Welcome to another edition of Last Call Comics. Here, as we continually bolster AIPT’s weekly comics coverage, we catch any titles that might’ve fallen through the cracks. Or, those books that we might not cover but still deserve a little spotlight. Either way, it’s a chance to explore more comics, generate some novel insights, and maybe add to everyone’s to-be-read pile.
Once more, happy New Comic Book Day to everyone.
Black Hammer: The End #1
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
Universe-ending events are a vital part of true comics storytelling. But where some of them give us poignant dissections of the superhero trope, others mostly feel like cash grabs. Luckily for us, Black Hammer‘s big foray into these Crisis-level moments is firmly among the former, as head honcho Jeff Lemire, alongside artist Malachi Ward, has launched something that’s sure to make us reconsider the already-compelling and nuanced depths of this beloved indie universe.
There’s a few important areas that distinguish this event from some other ourings. From a storyline perspective, Lemire continues to build the universe in a few really compelling ways. The start of this event seems to touch on many of the characters and threads beyond that first series, and yet it does so in a way that feels accessible to new readers. The end result is a layered story that doesn’t feel entirely up its own rear end (a cardinal sin of many of these events).
The story spins in new heroes (and variations) in such a way that we don’t waste too much time playing catch-up and instead focus on the more essential elements, like the massive family drama at this story’s core and how the farm remains the beating heart (which is both easy to track and ultimately the emotional nougat of this whole project). Everybody gets their chance to shine here, and we even get to see some old faves step up into new roles/positions that challenge our assumptions (see Colonel Weird). Is it sometimes a little too Crisis on Infinite Earths? Yeah, but it builds from that template with grace and a truly inventive streak.
A huge part of that ability, though, is Ward’s art. Already well-established within the Black Hammer-verse, it’s nice to see Ward play another equally big role. To a noticeable extent, his work helps with that aforementioned idea of accessibility — there’s something familiar about his designs that connect back to the larger story and its various artists and aesthetics. And yet the visuals here also feel all the more compelling, hitting that sweet spot between pulp tales, superheroes, and R. Crumb-ian indie fare with newfound levels of grace and cleanness as well as really solid undertones of nuance and some unexpected emotions. (Seriously, the Colonel Weird stuff in this debut feels both super compelling and a kind of roadmap for what this book is trying to do in building a changing universe and maintaining that essential narrative core.)
Whether it’s the character redesigns/variations (peep that new Skulldigger!) or a quiet conversation on the farm, Ward begins tension, nuance, grace, and depth to every scene, and every moment feels essential to the plot and the state of the very universe. There’s one moment with Lucy in particular that could very like upend your very understanding of human expression in comics and quite possibly shatter every emotion in your chest — and that’s just one page.
The thing about these events is they’re mostly about loss — what happens when we torture our faves, and what lessons can their suffering in turn teach readers? While I have little doubt this event will do that (and then same), it’s also very much about addition and expansion. The way it extends our understanding of this world/series; heightens the confines and capabilities of these crises; and grows the metaphors and narrative magic that you can wring from this kind of threat. There’s still more building to be done, and heaps and heaps of pain ahead. But for now, things have started to coalesce into a grand tale whose true destructive power may be in how we view these giant-sized events.
Final Thought: This end may just have you feeling particularly overjoyed.
Score: 8/10
Alice Never After #2
Courtesy of BOOM! Studios.
Issue #1 of Alice Never After didn’t so much invite you down the rabbit hole as it dragged you down kicking and screaming. But oh what a joyous kidnapping it was, as writer-artist Dan Panosian and artist Giorgio Spalletta infused this classic children’s tale with newfound mystery and suspense to transform it into something altogether more beguiling (but still wondrously magical).
Issue #2, on its face, isn’t quite as robust in its intentions. Whereas #1 wanted to shock the system with Alice-branded madness, #2 pulls back a bit to focus on Alice’s newfound status as the Queen of Hearts. And from that change comes the bulk of this issue’s tension, as Alice comes face-to-face with her old feline foe in a brand-new context. But all that power (and that includes being able to arbitrary hand out beheadings) only further complicates things for Alice. She’s more confused and uncertain than ever as she tries to gain a foot holding in Wonderland, and that creates a really novel bit of tension that feels like the original story while adding a kind of whodunnit vibe that I think issue #1 set up quite nicely.
Still, I think where this issue really excels is that it’s already taken steps to further blur Alice’s place in the real world and also her place in Wonderland. It’s more than that she’s effectively “locked in” following a misguided medical procedure in the real world — these two places are solid mirrors of one another. In each realm, she feels a sense of confusion and disconnect, and she’s not sure what to make of it. Her unease and disorientation in this “new” Wonderland expertly reflects her sheer powerlessness in our world. (It’s shown fairly effectively with Alice reading a book upside down, which extends the metaphor.)
But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this dynamic are the few tiny moments in this book where 1) Panosian’s depiction of London and Spalletta’s version of Wonderland achieve a kind of subtle consensus and 2) when characters are paralleled directly through inventive visual magic. (There’s a rather great conversation featuring Alice’s father, Charles, that blurs reality-Wonderland while also furthering the mystery and playing with this novel “device.”)
From those instances, we really see just how much these worlds are coalescing from a storyline perspective while remaining distinctive enough to each provide different insights into the book’s core themes. (Those themes would be, among others, the nature of reality/fantasy, the duality of relationships, and how we contextualize and manage personal tragedies.) It’s a powerful instance of subtle, near magical storytelling, and it builds on the promise of #1 with some effective new trickery, as if the story’s playing a little shell game with our hearts and minds.
Are there some noticeable, albeit understated downsides to issue #2? Sure – I’d love to have gotten more time with Alice’s sister, Edith, who only got some minor placement after a really solid showing in #1 — it’s clear she’s important, absolutely, but she’s also strong and compelling in her own way. And, while I like the issue’s ending “bombshell,” I’m a tad curious as to how it’ll further the story (and, more so, if it’s not altogether too much added weight to the whole “Alice is now queen” thread). Either way, this journey isn’t nearly over, and I can feel my interest growing ever grander and more robust like I just slammed one of those “Drink Me” potions.
Final Thought: This story makes you want to tumble deeper and deeper into Wonderland.
Score: 8.5/10
Blade #2
Courtesy of Marvel Comics.
Here’s how I knew that I’d love the new Blade ongoing from Bryan Hill, Elena Casagrande, Roberto Poggi, Joe Sabino, and Jordie Bellaire: it had its own blood rave scene. And by that I mean, it dropped us into the world with brain-dizzying action in issue #1 and then set about building its very own story. One where Blade (and a mysterious warrior named Rotha) have to hunt down a nasty demon named Adana (who had been hiding in a mortal named Dana Smith). There were twists and turns, stake-filled drama (wordplay!), and truly inventive action — everything that makes a proper Blade story.
And as we rolled into issue #2, a lot of what makes this story so compelling becomes all the more clear. For one, it has to be the art from Casagrande, Poggi, and Bellaire. Books taking place in this “second world” of magic are a dime a dozen, but the aesthetic here is very much The Matrix meets Big Trouble in Little China — very slick and stylized while also respecting some of the Asian-inspired imagery and lore. (Which is essential for issue #2, as it involves Blade and Rotha helping out a magical gun runner, Tulip, that then forces them into a confrontation with Lord Daido.) It’s a look and feel that feels best suited to Hill’s approach to characters and dialogue alike, which falls toward bloody cheesy (but wonderful) action flicks only with heaps more wit and layers. It’s a dynamic that gives Hill’s narrative efforts that over-the-top playground while grounding some of the madcap intensity with some real heft.
And said story feels a lot like some extra pulp-y epic, with the emphasis on a dark detective (that’d be Blade) running foul of (magical/demonic) mobsters while trying to save the girl (a nihilistic arms dealer) and also help out his spunky sidekick (who is also a skilled mountain warrior). It’s a repurposing of old tropes and motifs that feels decidedly novel — Blade’s world follows a lot of the same beats, and Hill executes it with a grace and cleverness so that it feels like such a generally inventive way to understand and explore where Blade is at right now in the Marvel Universe. And be doubly ready to tip your hat a few dozen times at the dialogue and one-liners here; Hill imbues this Blade with a succinct humor (like some vampire Raylan Givens) to really drive home just how those pulp-y vibes enhance and contextualize the larger story. Plus, great dialogue keeps things moving extra gracefully, as this story is able to stick and move with the greatest of ease.
It’s a speed and strength that gives this story a special one-off feel while also keeping it solidly as another integral chapter in a young book. And in that way, the story’s all the more accessible even as it’s clearly building toward something big (that, again, is decidedly familiar in the very best ways). It’s big and bold; bloody and evocative; and super fun while already having rather substantial roots. Forget the “blood rave” as some metric for Blade‘s success — let this series stand as a testament to the character’s true, totally profound potential.
Final Thought: This book slays.
Score: 8/10
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