Wonder Woman #19
(W) Greg Rucka (A/CA) Liam Sharp
In Shops: Mar 22, 2017
SRP: $2.99
“The Truth” part three! Diana, Steve and Etta come face-to-face with their newest foes – the deadly group known as Poison! But what do they have to do with the plot to unravel Wonder Woman’s life?
Fans and activists are alike in that we’re all advocates. We promote characters who’ve empowered us and recruit people to join our causes. Sometimes that effort is one and the same.
When a tyrant comes to power by dehumanizing Muslims and Latinx people, telling stories with Muslim and Latinx heroes is essential.
While Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan, and Ms. America, America Chavez are punching Hitler and stretching the boundaries of whose superpowered stories are told, real life Muslim women, latinas, and other Queer People of Color are leading mass mobilizations in their communities.
What makes this imagery so powerful? How are these stories both real and imagined changing pop culture and politics?
On Wednesday, March 22, we’re inviting twitter users to dive in and discuss, 8:30 EDT to 9:30pm by visiting #PopPoliticsChat on Twitter.
Our first topic is Marvel Comics’ Ms. Marvel series, and the newly released America comic, starring former Young Avenger and leader of The Ultimates, America Chavez. Kamala Khan and America Chavez’s powers make them immune to border walls and bathroom laws. Both characters are explicitly American and heroic in their stories, and useful vehicles for considering what patriotism and heroism means when Muslims, immigrants, and LGBTQ people are being targeted by the government (and when Captain America Steve Rogers is revealed to be a Nazi Hydra Agent).
We’ll also discuss how to engage in Marvel fandom while remaining critical of problematic issues, including Marvel/Disney’s participation in Trump’s Economic Advisory board, and a lack of support for creators of color and women.
Our goals are to bring together pop culture fans, social movement community members, creatives, and more in a fun and inspiring conversation, and to connect them to new ideas and opportunities to take action. We hope you’ll spread the word about the event and participate with us!
Go to Twitter, visit #PopPoliticsChat and join our featured tweeters for the conversation:
And I, @elana_brooklyn will be moderating the conversation, coming to this from the perspective of someone who is a comics fan and critic, but also works for an immigrant-lead community organization whose members and leaders are leading the resistance against immigration raids, over-policing, and other forms of systemic oppression (and have been since long before Trump).
See you then! And if you are Tumblr share it there!
Cultural Pulse (an initiative of the Culture Lab) connects social justice movements to pop culture stories, trends and fan organizing efforts to help them more deeply engage with the stories and people that are changing hearts and minds.
Warlords of Appalachia #4 (of 4)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Jonas Scharf
Cover Artist: Robert Sammelin
Price: $3.99
Final issue! The rebel assault on the government base in Red Rock is finally underway, with Kade leading his rag-tag forces against overwhelming odds.
Grand Passion #3
writer: James Robinson
artist: Tom Feister
cover: John Cassaday (a)
incentive cover: John Cassaday (B/W art)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Mature
Mac is handcuffed to a radiator. Mabel has a gun. They are both being hunted by the local law. Ain’t love grand?
It’s a major milestone for Detective Comics this February when issue #950 hits the shelves. From the first appearance of the World’s Greatest Detective until now, the past and present are united in one of the greatest, and longest lasting comic books in history. A love letter to your favorite Caped Crusader, Detective Comics #950 is an extra-large issue filled with Batman Family action and will serve as a prologue to an exciting new story arc, “League of Shadows,” which begins late February from writer James Tynion IV.
The lead story puts Cassandra Cain in sharp focus, setting the stage for the next epic spring storyline, “The League of Shadows,” with art by the phenomenal Marcio Takara. There are a lot of questions left unanswered about Orphan—her past, her mind and her silence. They’re going to start answering them here, and opening up a whole new world of questions that will open up all sorts of new, exciting stories.
But that wasn’t enough. This issue celebrates this landmark with the artists who have defined the Rebirth run of Detective…all in the same single issue, for the first time. There’s a Batwing/Azrael story by Alvaro Martinez and Raul Fernandez, which really introduces Jean-Paul Valley into the fold of the series, setting the stage for some tremendous threats emerging from his past…and a third story by Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira that’s so secret DC can’t even hint at what you might find in it. It is a short that sets the stage for the next year of Batman stories, not just in Detective, but for the entire line.
Detective Comics #950 is out February 8th.
Check out the artwork below.
Page 1 by artist Marcio Takara and Dean White
Page 25 by Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez, and Brad Anderson
Page 35 by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Adriano Lucas
Southern Bastards #16 is like a club to the head. In a good way. Okay, maybe that metaphor is a little to on the nose after this issue. This book is like a two hundred and fifty pound linebacker on steroids rolling down the field and you are the opposing coach. You can send every offensive lineman you want to block, but he is just bowling them over one by one. A broken finger, a bloody chin, or a few missing teeth isn’t going to stop him. You, the reader, watches on in horror, and suspense at what is to come. The next thing you know, WHAM! That is what this book feels like, and it is awesome.
Much like football, sometimes things go your way, that’s if you are the “good guys” in the tale, and more often than not, they go the way of Coach Boss. He has lost two games in a row, and his legacy, his empire, and everything that makes him the icon that he is for the Runnin’ Rebs and Craw County is at stake. This issue shows how far he is willing to go to protect that. Now we’ve seen Coach Boss go pretty far previously, and this issue just doubles down on that. The odd part about him as a character, is his logic. I won’t spoil everything, but you can see that he rationalizes what he is planning to do to a player when his defense cannot stop him. He deems it is okay, because it’s his rules, and that’s been his way.
The writing by Jason Aaron is excellent, and if you’ve ready every issue, you know that Coach Boss was once a runt who no one ever took seriously. This is why back story and getting to know a character is so important in comics. Because of the excellent character building of this monster of a man, we know he won’t ever let anyone come in the way of his greatness ever again. He has worked too hard to get where he is, and he will do anything, to keep it that way.
The only thing I missed in this issue, was Roberta, but there was enough going on here that will likely begin a downward spiral for Coach Boss, and I am almost afraid to read anymore. This book is so good, and it reminds me of Game of Thrones where the bad guy keeps succeeding at something and you just pray for a hero of the story, any damn hero, to take them down. Now don’t get me wrong, we have seen things not go Coach Boss’s way lately, but it’s the repercussions of what he will do next that scare me. What happens if say he loses his job as a Coach? That is terrifying to think about. As crazy as he is, we all know it would be far worse.
Jason Latour continues his awesome and original style on art through the book. The violent scenes, as always, are drawn like beautiful car wrecks. They are such works of art, even if they are so hard to look at. Another thing I love about his style, is he uses sound effects that you expect in a super hero book, like “TWHUMP”, and “BLAM!” but in a very cool and non-distracting way. Also his Coach Boss is just awesome. He is like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino mashed with The Hulk. The colors also look great, and the theme of red throughout Southern Bastards is strong again in this issue, as it is the color of the Runnin’ Rebs.
If you are not reading this book, you should be. Even if you are not a football fan, this book is so much more than that. It is a book about standing up for what is right, or putting your head down, when there is corruption that is right in front of everyone. This book does a great job at showing you people who make both of those choices, as people do in real life do. So far, anyone who gets in Coach Boss’s way, usually does not again. Is the tide starting to turn? It’s 4th down and inches to go for Coach Boss, and I hope the defense stuffs him.
Story: Jason Aaron Art: Jason Latour
Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy
Image provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Run if you can! Hide if you must! Monsters have invaded the Marvel Universe! As skyscraper-sized behemoths rampage across the globe – it’s all hands on deck in the highly-anticipated Monsters Unleashed event! Kicking off on January 18th in comic stores everywhere, series writer Cullen Bunn and five superstar artists bring you a blockbuster epic that has to be seen to be believed. But before heroes everywhere go toe-to-toe with these gargantuan beasts, hear from the minds behind the massive monster mayhem with a special Monsters Unleashed Behind the Scenes Featurette.
Featuring interviews with Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso, Senior Editor Mark Paniccia and Assistant Editor Christina Harrington – get the inside scoop on all the wall-to-wall action fans can expect inside Monsters Unleashed #1! Plus, fans will get an opportunity to meet Kid Kaiju, a brand-new character who’ll have some MONSTROUS repercussions for the entire Marvel Universe!
Image Comics is pleased to announce that The Wicked + The Divine 1831 one-shot by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie will be sent back to print in order to keep up with increased customer demand.
The standalone The Wicked + The Divine story travels back to the nineteenth century, to see what became of the Romantic poets one infamous night on Lake Geneva… The critically-acclaimed issue showcases work from Stephanie Hans.
The Wicked + The Divine 1831 one-shot, 2nd printing (Diamond Code SEP168790) will be available on Wednesday, December 7th.
Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat #6 takes a break from the main storyline featuring Hellcat facing off against the Hedy Clarke for the rights to the romance comics featuring her to have its main character and her best friends Ian Soo, Tom Hale, and She-Hulk spend a day at Coney Island. However, X-Men villain/general annoying nuisance Arcade shows up, and the beach trip is a little less relaxing. Natasha Allegri of Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake and Bee and Puppycat fame turns up the adorableness to eleven while having clever page layouts and outrageous facial expressions. Her colors also add a lot to the story going from sky blues as the gang relaxes with food and arcade games on Coney Island to intense blues, reds, and oranges when they face Arcade. Writer Kate Leth brings the fun and crafts a standalone superhero adventure with plenty of quips, puns, and bisexuality.
Hellcat #6 is the comic book equivalent of a heart emoji as Leth and Allegri as they take the format of the Bronze Age Chris Claremont one and done Marvel Team-Up stories and imbue it with manga and animation influences while featuring a diverse cast of characters. Leth subverts damsel in distress tropes by making Tom the “prize” in Arcade’s claw machine to be rescued and by having Ian be the only character to fail his challenge. (Of course, the guy who doesn’t have his driver’s license is the one who has to do the trippy driving game that makes Diddy Kong Racing look like Baby Park in Mario Kart Double Dash.) And this makes sense in the context of the story because She-Hulk and Hellcat are veteran superheroes while Ian and Tom are co-workers at a super cool gay bookstore. It’s also nice to get supporting characters in a superhero comic, who break out of the usual “damsel” or guest superhero role, and are just well rounded human beings.
Leth and Allegri give Hellcat a determined underdog vibe as she takes on the strength challenge as she blows off his insults and puts her Krav Maga training to good use in a test of strength. Allegri draws her like a whirling dervish of energy as she freaks about Ian getting electrocuted by Arcade’s traps or just hugs She-Hulk after the big battle. Patsy cares about her friends and helping superpowered people, and her enthusiasm is infectious. Allegri’s character designs enhance characterization as Arcade looks like a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure character with his posturing, villainous monologues, and preening even as tries to belittle Ian’s masculinity. (It doesn’t work.) Her Jessica Jones is suitably cool and mysterious and matches Leth’s quickfire dialogue for her as she easily deduces Hellcat’s civilian identity. And Allegri gives She-Hulk the best side eye and a hint of rage as she has to restrain her super strength to play by Arcade’s “rules” to save Tom.
And even if it’s a one-off story, Leth packs Hellcat #7 with some great character moments. One that particularly stands out to me is Ian nonchalantly coming out as bi to Patsy after he tells Arcade that men and women can be platonic friends and not just love interests. It’s just one panel, but Leth and Allegri fill it with a nice dash of humor as Ian jokes about secret identities and forgetting to actually rescue Tom in the heat of battle. For years, mutants and Inhumans have been used as queer subtext, and it’s nice to see Leth make it text in Hellcat and for a male bisexual character play such a prominent role and not necessarily be a superhero. (He gets a great foot stomp in on Arcade though.)
With soothing and energetic art from Natasha Allegri and a script filled with friendship and action from Kate Leth, Hellcat #7 is a reminder that superhero comics can be fun sometimes. This issue is also a great jumping on point for new readers as Leth and Allegri deftly establish the main cast’s dynamic and personalities on the really long commute to Coney Island.
Story: Kate Leth Art: Natasha Allegri Letters: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9 Art: 10 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy
THE HOUSE OF MONTRESSOR #1
Writer(s): Enrica Jang, based on characters created by Edgar Allan Poe
Artist Name(s): Jason Strutz
Cover Artist(s): Jason Strutz
32 pgs. / Rated. T/ FC
$3.99 (reg)
Murder is only perfect when everyone knows you got away with it. Edana Fortunato is the sole surviving heir of two great families whose fates have commingled. On the eve of her inheritance, Edana is summoned to the grand estate to meet the enigmatic Count Montresor. She embarks on the journey, unprepared for the secrets still to be revealed, and unaware that a killer has set the stage for one final act of vengeance upon the Fortunato family. Revenge does not end in THE HOUSE OF MONTRESOR, a sequel to Edgar Allan Poe’s classic revenge tale, “The Cask of Amontillado.”
