Friday Slice of Heaven
***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***
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| Sweet Tooth #22 |
In this issue the group reunites at the dam currently under the watch of Walter Fish, and Jepperd immediately suspects the crippled man of treachery despite the protests of his friends. Singh begins to question the path of science and sees himself as a spiritual guide to bring Gus to Alaska where all will be answered as detailed in the boy's father's bible. Johnny, Singh and Bobby come face to face with those who Walter vocally fears, but in the ensuing violence and death, one key detail is missed by Gus and his ragtag family. A detail that brings me to the nail biting and dread that I have come to love from this amazing series.
Although the creeping tension of the current storyline--and the series as a whole--leaves me fearful of what lurks behind every corner, it is not done in the annoying "this will never be resolved" Lost way. Lemire and his amazing Sweet Tooth deliver consistently and when least expected making this series one of my favorite monthly books. Some pain is coming for this mismatched family of necessity and although I want the best for them all, I would not have it any other way. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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| Criminal: Last of the Innocent #1 |
Riley Richards owes some bad men money, but when his father is diagnosed with stomach cancer, he returns to his hometown of Brookview, a place he has not returned to for five years. He hooks up with old friends, Lizzie and Freakout (a nickname by golly), and the nostalgia of better times, a time before his cheating wife, Felicity, and her overbearing and elitist family, convinces Riley he needs to escape his current life. The only way out, the only way to recapture the old times is to murder the woman he married.
A hell of a start with this issue and one that sucked me in immediately. Brubaker had me disliking Riley, then not caring for him, then sympathizing and now I'm on Riley's side despite the mess that he put himself into. Phillips does a wonderful job of portraying the innocence of childhood remembrances by switching to a cartoony fifties style of art for each flashback that works well and contrasts with his usual harsh line work. If you like crime/noir stories this is where you need to be. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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| Who Is Jake Ellis #4 |
Jon and the possibly-imaginary Jake track their unsuspecting mole to a remote office in Marrakech, Morocco and are on the verge of uncovering the secret of what happened to Jon. Nothing is ever easy. As the pair infiltrate deeper and deeper into a building that is a front for some type of medical experimentation facility, the all-knowing Jake begins to express feelings of doubt and uncertainty, but most shocking admits that he had a memory. Not just a memory, but an emotion. The startling conclusion of this issue leaves the reader with further insight into Jake and of course more questions that look to be answered in next month's conclusion.
Nathan Edmondson has created an addictive little series, with a believable partnership between a spy and a man who might possibly not exist at all. I really hope that Edmondson's WIJE does become a series as it is exciting, riveting and stands apart from most everything on the comic shelves. Also worthy of mention is the lovely, stylized art of Tonci Zonjic, whose storytelling abilities give the feeling of motion on a static page. Zonjic's color palette draws the right amount of attention at the appropriate time to give a feeling of urgency or to show how displaced Jon and Jake actually are. Next month cannot come soon enough. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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| Superboy #8 |
In this issue, Superboy returns to form and the storyline hinted about in the first few issues with the appearance of a creepier-than-usual Phantom Stranger. While possessing the body of a Smallville resident, the Phantom Stranger relays to Connor Kent a slice of history of the Kents, the Valentines and the terrifying Took family. The Tooks were a family of cruel and reclusive loners who clashed with the law-enforcing Kents and Valentines and who were suspected to be responsible for the mutilated corpse of a child. As everyone knows, mobs and psychotically murderous families don't mix and the Tooks go down in flames...literally. Back in the present day, Superboy and Valentine meet up with the actual Phantom Stranger to rescue Lori Luthor, who happens to live on the Tooks old property. The issue ends with a frightening yet beautiful splash page that needs to be seen to be appreciated. Hats off to the letterer of the last page with the old-timey horror look that brings an extra level of suspense and eeriness.
Left on his own, Lemire succeeds in bringing Superboy back to the story that he has been revealing since issue number one and this is right where I want him to be. RECOMMENDED!
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| SHIELD #2 (Vol 2) |
As the battle for control of the Brotherhood of the Shield escalates between Da Vinci and Newton, Michelangelo must stop the war between free will and fate and Leonid, Newton's son, is the key. The Nightmachine (Nicola Tesla, who is also Leonid's adopted father), Stark and Richards (the fathers of Tony and Reed) return at just the right moment to join with Leonid in ending the war of ideals and power struggles that divides the Brotherhood.
SHIELD is an intelligent and complex book that is not for those who prefer to see two superheroes punch each other in the face, but for those who want a rich story set in the universe with which they are familiar, a universe filled with mystery and suspense. RECOMMENDED!
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| Heroes For Hire #8 |
This issue continues with an exhausted Spider-Man battling for his life in a pit of velociraptors and The Scorpion in a crazy new suit, while Batroc the Leaper and other dregs of society cheer on the carnage. Paladin, injured and refusing to stand down, attempts to stop Batroc and rescue Spider-Man, but finds himself under fire from demonica weapons and receives help from a "hot" source. Upset that her two heroes are not listening to her and getting themselves deeper into trouble, Misty Knight steps in for some ass whupping.
HFH has plenty of action and story and is a highly entertaining change from the more serious books that I usually find myself reading. RECOMMENDED!
Slice Into the Woods
The War on Education Continues - I'm going to keep this brief, as I am short on time, but the asinine treatment of our country's librarians is morally reprehensible. Many school districts across the country, including LA Unified are firing school librarians, arguing that they are not necessary or actual teachers. Not actual teachers?! Librarians are required to have not one, but two credentials, one is for teaching one is for library sciences, and they are required to stay up-to-date with technology. Not to mention that they are a wealth of knowledge for the children they teach. Librarians are instrumental in getting students to actually read and enjoy literature, which is also being undervalued. How very sad.
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