male counterparts (Batgirl, Supergirl, Hawkgirl) – but thankfully Hastings and Gurihuru make Gwenpool her own character along with highlighting some very funny B-list villains who fit perfectly with the tone of the book. Looking forward to the next one.

*I recently learned that Gurihuru is the name of an artist duo rather than a proper name: pencils and inks by Sasaki and coloring by Kawano. I changed the pronouns to gender neutral plural. My apologies for the error. See their website for more!

Mister Miracle

by Tom King, Mitch Gerads, and Clayton Cowles
Collects Mr Miracle #1-12 (complete run)

Have you ever been at a theme park and you spend hours in line for a ride that you think will be just the GREATEST, but once you’re on the ride you wonder why did I actually waste hours of my life waiting for this? 

That is exactly how I felt about Mister Miracle. After Tom King’s stellar 12 issue run with The Vision (a character I didn’t give much thought or care to until his comic), I was thrilled that Mister Miracle, Big Barda and the New Gods, Jack Kirby’s wacky but wonderful corner of the DC world was going to get the same treatment. But I had a sinking feeling from the first page, and it only went downhill from there – and not in a thrilling rollercoaster way.

Introducing new readers to the New Gods pocket of the DC-verse likely necessitated some amount of exposition, but the first issue also suffers from a decades old “Dear Reader” narrator who quickly becomes insufferable. It’s likely an homage to Jack Kirby (among others, more on that later), but it doesn’t fit at all with King’s attempt at a serious story and Gerads’ similarly dark and metaphor-ridden art.

Soon after our narrator catches us up, we learn Scott has tried to commit suicide in order to “escape death,” and throughout the book, he’s unsure if he actually succeeded or not. This is dark, weighty stuff that also ties in Scott’s trauma of war and his childhood, and it remains unresolved throughout the book. I’m all for thoughtful work (and I hate books that necessitate hand-holding the reader), but at times the cryptic dialogue slipped into abstract, and dare I say, pretentiousness.

The narrator and the dark storyline consistently feel at odds with one another – unless there’s some satire or double meaning that completely escaped me. Which is a shame, because there’s actually some great humor here – for example, when Barda says unironically, “we have to be up so early to kill Granny.”

But the exposition takes a turn at a pivotal moment, when Scott and Barda explain the weapons they’re using against Darkseid. It’s an awful, deus-ex-machina, cop out from old comics that happens twice – no one in their right mind would explain why they’re beating their enemy while they’re doing it. It’s moments like these that brought me out of the story. Is this satire? Is this Scott’s mental illness? Is he actually dead?

Frankly, it felt like poor writing – and I say this fully cognizant of the many five star reviews out there. Maybe I didn’t read it correctly. But there’s a difference between intentionally confusing the reader via the protagonist’s confusion or even mental illness – like Moon Knight, for example -and obfuscating things so much the story becomes so muddled and unenjoyable. (And there’s never an excuse for poorly done exposition.)

I did like the focus on Barda and Scott’s marriage. DC is practically petrified of focusing on a long term relationship, to the point that they’ve tanked every long term couple including Lois and Clark from staying married. Scott and Barda’s banter, arguments, small disappointments and steadfast loyalty in each other – this was the clear highlight of the book for me. King knows how to write a no-nonsense Barda, who is one of my all time DC favorites. But, minor spoiler, Barda always remains second to Scott, and her only real “character development” is becoming pregnant. Again, she could simply be a projection of Scott’s dying mind, but it still left me disappointed.

I also loved Mitch Gerads’ art, even if I didn’t understand or like all of what was going on. His art has a phenomenal sense of mood and texture; it felt immediate and visceral and completely pulls you in. I’m also not sure how he pulls off the glitches and other technical aspects to his art when it also looks painstakingly hand drawn.

As a very moderate fan of Scott, Barda and company thanks to the Justice League Unlimited tv show, this also felt like an unfair introduction to a very wacky but beloved creation of Jack Kirby. Oberon and Granny Goodness in particular never get their due. I wish we could have lived in an updated New Gods world for a first arc, before plunging into Scott’s mental health crisis and “Darkseid is,” whatever the hell that means.

And finally, as if King hasn’t given himself enough to do, he also injects unnecessary commentary about Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s creative differences. (In a nutshel, Kirby left Marvel for several reasons, signed with DC, and immediately created the New Gods.) This fourth wall breaking is either a complete mystery or a complete distraction, depending on your historical knowledge. If Scott’s mental illness also allowed him to break the fourth wall (a la Deadpool or Gwenpool) it might have been more interesting; or, perhaps, if Scott’s war trauma was tied to Kirby’s experiences as a Jewish officer in WWII. But neither happen, and I still have no idea what it’s for. Like most of the book, frankly.

See some pics below from Mister Miracle #5, thanks to Retcon Punch (and their whole article on the issue is great):

Mister Miracle definitely had some great moments, but they were buried underneath unnecessary exposition, a weighty, confusing story, and early character deaths that made enjoying the story almost impossible. I would have rather just watched the JLU episode “The Ties That Bind” (you can watch a clip here).

Hark! A Vagrant

by Kate Beaton
[volumes 1 and 2]

I have to admit, this is less of a review and more blatant and shameless admiration for these wonderful comics. I was at first simply content to leave both Hark! A Vagrant collections five stars on Goodreads and let that be that, but dammit I just cannot keep quiet about them. Kate Beaton, a history buff and cartoonist, collects favorites of her online comic strip series “Hark! A Vagrant” in these two delightful volumes, both of which I simply never wanted to end.

A considerable amount of Beaton’s cartoons focus on historical characters or events, both the famous (Napoleon, the French Revolution) and the obscure (figures of Canadian history, sorry Canada*), but even if you don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge, the comics are still tremendously funny – and Beaton often provides helpful footnotes with some background (which are also, you guessed it, just as funny). In the first volume’s introduction Beaton shares her true belief that history is simply hilarious, you just have to read it that way – and she makes a compelling case.

*I am Canadian and allowed to make this joke as well as apologize for it.

Liszt and Chopin, America’s founding fathers, Mary Shelly and Lord Byron, Lester Pearson and so many more are given the Beaton treatment, not just emphasizing the parts of their personalities that made them interesting and funny (such as Liszt and Chopin’s respectively enormous egos), but also with a dash of modern relativity. (Some of my favorite strips included the founding fathers at an amusement park and a mall.) Beaton’s characters are tremendously expressive and she creates such an interesting balance of accuracy and over the top silliness in her work. It takes a special kind of author to go straight from some excellent butt jokes to Ida B Wells’ experience of racism among the suffragettes. (An extremely important part of American feminist history we can’t forget, especially us white women.)

Beaton’s cartoons aren’t just historical – she also has some phenomenal riffs on book and superhero parodies. The series on Jane Eyre was terribly funny, (I’m sure her Wuthering Heights one is too, but I haven’t read the book, sooo) and she completely eviscerates Edward, as one SHOULD. He is basically the prototype for another Edward whom everyone seems to fawn over but is just a terrible person.

But I have to say my absolute favorites were Lois Lane, Black Canary and Wonder Woman, as perhaps my favorite incarnations of all time – exasperated and giving absolutely zero shits. Lois in particular has no time for Superman/Clark, and at one point basically shouts at him, YOU’RE IN MY GODDAMN WAY. This isn’t just a great feminist reading of Lois – it’s probably how Lois, if she were an actual person and daring, sharp reporter, would actually react to Clark. Additionally, Wonder Woman loves to smoke and poor Storm has to drive out a feral Wolverine from the mansion – he’s tearing up the couches.

It seems that everyone has tried to do some sort of superhero parody, what with all its recent success, but just like her historical comic strips, Beaton’s approach is fresh and genuinely funny, and also historical in their own right. She understands the characters well enough to get at the essence of what makes them funny – or when it comes to the women characters, staring right through what has held them back this whole time.

On that note, Beaton writes Batman the way he is MEANT to be written, silly as all hell (read all the strips here). It’s why I can’t bring myself to read any more Snyder or start King’s Batman run, who try to make Batman all DARK and BROODING when in fact he should be prancing around in a garter. Give Kate Beaton the Batman ongoing immediately and return him to his former Adam West glory where he belongs.

But enough about Batman. Beaton’s overall focus on women – both historical and fictional – create a wonderful opportunity to not only learn more about forgotten or underrated women of history, which can hopefully lead you to several rewarding moments on Wikipedia, as it did me. Sacagawea, Rosalind Franklin, and Ida B Wells are just a few of the many women celebrated in Beaton’s comic, most of whom with more than a little exasperation (a la Lois) towards their male counterparts. But also Beaton puts them on equal, ridiculous footing along with everyone else – the Bronte sisters are just as selfish and silly as Napoleon. Regardless the book feels very feminist while at the same time honoring under appreciated history…especially contributions of women.

The other series in Beaton’s two books that I simply adore (told you this would be unabashed) is completely unique to Beaton, as far as I know, where she riffs on old book covers or theater posters, showing them in the first panel and taking it completely out of context in the next three. Often weird or ridiculous – this is where Beaton really let her imagination go wild – and always, always funny.

Beaton’s style is just like her art – flexible, expressive, at once stretching the bounds of reality while still maintaining a sense of accuracy. There are also some comic strips that are clearly delicate and took an additional level of work and care – such as this one about Nero and Agrippina. (Check out below the promo image Beaton did for AGO’s Turner exhibit to see another side of her work.)

Where her art really gets me is the comedic timing. How do you create comedic timing in a comic? I have no idea, and she is certainly not the first person to be good at it, but Beaton has it down to a science – an expression, the size or placement of the punchline dialogue, knowing exactly how long it takes to take your eyes from one panel to another. I don’t know how she does it, and more than once after laughing I had to just admire how Beaton made it happen.

READ THE BOOKS!