PULL! Mithrandiel's Comic Reads - Week of 9/22
By: Mithrandiel
Had a pretty full week, with lots of highly anticipated releases.
Starting this week, I'm doing something a little different with my rating, I'll either grade it as a PULL! or Pass. It should be pretty self explanatory, right?
Let's get right to it!
The Death Of Doctor Strange #1 [Jed MacKay]
Stephen Strange has had a rough go of it in the last decade, losing most of his former powers in Jason Aaron's Last Days of Magic arc, navigating The War of the Realms and even trying to balance running his own school. Still, the Doctor Strange in this issue is one that exudes an unusual contentedness. The excellent pacing and writing by Jed MacKay lets you enjoy a day in the life of everyone's favorite Sorcerer Supreme, before the tragedy properly sets in. The art is fantastic as well, with Lee Garbett breathing life into every panel, capturing the intricacies of every interaction. A thrilling starter for this new run, with an exciting cliffhanger that left me ready for more!
Rating: PULL!
Moon Knight #3 [Jed MacKay]
And again, Jed MacKay delivers another haunting issue of Moon Knight, as the latest volume starts to get more comfortable in its delivery. The Moon Knight is being targeted by a fervent faithful of Khonshu who feels as though he's "strayed from the path". Of course, our vengeful hero does not take kindly to people coming after his friends, and spurred by anger he confronts this imposter. The conclusion...well you'll just have to take a look and see how it ends!
Great issue, some solid writing here with some insights into Marc's twisted mind. Definitely eager to see what else Jed has in store for us...
Rating: PULL!
The Last Ronin #4 [Kevin Eastman]
While the release schedule is all kinds of mucked up, each issue of The Last Ronin reinvigorates my love for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and leaves me in awe. This issue is no different, as Michelangelo shares what he found in Japan, and we learn of Splinter and Donatello's valiant final battle.
The best way to describe the hype in this issue is - do you remember when we got to see Yoda display his crazy lightsaber skills in the prequel Star Wars trilogy? Splinter's part in this issue is very reminiscent of that feeling. It's tragic, but still thoroughly badass. The art, of course, continues to deliver and meet the high watermark that has been set from the beginning.
There's one issue left, and if these previous four issues are any indication, it's going to be a banger.
Rating: PULL!
Radiant Black #8 [Kyle Higgins]
The band is doing its best to, well, be a band! It's not even about getting back together, they've hardly been a unit at all, and so the frantic energy in confronting a monstrously powerful foe really helps expedite the whole process of forming a super-team. Does it feel a lot like Power Rangers? Yes. Is that a bad thing? No!
There's also a lot of lore being dropped that's helping to expand the narrative and keep things interesting. I'm thoroughly enjoying the run still, and eagerly await anything that Kyle Higgins is putting out.
Rating: PULL!
King Spawn #2 [Sean Lewis/Todd MacFarlane]
Spawn has dealt with plenty of demonic forces before - the real definition of evil incarnate - and yet, recent cases of children being targeted as a means of drawing him out has The One on edge. Lashing out at allies, consumed with rage, ready for a fight. Set against a familiar backdrop, a major event charts a new course for Spawn in the closing pages, and time will tell if he will survive the wave that's to come.
As I mentioned in my review for King Spawn #1, I've never been a particularly big fan of Spawn - but the plot has been accessible and the art, superb. The story is pretty short and intense in this issue - a lot of emotional weight being carried throughout, and executed well.
Great read.
Rating: PULL!
X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation [Simon Spurrier]
There's a lot going on at Krakoa right now. In fact, if I'm being honest, it's a little hard to keep up! This issue actually concludes the recent Way of X run featuring Nightcrawler, as the mutants uncover a plot by Onslaught to return to proper form and rain holy hell on the forces that bested him previously. Thankfully, Nightcrawler caught onto his scent and this issue represents the culmination of said work to help kill a threat in its crib. Will he be successful?
I have been enjoying most of the X-men related plots, including Trial of Magneto, quite a bit. So, this was a fun read for me as well. My main complaint is less about this specific story and more about the state of the X-men runs as a whole: it's kind of a mess to follow sometimes.
Thankfully, the neon signs of Way of X lead us to this issue and as a result, the conclusion is quite a bit more satisfying. Just placing it more broadly within the narrative may be more puzzling.
Rating: PULL!
