Friday Slice of Heaven, Slice into the Woods 8/16/2019

Welcome back, Donist World Denizens! For those of you new to our site, I’m Donist, and I am joined by Donist World CFO the Reverse Obie* (my friends’ Boston terrier whose fur recently swapped colors) and by our marketing director/administrative assistant/party planner/Escape Room Enthusiast Tulip (my dog, Reverse Obie’s sister). As you can probably guess, Tulip, Reverse Obie, and I went on a team-building exercise to a nearby escape room. The theme was a pirate's prison cell and we had to find the clues to take us from room to room until we reached the awaiting rowboat to freedom. We had roughly 45 minutes to find clues and solve puzzles to gain keys and the necessary codes to provide access to the next chamber and we completed the exercise with roughly seven minutes to spare. We had a blast despite having to make Reverse Obie give back all of the fake jewels and fake gold coins he tried to sneak out, but overall the teambuilding exercise was a howling success. So, avast ye landlubbers and pour yourself a nice frothy ale or whatever grog will cure what ails ya, sit back, and afterward check out some great comics. Thank you for reading!

*Obie, through his dabbling in arcane magics mixed with ancient corrupt business practices, has had not just the colors of his fur switched, but a complete overhaul of his work ethic as well…I think I’m kinda okay with the mishap.

***Possible Spoilers Below***

Friday Slice of Heaven

Powers of X #2

(Written by Jonathan Hickman, illustrated by R.B. Silva, inked by R.B. Silva and Adriano di Benedetto, colored by Marte Gracia, lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles, published by Marvel Comics)

I am still loving this Marvel event, both House of X and Powers of X. As I mentioned before, HoX focuses on the present, the what is. PoX, in turn, focuses on the what was, what barely precedes what is, what will be, and the repercussions of it all. With this second issue, in X⁰ Year One, Charles Xavier and Moira MacTaggert meet with Magneto to discuss a future not just where mutants survive, but one in which they thrive; this meeting changes everything. In X¹ Year Ten, Xavier and Magneto meet with Cyclops to discuss one of their greatest, deadliest foes and to set a plan to confront the menace head-on, and in four short pages Hickman and Silva put “Slim” back into a position of importance and to once again, hopefully, make him a team leader worthy of respect. The identities of the blazing skull guy and the tree guy are revealed (COOL!) and we learn that Nimrod the Lesser is not one to be trifled with in the X² Year 100 portion—we still don’t know who “Green Magneto” is but I’m placing my bets on the son/grandson of Magneto and Lorna Dane (Polaris). This era also fully reveals the identity of their new leader, which I believe was alluded to in the first issue text material and was also pretty much spoiled by the advance solicits for the deluge of titles that will flow after this event, but it was still awesome to see this character none the less. Finally, in X³ Year One Thousand, the Librarian reveals (maybe?) the endgame of his plan for the next stage of mutantdom…I think. Not much happens in this issue in regard to physical action or battles or what have you, but the impact of this fantastic story instead is derived from the implications of the interactions found in each time period and the story is all the better for it. Even without a single punch being thrown, I’m even more excited to see what happens in the weeks to come.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Silver Surfer Black #3

(Written by Donny Cates, illustrated by Tradd Moore, colored by Dave Stewart, lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles, published by Marvel Comics)

Silver Surfer Black is one of those comics that if it were to run for 12, or 20, or 60 issues (which I would love, btw), I would be at a loss for words as what to say from issue to issue. Sure, I could recap the events of every issue but in the end, every post would be “the story is weird yet freakin’ amazeballs,” “the art falls squarely in the camp of a lovely visual feast the likes of which you have never seen before,” and “I cannot wait to see what comes next.” The reviews would become repetitious in the face of just how consistently great and unlike anything else this book is. And there you have the third issue. Here, the Surfer,  who is poisoned by Knull’s darkness, finds a young Ego (the Living Planet) who aligns with the Surfer against the God of the Symbiotes. The problem is that Ego has an infection of his own that even the Surfer might not be able to prevail against. All the while, you embark on what can easily be described as the best ’70s-era acid trip of your entire existence (don’t worry, Mom, I’m only guessing this is what a good acid trip would be like. Promise). Bottom line: Silver Surfer Black is a glorious comic with an amazing story and gorgeous visuals that I honestly can’t believe Marvel allowed to even happen. My wish is for a series of blacklight posters and a greatly oversized hardcover once the five-issue run concludes. This is fire, Denizens, absolute hot potatoes with this bad boy. GET IT!
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice #2

(Written by Jeff Lemire, illustrated by Michael Walsh, lettered by Nate Piekos, published by DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics)

Speaking of experimental comics…Black Hammer/Justice League is the comic I never in a thousand years thought would see the light of day, yet here we are…and I so very much love it all. You have the Justice League dealing with Black Hammer problems and the Black Hammer crew dealing with Justice League problems, all the while a completely discombobulated Colonel Weird tries to find the best way to restore the order of things; it ain’t gonna be easy. We honestly only see the strange man who caused this switcheroo in a panel or two of flashbacks, but the main draw of this installment is seeing how each person deals with their new situation: Superman seems fine with everything except for Lois Lane not being around, Batman tries to fight crime where the most egregious infraction for him to avenge involves cow tipping, Barbalien meets Martian Manhunter, and Golden Gail gets an eyeful of the Lord of Atlantis. The moments between Colonel Weird and John Stewart are the best, however, as Walsh proves to be the perfect artist to expand upon both the Black Hammer mythos and the darker moments of the JLA. I love every page of this five-issue dream crossover and I am certain I will be double-dipping on the (please please please) oversized hardcover that is destined to come out. Seek out these amazing first two issues, but be sure to read everything you can of the Donist World Darling Black Hammer (and all of the equally-exceptional side stories) before delving into this treasure.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Gideon Falls #16

(Written by Jeff Lemire, illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino, colored by Dave Stewart, lettered and designed by Steve Wands, published by Image Comics)

To quote one Homer Jay Simpson, “Brilliant. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.” This is not a criticism, but the highest of praise. Gideon Falls is bizarre, scary, and the intrigue will keep me coming back for more. You can quickly catch up with the soon-to-be three available trades and I will prepare to do a reread from the start…which probably won’t answer too many questions and will most likely raise many more. You need to be reading this gorgeously unnerving series. The forthcoming television series cannot come soon enough.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!


That's it for this installment. So eat a bunch of sugar and go trip out on some amazingly mindbending Tradd Moore and Dave Stewart visuals. Until next time!

Friday Slice of Heaven, Slice into the Woods 8/16/2019