By Leah Williams, Jesus Abertov, David Baldeón, Joe Caramagna collects Gwenpool Strikes Back #1-5 original series: volumes one | two | three | four | five[complete]
Gwenpool is an anomaly in superhero comics. She’s originally from our world, and that makes her irreverent, nerdy, over the top meta, and nihilistic all at the same time; her “powers” include her comics knowledge and traversing the white space between panels. What made her special in her debut run, to me, wasn’t breaking the fourth wall; it was the way she poked fun at comics and pushed a very particular satire and commentary, as a character who understands both worlds. While Hastings’ run had its ups and downs, he managed to create some emotional resonance with Gwenpool, especially when she realized her series was coming to an end.
Instead of building on what made Gwen’s original series great, Williams rehashes Hastings’ last volume (which had major problems of its own). Gwen’s manic strategies to save her readership and continue existing in the Marvel universe are basically the same: she tries to be a villain, then switches to “sex sells” (swapping Batroc for Deadpool, and resulting in a very strange trip to the Fantastic Four home), and then she organizes a Battle Royale with other superheroes that dragged on far too long. This was already overdone last time, so the rehash was unoriginal, exhausting, and frankly, artificial. Just like Hastings’ finale, we know things will end positively for Gwen, so when Williams tries to eke out something emotional, it falls flat. And very ironic that Gwen lamented the loss of her original secondary characters in volume five, knowing they wouldn’t exist outside her series, yet here they only make one nonessential appearance. Gwen did have a sweet moment with Kamala Khan towards the end of the book which was nice, since she is so often paired with male characters (even on West Coast Avengers, Gwen was almost immediately and exclusively paired with Quinten).
Compounding these problems is the humor, a staple in Gwen’s series. In Strikes Back, the humor was pretty forced. As a millennial, I’m probably no longer allowed to comment on what is cool anymore, but it often didn’t land. The slang, use of emojis and so on felt artificial and very time specific. I chuckled maybe once or twice the whole book.
I loved David Baldeón’s work on Domino and most recently Storm (two Baldeón books in a row!), and his expressive, slick style really lends itself to Gwenpool. I love how he visualized her white space-jumping, and the artist himself has a fun cameo too. The one thing that really bothered me was giving Gwen a gap, or at least a line, between her teeth. It’s a small detail but really changed her look and I wasn’t a fan.
Gwen is all about taking risks and I wish Williams had gone in a bolder new direction with her character instead of largely repeating her former arc.
by Greg Pak, Víctor Ibáñez, Ruth Redmond, Cory Petit, Roland Paris issue 3: Scott Hepburn, David Baldeon, Jordi Tarragona, Rachelle Rosenberg issue 6: Al Barrionuevo, Tom Palmer, Joe Sabino
My inspiration for reading Pak’s Storm run is simple: I’m rewatching the X-Men Animated Series (one of the best depictions of Storm ever), and I needed more Ororo in my life. But while a lot of the covers are great, not everything is firing on all cylinders here.
Storm is an iconic superhero with decades of history, so why does it seem like Pak can’t fully lock in her character? The issues are really disjointed, with one or two issue vignettes that don’t go together. This isn’t always a problem, but the issues don’t feel grounded or connected; if anything, the first two arcs, in which Storm looks for missing women (and ends up apologizing to them), felt a bit too similar.
And we’re surrounded by Storm’s current and ex lovers: Wolverine and Forge respectively, even T’Challa is mentioned several times. At times it felt like Storm wasn’t the star of her own story. So it was ironic that the book finally centered around Storm once she was in grief, but even then, it’s gone by the last issue – not sure if her grief precipitated any real change or growth. Also that third issue with Forge in Africa was….more than a little cringey. Possibly even tone deaf; made me really wish someone like Nnedi Okorafor, Roxane Gay or Vita Ayala was on this title.
It was nice to see Beast pop up a few times, he and Storm have a sweet relationship; but where are Kitty and Rogue? It’s odd that in her own solo series more of her friendships aren’t explored. (The more I think about it the more frustrated i am that Forge, for some reason, was given priority.)
The constantly shifting art team is fine; there’s not much to write home about, which is also a shame for a Storm book. For powers as awesome and visual as controlling the weather, there are few ‘wow’ moments post the opening issue. And the third issue’s new creative team was totally jarring, and while I loved Baldeon’s work on Domino, his and Hepburn’s art was inconsistent with some weird proportions.
I’ll check out the last volume (although it has pretty negative reviews) when I’m not feeling anything else. Frankly I would be so excited to see a new Storm solo series written by a Black writer like any of the folks mentioned above. Storm deserves a kickass solo title, and this isn’t it.
by Chris Claremont, Juan Bobillo & Marcelo Sosa collects Mekanix #1-6
Having a Marvel Unlimited subscription means diving into some older comics! (Wait, does 2001 count as old now? Uuuugh.) In the mysteriously named Mekanix (the title is never explained), Kitty Pryde aka Shadowcat chooses to leave the X-Men and the superhero life entirely. She’s processing some major grief – most significantly losing her dad after the devastation on the mutant island Genosha. Kitty joins a grad program in Chicago, picks up a bartending gig, and makes some new friends, but danger finds a way of following her.
In many ways this is a classic Claremont story, and his affection for Kitty (who he created) is on full display. The anti-mutant “Purity” group that targets mutants (and doxxes them, before there was a term for it), is still depressingly relevant, and a modern version recently popped up in New Mutants. Claremont is never afraid to make the mutant/minorities allegory very clear, and Kitty, who is also Jewish (like Claremont), is a perfect microphone for it. Obviously this will turn off folks, but it’s also what has always made the comics so powerful. (And you can certainly argue that several comics and other properties have forgotten that essential core to the X-Men, but I digress.)
But some things are still pretty off, it’s a combination of the product of its time, and the story as it stands on its own. There’s some cringey, outdated dialogue (particularly from the characters of color) and some dialogue is self-explanatory (Claremont’s signature) too. I appreciate the grief aspect and Kitty going to therapy, but it wasn’t as effective it could have been; we actually learn more about the therapist than any real breakthrough for Kitty. The pacing is also strange. The focus on Kitty, the grad program and Purity (along with Alice, a VERY problematic villain), reaches a high point and then is suddenly disrupted by new and improved Sentinels. I suspect Claremont took the mutant allegory as far as he could and then cut it off for more typical X-Men content. I’m honestly not sure if this is the story Claremont wanted to tell in full, though it was nice to have some action.
Probably the biggest highlight of Mekanix is Kitty’s friendship with Xi’an Coy Manh, also known as Karma, who is living in Chicago with her two young siblings, as well as Shan, a new character. It’s quite obvious that Kitty and Xi’an, who is a lesbian, have a romantically charged moment, and I later learned that Claremont tried to confirm Kitty as bisexual in this arc, but Marvel wouldn’t have it. Thankfully she was finally canonized as queer in last year’s Marauders.
The art is really not my style. Bobillo’s style is too loose, and it didn’t really make me feel like I was reading an X-Men universe book. Kitty is really over-sexualized (also part of comics 20+ years ago, doesn’t mean I have to like it), her midriff is constantly showing even in the middle of a huge scientific experiment – I say this not to be shaming, but because it literally doesn’t make sense practically. All the women are put into gratuitous poses, and her lips look . Also, I’m sorry to say this about the one woman on the book, but Cecilia Calle’s covers are just atrocious. Thank goodness they used this cover even though it’s still pretty bad; they are all sloppy, disproportionate and sexualize Kitty, amping up the objectification to an insane degree.
My time reading Mekanix is worth it because Kitty is one of my favorites and it fills in some gaps. But I wouldn’t recommend for anyone other than Kitty or Karma fans; it’s a disappointing story that doesn’t age well.
Note: Reviews are in order that I read them, not recommended reading of the Dawn of X titles ( a combination of the fact that the order isn’t in Marvel Unlimited for some reason; I’m biased towards Kate Pryde and wanted to read her stuff first; I am lazy and unable to read 6 different titles at once.)
X-Men: Marauders by Gerry Duggan, Matteo Lolli, Michele Bandini, Lucas Werneck collects Marauders #1-6 This is my first Dawn of X book since HOX/POX, and it’s out of order but I don’t care – Kate Pryde’s the lead and that means it’s the top of my pile. This is a fun romp that makes Kate the captain of the Marauders, keeping the shipping lanes open for Hellfire Club and rescuing mutants from hostile countries (though why she can’t get into Krakoa is convoluted and not explained – hopefully a setup for Hickman’s long game). This Kate is a bit rough around the edges, more drunk and tattooed, but frankly I love it. She’s joined by some favorites including Iceman, Storm, and a hilarious OG Pyro. I don’t care much for Sebastian Shaw, the art is run of the mill and the page-long prose excerpts are annoying AF…but I’m enjoying this. (And good thing I know spoilers for the end, otherwise I’d be writing a very different review.)
X-Men: Marauders, vol 2 by Gerry Duggan, Stefano Caselli, Matteo Lolli, Edgar Delgado collects Marauders #7-12 ** spoilers** Loved binge reading this after finishing Marauders volume 1. Five stars for Duggan’s perfect depiction of Kate and Kurt’s relationship, and the way he weaved in some great Jewish symbolism (the number 18) and that Kurt recognized it and also gave Kate back her Star of David, and thank God finally made her queer into canon. Some emotional beats were off, sorry, why would Kate be cremated if she’s Jewish (assuming she’s more traditional even though some progressive Jews are cremated)? Didn’t Kate deserve Xavier’s eulogy in-comic, because we know it would be resolved in the next issue? But I’ll overlook it for how significant this arc is for Kate’s character after decades of queer baiting, it’s about goddamn time. I wish it had happened with Rachel Summers, but we have time, don’t we? Caselli’s art is phenomenal. Lolli’s was a bit disappointing in the last issue, but I think he made Kate resemble her earliest look on purpose after she was resurrected.
X-Men by Jonathan Hickman, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, RB Silva collects X-Men #1-6 Not as much fun as Marauders but still great, even if a little disjointed. “Table setting” doesn’t do this volume justice – Hickman is basically setting up entire banquets in each issue. I’m sure the payoff will be great but at times it feels like a little much to keep in the air all at once. While a few concepts were confusing (the Vault), the fourth issue was a fascinating study into Magneto and Xavier’s evolved philosophies. I also still have a love-hate relationship with the prose pages – sometimes it provides eerie foreshadowing (#5) or amusement (the menu in #4) and other times it feels clunky…or, to continue extending the metaphor, table setting in another room altogether. The art is also great. I loved Silva & Gracia’s art in issue five with the Vault. Yu & Alanguilan’s work feels like classic X-Men but it’s a bit too rough for me.
X-Men: Excalibur by Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega, VC Cory Petit collects X-Men Excalibur #1-6 I thought this was a lot of fun, even though Marvel’s magical corner of the universe is unfamiliar to me – I always associated Morgan Le Fey with Etrigan and Zatanna (mostly thanks to the DCAU). The new Excalibur team is a fun group and Apocalypse continues to be an interesting wildcard compared to some of the other mutant villains like Shaw. I’m happy to see Rogue and Gambit’s story continue as a married couple post their disappointing solo series, even though Rogue spent most of this arc as Snow White. And while I’m not familiar with the Braddock twins their relationship as siblings feels unique and Betsy is such a solid character. Marcus To’s art is just phenomenal and his art along with Arciniega and Petit created a strong fantasy and magic aura.
New Mutants by Jonathan Hickman & Rod Reis collects New Mutants (2019) #1-2, 5, 7 Hickman and Reis’ New Mutants arc was honestly way better than I expected it to be, because I usually don’t associate Hickman’s writing with upbeat, humorous, 20’s superheroes fare – and yet he completely pulls it off. I’m not familiar with a lot of these characters (I haven’t read much New Mutants) but loved getting to know them during their space romp gone sideways, and Roberto da Costa is a hilarious, self centered lead with excellent recaps. I think the writer is a bit in love with him too however, and I would have liked to see more Magick and Mirage.
Reis’ art is extraordinary, and I love the funky colors and multimedia feel to his work. But his style is so work intensive that they needed to include a completely separate arc (at least I assume that’s what happened) for issues 3, 4 and 6. This arc isn’t terrible, but it also isn’t great, and it completely throws off the pacing. (Reviewing this arc separately.) This only happened to me because I read on Marvel Unlimited; the collected editions separate the arcs out. If you’re in the same boat as me, I would highly recommend reading the arcs separately. It also meant some of the main arc needed to be truncated – and while the recaps are funny, it also covers ground that clearly would have been those missing issues.
New Mutants is a great first volume, but it would have been a home run if every issue was dedicated to the main arc.
New Mutants by Ed Brisson, Flaviano, Marco Failla, Carlos Lopez collects New Mutants (2019) #3-4, 6, 8-12
Man, Brisson’s New Mutants is a completely different turn from Hickman. It’s darker and way more violent. The first arc took a violent turn that surprised me, followed by a new mission to Russia (with heroes from both missions), where a new mutant’s nightmares are creating a new reality. The final, shorter arc involves the heroes tracking down the creators of a website doxxing mutants, whose actions have led to violence and murders – while a good tie in to current events, and certainly (sadly) a realistic development post-Krakoa, it was still a bit depressing. (Also depressing: their HQ is in my hometown.) The stories themselves aren’t bad, and I really like the cast and how diverse they are, but it’s certainly a 180 from Hickman’s tone. Also a gaffe I rarely see in comics – a line of dialogue is accidentally repeated on the same page. Flaviano, Failla and Lopez’s art was fine but nothing to write home about. Finally, I loved the development for Glob most of all – what a great character. He should just be in everything.
by Alyssa Wong, Marika Cresta, Rachelle Rosenberg collects Doctor Aphra #1-5 volume reviews: one OG series reviews: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven [complete]
Doctor Aphra is unquestionably one of the best original characters to come out of Star Wars comics, but her solo series was a roller coaster that barely managed any consistency.
Wong, Cresta and Rosenberg’s debut volume on Doctor Aphra is a perfect jumping-on point for new Aphra fans, and also a return to the best of Aphra as a character, and a distillation of her best stories. Aphra returns to her roots as a double crossing archaeologist – this time, the “Rings of Vaale” which will provide the wearer with infinite power and wealth – with a quirky, equally double crossing crew, and a perfectly creepy abandoned city.
Wong gets Aphra. She gets her quippy one liners, what blocks her from intimacy and honest relationships, and how to authentically integrate her queerness without making it decorative. On that note, while it seems like every other woman is Aphra’s ex, Wong handles their relationship with more tact and nuance than Spurrier or Gillen ever did. The pacing is excellent and Wong also introduces memorable secondary characters, not an easy feat. The villain looks like 90’s regret but a new spin on spoiled rich boy – collecting rare antiques and vaporizing them, so he is the last to hold them.
Marika Cresta and Rachelle Rosenberg’s art fires on all cylinders. The pencils are soft but kinetic, and aren’t too hyper realistic (something I find off putting in Star Wars books). Aphra is drawn beautifully and her chemistry with Okka is believable, and Rosenberg’s colors evoke a classic Star Wars story.
Some folks are complaining that this book “doesn’t tread new ground,” but it’s not supposed to. It’s a volume one – and frankly, it’s the volume one Dr. Aphra deserved – because it shows us exactly who Aphra is. And I’m here for it, as long as we see Triple Zero in the next arc.
Reading Art 