Review: Shade, The Changing Girl #2
School is Hell. School is madness, even for the displaced avian Lomo currently inhabiting Earth girl Megan as she returns to Amelia Bloomer High School, much to the confusion of her fellow students. Insisting on being called shade in her new amalgamation of body and personality. Her peers are obviously wary of her, assuming her strange and oddly calm behavior is a result of her accident and resulting coma as she struggles to make sense of her place in the social strata of the school, her relationships with other students and even lunchtime.
Series writer Cecil Castellucci is crafting a strangely off-kilter look at this world through the eyes of her uniquely alien, avian creation Loma. Far more advanced and intelligent then the primitive world around her she none the less has to work to make sense of her strange new home and the people around her already questioning her act of rebellion in stealing the M-vest. Thrown into school Loma has a lot more interactions this issue as we start to learn more and more about Megan’s life. Faced with the tense and confused reactions of Megan’s former friends, unaware the majority wanted her dead. While initially indifferent to those around Loma is still left with the creeping uneasy sense that she’s logged herself firmly into a human with a very complicated and prickly past than she might have first thought. So far there is no sign of the previous occupant, Megan, beyond her memories but it’s such a tantalizing layer to add to an already out there story, I have a hard time believing that Castellucci won’t bring some of this into the mix during her run.
“I have to study up. Do my homework to really live this life” Shade promises herself setting out her plan for the future as this issue itself does, expanding on the last issue this one treats us to just a little more of Megan’s life, a world that Castellucci makes you eager to explore and learn more about as Loma sets about discovering too. Gorgeous art and sharp writing sets this as a perfect allegory for being an uneasy teen and a story of identity put through a psychedelic, kaleidoscope filter.
Batman #10 (DC) I’m torn on this. There were some cool moments, and the art is great, but there wasn’t enough to make me beg for more. There was barely enough to make me care for the next issue. Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read
The Unworthy Thor #1 (Marvel) – I have been waiting for this issue for awhile, and so far it delivered exactly what I wanted and more. The Mighty Thor is one of my favorite current Marvel books, and I love what Aaron has done with it. In this first issue we get a self-loathing but still mead-loving Odinson. He still has his metal Uru arm, and is still sulking about whatever was whispered to him that made him unworthy. We don’t get a ton of answers yet, but we get fighting, biting, Toothgnasher the goat, Beta Ray Bill, a Secret Wars reference, and a pretty huge set up that made me even more excited for this series. The art by Olivier Coipel and colors by Matthew Wilson are fantastic as well. They did a great job fitting the dark and gritty tone of the book. When people say Marvel has lost it, these are the kind of books I point to. Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy
delivers his usual solid art. I keep saying it to anyone who will listen — this is the best thing DC’s got going right now, and one of the very best comics being published today, period. Overall: 9.5. Recommendation: Buy
Occupy Avengers #1 (Marvel): The world’s societal ills have had an impact and activism has recently been increasingly rampant and it would only make sense before some of those issues were examined in the proper scope of comics. Enter Clint Barton’s Hawkeye, Matt Fraction portrayed him as a fun loving , wisecrack who can tend to be self righteous and it definitely remains the standard bearer when it comes to this character . I can definitely say, David Walker has given us a different take that still entertains but as the great KRS-One said ” edutain”, as follow Hawkeye and Red Wolf as they investigate water contamination at a Native American reservation. What the creative team does here , in this first issue, is remarkable, to pack this much intriguing narrative in such few pages with such beautiful backdrops, which makes this , a definite buy. Overall: 10:4 Recommendation: Buy
Batgirl #4 has Babs on the hunt for Kai. After a major fight with School Girl and Hard Hat she makes her way to Shanghai and gets some primo intel with the help of her BFF Frankie and her hacking expertise. Batgirl learns of Teacher’s sinister plan to boost brain power and she’s the only thing standing in her way.
Zombie Tramp returns to celebrate the darkest holiday of the year, and she’s bringing a murderer’s row of friends and creators with her! It’s an all-new, double-sized Hallow’s Eve romp stuffed with twisted tales, murderous tricks, and tainted treats! Featuring the talents of Dan Mendoza, Jason Martin, Bill McKay, Brian Hess, and many more!
The Ninth Doctor is BACK with a brand-new miniseries: WEAPONS OF PAST DESTRUCTION! Leaving World War II behind, The Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack discover that Time Lord technology, lost in the wake of the Time War, is being sold on the intergalactic black market! Now the threat of a NEW temporal war brews on the horizon, with the Doctor and his friends caught between the twin threats of the Unon and the Lect – two species with intertwined histories who are jostling to replace the Time Lords on the universal stage. Can the Doctor stop history repeating itself? Collects The Ninth Doctor #1-5
This November sees the newest release for WizKids‘ Dice Masters, Marvel Dice Masters: Deadpool. The set is focused on Deadpool’s world including the X-Men and Weapon X, but the set also includes some other familiar characters and the first appearance of the Inhumans team affiliation. I’ll be reviewing a card a day until the set’s release in a few weeks. But, beyond discussing the cards and how they fit into the Dice Masters game, I’ll also focus on the characters themselves and if the card reflects their comic history.
The character transforms himself into a metallic “organic steel” form and also is physically strong along with superhuman stamina and durability. For a time the character was the Avatar of Cyttorak aka the Juggernaut!
High school is pretty terrible to begin with. The angst, the pressure, the hormones… I don’t know many people who actually claim that high school was the best time of their life. Being myself in high school was hard enough. I can’t imagine being an alien in a Madness Vest possessing the body of a 15-year-old girl.
