Comic Reviews 03.16.2021

 

Hey y’all. I apologize for these reviews being late. The last sevenish days have been pretty rough for me so I have not written much at all. But I’m back starting today and have some issues to discuss. I planned to have a few more here but did not have the time to write them. Just know that X-Factor #8, Children of the Atom #1, and Superman #29 are good, but not exceptional. The latter two are promising beginnings to their stories. I also read the debut of Proctor Valley Road and just had nothing to say about it. It is perfectly acceptable with some very pretty art.

Anyway, let’s jump in!

Spoilers for: Amazing Spider-Man #61, Wonder Woman #770, Mighty Morphin’ #5

Amazing Spider-Man #61

Writer: Nick Spencer

Artist: Patrick Gleason

Colors: Edgar Delgado

Letters: VC’s Joe Carmagna

Cover: Gleason and Delgado

It seems the long-lingering Kingpin plot thread may be approaching its climax. Fisk is tired of being beaten by the recent Spider-Man/Boomerang team-ups and just wants his magic rock. So, he is going to kill Gog, or at least threaten to, in an attempt to coerce the pair to give him the aforementioned McGuffin. It is an interesting story, though the death of Gog may cause me to stop reading this series, as much as I enjoy it. There is also a quick moment of Peter and Fred hanging out at home that was excellent. Glimpses into Peter’s domestic life are always fun.

The other focus of this issue us Peter’s cool new suit. It was designed by Norah Winters and her team, including JJJ, to make money off Spidey’s battles. You see, the suit streams to a live audience. Peter does not have a job currently, so he is happy to use the suit as they pay him. Unfortunately, it comes with a lot of other complications clearly based on real life streaming. I doubt this lasts long as Peter seems kind of done with it by the end of the issue. Though, if they want to make Peter’s identity public again, having him do it via this suit would be cool.

Cool suit does cool things

Patrick Gleason makes his triumphant return to the series this issue and it is impeccable. Every pose, facial expression, and panel layout is fantastic. It is a real problem that I am constantly being forced to evaluate the art of this series as it always looks great and, as someone that is not an art expert, I do not know enough to explain art better than I do. I am working to expand that vocabulary though. But I digress. This comic looks really good and matching the writing perfectly.

 

Wonder Woman #770

Writer: Michael W. Conrad and Becky Cloonan; Jordie Bellaire

Artist: Travis Moore; Paulina Ganucheau

Colors: Tamra Bonvillain; Kendall Goode

Letters: Pat Brosseau, Becca Carey

Cover: Moore and Bonvillain

Last week, I mentioned some concern over the potential direction of this series as it appeared to not be following directly from Infinite Frontier #0. That concern has not been assuaged by this issue, though it is too early to tell where it is headed. This issue is a fairly generic Wonder Woman story, though it is fun to see her interact with Norse mythology.

The issue ends with a somewhat confusing narration stating Diana is now in the Sphere of the Gods but does not explain what that means or why readers should care. I inferred that to mean she will be venturing through the domains of various pantheons of gods, but that could be completely wrong. An unclear cliffhanger is not exactly something that makes me ravenous for the next issue.

I have no idea who that is

The art here in this story is phenomenal. Moore’s main story is full of complex, but not confusing, panel layouts that serve to both highlight Diana’s amnesiac confusion and keep readers visually interested. The facial expressions are also a standout feature that helps elevate the dialogue and story being told.

There is also the first installment of a backup story in this issue. It is fine. Young Diana is bored is and tired of being the only child on Themiscyra, so she hangs out with her kangaroo friend and makes mischief. Ganuchea and Goode’s art has a breezy feel that is perfect the story. They also do a nice of making every Amazon look different in body type, skin tone, and facial structure. It is hard to do that with this many characters and I applaud it. Hopefully, next issue has a story that can match that.

Mighty Morphin’ #5

Writer: Ryan Parrott

Artist: Marco Renna

Colors: Walter Baiamonte

Color Assistance: Sara Antonellini and Katia Ranalli

Letters: Ed Dukeshire

Cover: Inhyuk Lee

 

I am glad I chose not to drop this series after the second issue. It has improved tremendously in the intervening issues and this issue continues that growth. I do wisht there had been a bit more forward movement with the plot, but the focus on Matt as a character certainly was good enough to justify ending at the same point.

The reveal of the Green Ranger last time was a disappointment. It was the most obvious choice despite being played up as some grandiose mysterious for months. The reveal itself was well done though. Being able to get the reasoning for it here combined with watching Matt’s journey from witless amateur to competent amateur was quite fun.

Hero shit

The potential of a story with a publicly known ranger and how that could create conflicts with and among the other rangers is appetizing. I do feel bad for Matt as he has been separated from his friends and likely will be for the foreseeable future. At least he gets a cool costume.

The art here remains top notch. Perhaps most notable is Renna’s excellent grasp of body language. It stands out most in the scenes between Matt and Grace. She radiates a calm detachedness while he projects an earnestness that is unmatched by any other character in the comic. It is truly impressive that it is conveyed solely via body language, though the dialogue works in concert to improve the effect.

 

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