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. (Oh, and a happy Valentine’s Day to boot!)
Blade #8
Courtesy of Marvel Comics.
Perhaps writer Bryan Hill has heard that old Kurt Vonnegut quote a few times himself. Because across the first seven issues of Blade, he’s certainly put our Daywalker through the wringer as the accidental harbinger of the demon nightmare The Adana. But along the way to endless emotional and physical suffering, Blade’s still found a way to grow and develop in some novel ways — a process that’s made him all the more rich and beguiling for the journey.
But issue #8 may feature the biggest test of this “new” Blade, and it renders all the flesh possible to prepare him for the ever-maddening road ahead.
I don’t want to spoil exactly where Blade ends up, but let’s just say if you’re Catholic, you’ve probably been warned about it once or 4,000 times. And, sure, it’s a touch cliche, but I think that Hill uses this place to explore some important connections and larger truths about Blade.
For one, it’s a chance to bring back Rotha and Tulip into the mix, as the former’s been watching the latter after her own extra nasty demonic episode. I for one love that we’re revisiting the Rotha-Blade dynamic; here, Hill and co. really lean into that paternal connection, and through that we get some important insights into the lengths that Blade is willing to go to save the day, his own self-flagellation about the Adana mess, and even what this spark of joy (a pseudo-father-daughter dynamic) does to extend and complicate Blade’s own emotional back-and-forth. (Also, Rotha seems more of an apt choice than Bloodline.)
Blade also gets the chance to revisit another soul/guest from issue #1, and that pairing offers the same kind of emotional reflection. More specifically, he sees someone whose efforts and outlook reflects his own experiences, and through that he’s able to see himself in a rather unflattering but essential light. To bear witness, as it were, those parts of himself that crave conflict, that need to suffer when maybe he need not, and how he likely cannot fight his own urges toward self-destruction. It’s a powerful way to show Blade’s inner workings and to push him toward new understandings and directions while respecting the pain and sacrifice this process takes. He’s in a very dark place in this issue, and yet it’s also one that offers a little light for the Daywalker to follow if he’s going to not only right his wrongs but do so in a way it actually means something to him as a person and not just a vampire-busting badass.
This issue may also be the most busy in terms of sheer number of collaborators and guest stars. Sure, we’ve seen the Hulk and Doctor Strange already, but this one really draws a group around Blade in a way that not only feels important for his journey to the aforementioned “dark place,” but also to solidify these larger ideas. If this book’s been about his journey to grow as a “person,” it’s been essential he do so with a well-rounded and meaningful cast. And this issue really emboldens that group; Rotha, especially, has some big energy in this issue, and she’s developing and understanding her relationship with Blade in some significant ways here. That dynamic isn’t just about empowering Blade, but showing how he fully grapples with himself while having to engage and support others. It’s not always easy for him, but damn is it really powerful stuff.
And it’s made all the more powerful considering just how great this book continues to look thanks to the remaining creative team (artist Elena Casagrande and colorist KJ Diaz). The pair — alongside other artists across this run — have done a great job building dynamic action pieces, giving Blade a lot of depth and power in simply how he moves the world, and driving a lot of intensity and intent as this book’s morphed a few times (from, say, a heist flick to Kill Bill-ian kung-fu movie). But what makes issue #8 such a standout is that it manages to balance a few different aesthetics and locales with equal power and influence.
The aforementioned “dark place,” for instance, is really intriguing from a design standpoint. It sort of leans into but also plays against any tropes or stereotypes of the place. What we get, then, is something that feels properly disturbing and deeply visceral while also reflecting the unique, multifaceted look that this book has tried to cultivate from page one. It’s a place where pain is practically plastered into the walls, and Blade experiences a kind of unassuming connection to this place that draws out his own transformation and suffering across this arc to both give this place even more power and signify it’s narrative value for Blade. (Which does heaps to make this place feel even less cliched). Even some less hellacious locales, like the temple that Rotha and Tulip are staying in, captures the mix of peace and unease that defines their lot — it’s about finding as much life as possible and pushing this wherever possible.
But it’s not just the places, either. In or out of the “dark place,” Blade’s presence and emoting continue to be massively vital. He’s reached a point where we can almost trace his experiences on his face, and that kind of extreme “baggage” is really important as we try and connect and empathize with him across every new twist and turn. The same goes for Rotha; she’s becoming more and more real with every appearance, and this issue especially just captures her own struggle between being strong and giving into the weight of this hugely terrifying journey. And there’s other highlights, too, including a new guest star with horns that feels like a proper visual teaser for the issue’s big turn while giving Blade another dynamic face to engage and extend his own struggles and efforts to keep it all together. It’s an issue that tries its damndest to scare, beguile, unnerve, tease, and generally uplift, and the art doesn’t so much force us out into the world but open a door for us to explore on our own time.
Blade’s little world continues to become increasingly real (and compelling) with each new issue. This latest chapter, especially, added even more darkness to his adventure while also showing us some much-needed light. It’s a process that feels big and complicated but also reflective of someone’s real-life journey toward growth and maturation. I can’t wait to see just how much further Blade extends before our very eyes — no matter the depths he must travel beforehand.
Final Thought: One hell of an issue.
Score: 8.5/10
Black Panther #9
Courtesy of Marvel Comics.
When discussing issues #7 and #8, I noted that Black Panther‘s tendency for WTF-ness (i.e., unexpected guest stars, mostly) often generates its best and most insightful moments. But after issue #9, I don’t really know if that’s not entirely true or actually 1,200% true.
Because, without revealing too much, writer Eve L. Ewing uses this issue to tie things together in a neat little bow — that’s just a smidgen or two bonkers to boot. It gives us a reason why the Nkisu family (especially Aliinya) have been working with Kivu’Ma, it explains all the disappearances in and around Birnin T’Chaka, and it even sets Black Panther on a collision course with all these unsavory players.
Do I like that T’Challa’s journey is coalescing toward something more definitive? Absolutely. As good as this book has been (more or less at some instances), there’s no denying that it has felt a touch rudderless at times. Now, we have T’Challa and Beisa busting out their best Batman and Catwoman as they work to really crack this case, and that uptick in momentum and action does wonders to give stakes to that (mostly) careful world-building and character development that’s happened across issues #1-8. We could only have “T’Challa on vacation” for so long, and moving this forward feels like the best time and with maximum payoff both emotionally and from a narrative standpoint.
At the same time, though, the makeup of everything does leave me feeling a little out of sorts. Again, without revealing too much, it’s a decision that, while perfectly outlined here, does feel a little, “Huh?!” -inducing given its slightly out there nature. It’s especially complicated given that this book started as, and has really excelled as, this rather grounded affair of T’Challa trying to reclaim his passions for saving people and being a hero and not just an Avenger.
Does this “turn” take away some of the emphasis and focus? Maybe — it’s certainly a big uptick in the scope and stakes of the rest of the story, and there’s seemingly no way we can tell a street -level story considering the plot hatched by Kivu’Ma. Still, I think it’s just over-the-top enough, and if this is the direction we’re headed, I have to give the creative team some props for a rather involved scheme. If nothing else, Kivu’Ma’s role in this was structured perfectly across this run, and his supernatural background lends itself nicely to things taking an especially weird turn. I guess when I said I wanted this to be T’Challa’s Batman, I meant more like Year One and not, like, Hush or Last Knight on Earth.
It’s a dynamic made all the more complicated thanks to the performance of the remaining creative team (penciller Chris Allen, inker Craig Yeung, penciller/inker Mack Chater, and colorist Jesus Aburtov). After some genuinely great work across the first eight issues, we once more get everything we want (solid action scenes, more identify-forging from the city, and even some great moments of pure humanity and character back-and-forth). But we also get some visuals that extend my own uncertainties about the story’s latest turn.
Because once more I really like the mostly “grounded” and “street level” stuff that happens across issue #9. The Black Panther-Beisa dynamic is always a sight to behold — so much of their back-and-forth exists in their movements and body language, and it’s a delight to see it play out. A lot of the same holds true elsewhere across this issue/the book at-large — the way the city hums with life as we see new scenes (even it it’s just a cemetery); the way the spiritual/supernatural informs some aspects of humanity (without hampering those connections); and even the daring angles/perspectives we get in each new scene. Everything is meant to feel in our face in the best way possible, and we can feel the city practically churning at our feet. If this is a story about Black Panther’s “rebirth,” it’s the perfect setting and overarching feel for that process.
Meanwhile, some of the more significantly supernatural moments across the issue — focusing on Kivu’Ma breaking down his plan — just feel a touch underwhelming. Sure, I love the way he appropriates purple to comment on and subvert his relationship with Black Panther. But I just think — aside from the sheer coolness of some of the tech displayed here — not enough of this “magic” rings as especially powerful — or, at least not more charged with energy than some of the more “ordinary” scenes. If you’re going to subvert this story’s organic core into some strange new territory, it only makes sense to go really and fully over-the-top with it; yet here, it’s a lot of random images and colors and not nearly enough heft to make these moments feel especially significant or impactful. It’s an issue shared across the board, and it informs my ongoing apprehension with the arc of the rest of this otherwise entertaining story.
Still, the promise of the remaining narrative has a least some geekyish joy attached. The issue is that maybe all these big moments — the crazy twists, the mutant guest stars, etc. — aren’t entirely necessary if we just farther emphasize what already works with this series (i.e., Black Panther grappling with this place’s identity as he develops in new and sometimes uncomfortable ways). But no matter how strange this path becomes, I’m still mostly still on board.
Final Thought: This one’s out there, for better and worse.
Score: 7/10
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