Marvel Round Up 12/2/14

Wolverine & The X-Men #41

Right off the bat, something about the cover seemed out of place. The originally solicited cover for this comic featured Kitty by the door giggling, but since she’s jumped ship to Scott’s team, she was replaced on the cover by Husk. This makes perfect since in the issue, since it focuses quite heavily on Husk’s recent secondary mutation (a lovely Grant Morrison concept) and the effect it has had on her mental health. It does make me wonder though- since the solicitation of this comic late last year, and the wrapping up of Battle of the Atom, where Kitty makes the move to Scott’s team, was Kitty’s move to Scott’s team a very last minute decision?  Everyone knows and can tell that Bendis is besotted with the character over on All-New X-Men and he writes her very well, but it is interesting to see how late in the day the decision to transfer Kitty to the other team might have taken place.

Anyway, the issue itself is a fairly strange one. It sets out to resolve some of the dangling threads that were left hanging at the end of the Hellfire Saga. Toad and Husk are decidedly tertiary characters in this book- characters whose stories have taken a definite back seat to the antics of the main teaching staff and the students. I was fairly certain that Jason Aaron had decided that Husk was just a joke character, but he does a lot to rehabilitate the character in this issue, offering an explanation as to her recent inconsistent characterisation. This issue is essentially retconning from start to finish, but it offers a surprisingly moving resolution to Husk and Toad’s romance and their recent status in the X-Men’s world.  Husk has been a problematic character for quite a while now. She worked quite well back in the 90s when she had a definitive role as a teenaged mutant on the Gen X team. Since the turn of the noughties, she has gone through that awkward transitional phase that a lot of once-teen mutant characters went through. When written by Chuck Austen for example, she was most famously known for having aerial sex with Archangel in front of her whole family. Since then, she hasn’t been up to much (presumably she was too embarrassed to leave the house) and writers have left her alone. I thought we might have got an interesting take on her since Aaron took over, but he was glad to leave her in the background. Now, she (and Toad) have been returned to what passes as a status quo for them. Toad is a villainous servant to Kid Frankenstein, and Husk is a pleasant, but dull staff member at the school. I hope to one day see an interesting take on her, but I won’t be holding breath. This was an issue of treading water before next month’s conclusion.

X-Men Legacy #24

I’m really going to miss this book. This issue wraps up the mind-worm stuff and neatly resolves Blindfold and David’s story- all of the toys are safely back in the box by the end of the issue, and some of those toys never existed at all. Si Spurrier has chosen to deal with the concept of Legacy in terms of comic-books, as well as the issues surrounding the legacy of Charles Xavier and that makes for a very interesting combination. Issues that plague a lot of comic book fans are dealt with in this finale- what makes a comic book matter, which continuity should I pay attention to, etc. It feels like Spurrier is referring to the not-so-recent New 52 relaunch over at DC at one point. David absorbs the powers of his internal world-weaver, which seems to include the ability to completely reset continuities, retcon deaths, and undo bad editorial decisions.

“I could burn it all away….I could replace it with a new world…it’d end up just as buggered as this one.”

It’s an interesting moment that addresses comic book companies’ tendency to go for the hard reset, and David’s resistance to do this as well as his insistence that even though world continuity is confusing and messy, it’s not worth jettisoning it for the sake of temporarily tidy world. It’s a daring moment that could have felt like the voice of Marvel editorial, but because it’s so definitively delivered in David’s voice, the moment works. It’s authentic to the book and to the character’s journey through the book. Blindfold’s arc is concluded too, but less definitively. I hope that other writer’s take the baton for her and build on the great work that Spurrier has done with her (as well as some other secondary players in this book like Chamber).

I’m really going to miss Spurrier’s purple prose and Tan Eng Huat’s loose, vivid style.

All-New X-Men #23

The partition between the two facets of Scott’s team seems to have firmed up a bit since this story arc began. All-New contains Kitty, the time displaced original team and X-23 (because every X-team needs a Wolverine). I do hope that this separation doesn’t preclude Kitty and the others from interacting with the power-house team over in Uncanny. 

Back to the story being told in this issue. I was afraid this cross-over was going to be that most egregious of X-Men stories: X-Men in space. When this franchise goes to space, with the exception of the original Phoenix saga, nothing of much interest ever happens. They went a few times in the 90s and got those space suits that look an awful lot like what the time-displaced original team are now wearing. Then we had Rogue, Rachel Grey, Darwin et al. zoom off to space in the mid-noughties. The only good thing to come of that extensive story line was the arrival of Broo. So now, we’re off in space again and the verdict? Not very boring! Which is a good thing. We’ve got Starjammers and Shi’ar- core X-Men in space concepts, intermingling with recent Marvel darlings the Guardians of the Galaxy. It all melds together quite well. It’s aligning the Guardians more closely with the earth-based Marvel universe (just in time for their movie!) while allowing us to experience the original X-Men’s take on space, which is something we never really got to see before at this point in their lives.

The art is once again beautiful in this issue- Immonen’s cast of characters are so gloriously expressive. I’d love to see a Saturday morning cartoon based on these models. There are a lot of fun moments peppered throughout this issue too- Kitty’s dislike for space (who doesn’t hate getting shot across the stars in a giant bullet), and Bobby’s adorable whimsical response to Rocket- “I just like talking to the talking raccoon. It makes me feel like a Disney princess.” This comic continues to be hugely solid and light-hearted, despite the increasing high-stakes. The pacing is still a bit wonky, since we have yet to get to the actual trial of Jean Grey, but I find it hard to care when the experience is so much fun. Cannot recommend this book enough!

Update

Having a super busy week at work this week, so no time for posting reviews. This week's comics will be going up on Sunday.

In the meantime, here's a great article from today's Irish Times discussing Lady Gaga.

Marvel Round Up 5/2/14

Lots of new Marvel relaunches this week, but these two caught my eye. Spoilers ahead (especially for Wolverine).

Wolverine #1

Here we are again, another Wolverine #1. This relaunch was brought to you by the kind people at All-New Marvel Now (I’m too lazy to look up the correct capitalisation and amount of exclamation points that I’m missing). This new Spring branding initiative was supposedly designed to allow for brave new interpretations of firmly established characters. A lot of the characters being treated to the All-New treatment have been somewhat stuck in the doldrums over the past while (with the exception of the new book launches like Loki and Ms Marvel) and have been deemed worthy of radical new looks at the central themes and ideas behind the characters. With that in mind, here’s a relaunched Wolverine title.

It feels like this book was just relaunched ten minutes before this current version, but this marketing move can be forgiven thanks to the quality of the comic. For a jumping-on point, this issue could be considered confusing as hell, choosing to start in media res. The newly mortal Wolverine and his associates are in the middle of a prison break-out, trying to get their hands on a Hand Ninja. It seems like Wolverine is working under-cover to foil Sabretooth, but by the end of the issue, he has blood on his hands, and not in the usual manner. Wolverine shoots and kills an investigative journalist and it’s all very weird. Readers are more than familiar with the sight of Wolverine popping his claws and stabbing people to death. It was pretty much the basis of Mark Millar’s entire super-gory run on the comic, but here the way he kills that journalist is hugely shocking.

While the act of murder can’t be classed as Wolverine defending himself, the character feels very defensive and vulnerable throughout. He totes weapons other than his claws, his new costume is nigh-on indestructible armour, he’s surrounded by a crew for dirty work that he’d normally carry out on his own. The way he kills that journalist- removed from the act of violence, almost protecting himself by his distance from the act, feeds into this feeling of vulnerability. It’s an interesting subversion of the Wolverine fans have been growing ever-more comfortable with over the past few years. Wolverine’s over-riding status quo since the Schism has been as a more conservative, earthy character, almost father-like in his role as protector of the school. In Paul Cornell’s Wolverine #1 we have something new: a wounded animal with what seems like a whole new set of rules. This relaunched book is treading new ground for the character and that feels very exciting!

Ms Marvel #1

This was the best comic-book I’ve read this year. On a purely surface level, everything is pitched perfectly. It’s warm and incredibly funny, with a wonderfully loose and interpretative art style. There isn’t another Marvel book that has the same tone and style as Adrian Alphona’s pencils. Ian Herring’s colours help a lot, too. The colouring is warm and inviting when it needs to be, while during scenes such as the release of the Terrigen gases (how many more times will Marvel revisit this scene?) they’re cold and feel unsettling. It’s great, clever art to match similarly clever writing.

Here we have a mainstream super-hero comic about an American Muslim teenager, written by an American Muslim woman. This is the first time we’ve had a Muslim character written by somebody who isn’t a white male. Grant Morrison, as much as I love him, delivered a very one-note character in the X-Men’s Dust, a character who hasn’t been much used since the Schism. Here we’re presented with a fresh, exciting new take on a Muslim character. It might sound like I’m fixated on the fact that the new Ms Marvel is a Muslim, but G. Willow Wilson’s writing doesn’t side-step it, or pander to any misplaced expectation of tokenism. A lot of the humour in this issue comes from Kamala’s (the new Ms Marvel) experiences as a Muslim.  The lines about honour killing and infidel meat are literally laugh out loud funny. This is Marvel’s funniest book, easily snatching the title from Wolverine and the X-Men. There’s more to Kamala than being a Muslim, of course. She deals with high school posers like Zoe Zimmer (Stan Lee would be proud of the alliteration!), writes Avengers fan-fic, has parents who just don’t get her and has a best buddy in Nakia. It could be interpreted as being a pretty pedestrian introduction to a new character, but the details make this all killer material. The dialogue just bounces off the page and Wilson’s deftly introduced cast of characters feel both relateable and novel.

At one point towards the end of the book during her Terrigenesis, Kamala has a vision of the Avengers and tells Captain Marvel that she’d like to be just like her, except with the controversial high heels and swimsuit costume. So, as she erupts from her Terrigen Cocoon, that’s how her new shape-shifting powers manifest. She has transformed into the white, swimsuited, high heeled Carol Danvers. For a comic that has spent its first issue laying out its lead character’s occasional restlessness  and conflict with parts of her Muslim heritage, as well as her teenage awkwardness, she now has the ability to blend in or stand out and become a hero. That’s going to make for some fun internal conflict and exciting challenges for Kamala in the coming issues. This is the beginning of a classic origin story. I cannot wait for the next issue!

The Poochie-fication of Sonic the Hedgehog

Let's all be honest with ourselves. There hasn't been a good Sonic game since Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sonic Rush is pretty swell, I'll concede, even with the irritating Blaze the Cat). Sonic 06 was almost a funeral for the entire franchise- a game whose sole contribution to the good of humanity was the superlative Game Grumps Let's Play. Sonic Generations clutched desperately at the past, hoping to break new ground by clinging to concepts and settings from previous generations. Generations had moments of beauty but was marred by an over-reliance on previous glories, offering little hope for the once flag-ship franchise. Sonic Lost World borrowed extensively from Mario Galaxy, reportedly at the behest of their new besties Nintendo, and it failed spectacularly. So yeah...the franchise is in serious peril- critically for quite some time and increasingly more-so in the commercial world, with Lost World under-performing quite a bit.

So, Sega have taken up the challenge to strike out in a new direction. Sonic Boom is the beginning of a new multi-platform endeavour, encompassing comics, animation and of course games. Presumably the branding people began by telling the design team to rastafy them by about ten percent or so. Let's take a look at the leaked image that appeared ahead of today's launch trailer for the Sonic Boom franchise.

First of all, it looks like everyone has spontaneously taken up self-harming. What's with all the bandages? I assume they took the knife to their various extremities upon being told that they were all being re-designed to look more x-treme. Tails' bewildered expression sums up how Sonic fans must be feeling this evening. These designs aren't awful as much as they're unnecessary. Okay, maybe they're a little bit awful. Knuckles, a character originally conceptualised as a glider, has been re-vamped from scratch. I guess in the new world order Tails has taken up the sole flying character mantle. Knuckles looks like he's going to be a brawler from here on out. Sonic looks like he's had surgery to extend the length of his legs and has taken to wearing a fetching new scarf. What's most troubling (and irritating) about these redesigns is the expression on Amy Rose's face. The new Amy is staring with come-hither eyes at Sonic, as if she wants to hump him right there. Frequently reduced to the role of love interest, she may now be a playable character, but with even less depth, agency and independence than she previously had? Unfortunate.

So yeah..ugly designs. There was nothing wrong with the design of these four core characters. Sonic and Tails were iconic as they were conceptualised in the 90s. What has happened here may be a re-think, but from today's reveal it doesn't appear to be the re-think the franchise needed to undertake. Mechanics were broken, design was fine.

If anyone's interested, here's the Sonic Boom trailer. It looks to be the usual blend of difficult to control speed sections and awkward platforming. Such larks!

Pop Picks of the Week 4/2/14

Can't Remember To Forget You (Shakira ft. Rihanna)

Wooo! A contender for pop song of the Summer…except it has been released in a gloriously apocalyptic, storm molested January.  Here we have the lead single from Shakira’s upcoming album and everyone’s favourite mechanoid Colombian is off to a great start. This is a shamelessly catchy song, saturated with Shakira’s trademark controlled vocals, roaring guitars and playful brass. The fact that the other featured artist (Rihanna) doesn’t overpower Shakira’s vocal is testament the great production of this track. This is pure distilled Shakira- it has all of her usual tics- extensive lyrics that aren’t actually words (woo-oo-ooahh), demure and ghostly oooh-ing and eee-ing (it’s hard to make up words for those noises!), and an infectious, triumphant chorus.

As for the video, it’s rendered more closely in Rihanna’s house-style, all arse-wiggling (not that Shakira has been averse to arse-wiggling in her career), phallic cigar chomping etc. It’s all pretty innocent and enormously tongue-in-cheek. More interesting are the call-backs to other Shakira videos, and to the videos of other pop divas. There’s one moment that calls to mind Britney and Madonna’s “Me Against The Music” as the pair slam and dance against the wall that separates them and their love. Hang in there girls, your lipstick lesbianism cannot be separated by mere plywood walls. It also evokes fond memories of Beyoncé and Shakira sharing a similar love for walls in “Beautiful Liar.” Girl loves her walls!

A fun side effect of the video in Shakira’s native Colombia is the uproar it has caused among conservative politicians who have decried the video for “promoting lesbianism.” So, it’s a fun song AND a spot of unintentional LGBT activism. 

Once Upon a Dream (Lana Del Rey

Vastly less controversial to the Colombian government (I presume) is my other pick of the week- Lana Del Rey’s version of the Jack Lawrence and Sammy Fain (with a little help from Tchaikovsky) penned “Once Upon a Dream” from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. This version of the song is from the soundtrack to the upcoming Maleficent (a movie whose unbridled camp appeal grows greater with each newly released publicity shot of Angelina Jolie gliding about the place).

Here, the classic Disney song is treated to an unsettling modification. I’m not the biggest Lana Del Rey fan in the world and usually find her music a little over-wrought, but this works tremendously well. Whatever has been done to the original melody (it seems to be slowed down and re-written in a minor key? Musicians, prove me wrong!), works hauntingly well. It’s possessed of a strange quality- halfway between dreamlike and funereal- perfect for a version of the song co-opted for the telling of Maleficent’s story.

American Horror Story: Coven- Finalé and Season Thoughts

And so, in an unexpected twist, the most obvious candidate for the next Supreme assumed the title. Which is a perfectly fine resolution for that recently promoted sub-plot! Up until three weeks ago it didn’t even seem like the writers cared very much about who the next leader of the tiny coven was going to be, instead choosing to focus on the witch-hunters, or the racial tension, or whatever frustrating non-moving plot thread tickled their fancy. In previous years, this reluctance to adhere to any particular direction didn’t seem like something to hold against the show. Among the madness of alien abductions, nazi scientists, rubber-suited murderers and demon possessed nuns, there was always a strong central theme that pulled the audience (and the show) through to the end. This year’s miscellaneous madness wasn’t even that interesting (or gorily titillating in that peculiar Ryan Murphy way)- Patti Lupone bleach colonics, Cordelia’s eyeless to-ing and fro-ing; it was all very inconsequential. The Patti Lupone stuff was especially egregious and barely related to the show. It calls to mind the piggy stuff from season one- weirdly out of place and taking time away from more interesting threads.

Who am I to call out what is and isn’t related to what the show is all about, though? Maybe there was a coherent narrative that I just missed? I’d like to hope that there was something more to this show. Previous years (especially Asylum) have transcended the hodge podge, monster of the week mayhem. Asylum even became genuinely moving in its final episodes, with its compelling resolution to Kit and Jude’s narratives. The writers worked hard to interweave the character’s shared damage and loneliness into a beautiful resolution that became the emotional core of that season. Lange is similarly well-served in her final moments on Coven. As her character finally learns to accept death we get the first genuinely moving moment of this season. The show has tried hard to grab for pathos in previous weeks or else has curiously missed out on moments that should have been more affecting (like Nan’s death) but this is the first moment that just works due to the simple, honest chemistry of Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange. It’s a great moment that could have been spectacular had the writers served this relationship better in previous weeks, beyond their one note screaming at each other.

It reminds me of some of the hints at tenderness that the actresses got to share in Murder House and Asylum (especially Asylum). What also works is the final glimpse of Fiona we get in her version of Hell. It’s one of the only effective pieces of horror in a season that has tried too hard to be gory and vulgar. Too often this season, the show has shied away from the psychological horror of previous seasons (a type of horror that the show is vastly better at than straight up jump-frights or torture porn). This throwback to what worked in Asylum is mildly encouraging for what’s to come in the upcoming Circus, Cult or whatever else season 4 is purported to be. The show harks back to the finale of Asylum in other weird ways too. Cordelia’s television interview exposing the truth of the Coven is a strange (and presumably intentional) reflection of Lana Winters’ interview at the end of Asylum. Unfortunately, Cordelia Goode is just not half as interesting a character as Lana Winters’ so the scenes of her assuming power in the finale aren’t half as compelling as the grotesque exposure of Lana Winters’ monstrous side in Asylum. This moment is a pale reflection of better things. But what do I know! Critics and oodles of fans adored this season. On the surface I can see why. It looked beautiful this year. The academy is a stunning set. The aesthetics of New Orleans in the 1800s and the modern day just work really well too, but weren’t capitalised on enough- we should have had way more stuff set in the deep dark Bayou. The cast were pretty great this year too- as shallow as this season was, it was great to see Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Angela Basset and Kathy Bates vamping about the place. It was a frothy, fun season not made for closer scrutiny, like Asylum was.

So, what was the lasting impression of Coven? Some things worked for me this season: the zombie invasion was an individually strong episode. Emma Roberts is a strong addition to the ensemble. It looked beautiful frequently. Stevie Nicks and Lily Rabe channelling Stevie Nicks- joyous! Myrtle and her theremin provided the most solid laughs this season. So much just fell on its face, though: Evan Peters, one of the most compelling actors in season 2, was criminally underused. Taissa Farmiga (of the incredibly strong Farmiga horror dynasty) was similarly wasted. Her subtle performance in season 1 was a delight, but here she was just a dull Mary Sue.

American Horror Story has shown that it has the power to move its audience close to tears in the past, as well as providing the occasional scare and more than the odd campy moment. Season 3 has a lot of these individual components, but they never manage to hang together as a cohesive narrative unit long enough to compel the audience to feel anything other than mild amusement.

Marvel Round Up 29/1/14

It’s a pretty quiet week for comics after the absolute deluge of last week. Superior Spider-Man is rocketing towards its conclusion, Inhumanity continues its meander towards birthing the on-going Inhuman and Night of the Living Deadpool continues that one-note joke. What caught my eye this week includes the following:

Guardians of the Galaxy #11.NOW

This issue needed an editor who actually edits things. I know Brian Bendis is a pretty big deal, but somebody should actually spell-check the guy once in a while- that “Jean Gray” typo is pretty glaring, especially since it appears right in the middle of a big dramatic beat.

Here we apparently have Part 1 of the Trial of Jean Grey (or Jean Gray as Bendis would have it), despite last week’s All-New X-Men insisting that it too was Part 1. Editor! Anyway, it sort of works as well as a part 1 for the story, except it pre-supposes that you’ve read the shenanigans in last week’s opener. Basically, it’s that big council of aliens- Brood, Kree, Shi’ar, Peter Quill’s dad- that were present in Hickman’s Infinity all deciding that they should do something about pre-Phoenix Jean Grey. Other than that, it is the definition of a Bendis down-time issue, with Starlord slumming about a space-market and Gamora and Angela chumming about talking about murder and that. Their relationship is very enjoyable and I look forward to seeing how their dynamic shifts once Captain Marvel is introduced to the mix. One thing that grates more than a little about Angela is her constant fish-out-of-water shtick. Does she really need to have the concept of the Phoenix explained to her?  I know the .NOW tag is supposed to somehow attract new readers who might not know the ins and outs of the Phoenix saga, but it’s just very clumsy. We get it! She’s from another universe where the height of fashion was sentient capes, chains, metal bras and obese demonic clowns! Oh comics, you silly.

This issue also acts as a pleasant coda to Tony Stark’s involvement with the team and hints at the earthlings soon to be recruited to the gang. The rest of the issue is the team finding out about the X-Men of the past being drawn into the present and all the timey-wimeyness surrounding that. At one point the council of weirdly designed aliens ponder about why the present-day X-Men would summon the past X-Men. The Kree Supreme Intelligence suggests- “Nostalgia.” It’s a cheeky (almost self-depreciating) moment of Bendis’ voice bleeding through and it works. A strong opener to the Guardians' half of this story!

X-Men Legacy #23

From what the solicitations seem to indicate, the Legion centric version of this title is wrapping up with #24. It then looks like it’s going back to the original numbering and having an anthology issue with all previous writers contributing their take on the concept. It’s anyone’s guess what direction this most ancillary of X-Comics will take after that. I can’t say that I’ll be distraught when the Simon Spurrier/Tan Eng Huat version wraps up. Don’t get me wrong- it’s an incredibly well told narrative with a nice through-line for Legion and Blindfold, but it’s approaching the point where a conclusion seems fair and sensible to the legacy (haaah) of this storyline. Both Legion and Blindfold are on the precipice of finally understanding themselves and how they can best function within and outside of group structures. I honestly didn’t think the concept of a pro-active Legion taking on the wrongs of the mutant world while learning to reconcile the various parts of his persona would support a title for so long, but hey, I was gladly wrong.

This issue is almost entirely self-narrated by Legion. It’s a much simpler written self-narrative than we’ve had in previous issues and Huat’s art is as engaging as always. Fortunately, it’s also clearer than in previous issues and helps tell a very abstract story much more clearly than might have been the case with Huat’s defining style. This issue named after an episode of Angel (“Slouching Towards Bethlehem”) or I suppose, a reference to the WB Yeats’ poem if you prefer- “The Second Coming.” It hints at what role Legion might have after this series and how he might heal the schism- inheriting his father’s legacy of unity. With only one issue left, there’s a lot of plot still to resolve- mind worm stuff, Legion and Blindfold’s relationship, and Legion’s relationship to the wider mutant world. I’m excited to see how Spurrier juggles it all!

Uncanny Avengers #16

Yes, it’s issue five-hundred of the endless Apocalypse Twins story-line and everyone’s a little worse for wear. Captain America is missing half his face, Thor loses an arm and the rest of the cast are dead, approaching death or else MIA. I’m usually an emotional wreck after reading this comic. So many awful things happen to the heroes in any given issue. It never devolves into gore-porn though. What’s happening doesn’t sully the optimistic tone of the wider Marvel universe and is a sensible continuation of story-lines and themes established way back in Remender’s X-Force comics. But by God…I do wish this would wrap up soon. I’m excited to move onto the Red Skull material promised way back in the first arc of this comic and I feel the Apocalypse twins issues have lingered a little too long. Remender has a tendency to linger on ideas that he finds personally fascinating far longer than the readers’ attention remains with the plot. I’m still hanging in there, but I know a lot of people’s interest seems to be waning.

Anyway, quite a bit happens this issue. Thor “Cares not” multiple times (I strongly suspect that catchphrase is gonna come back and bite him in the ass) and puts the smack down on Uriel. The geniuses of Earth- Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Doom and others- tackle the impending threat of Celestial judgement. Kang briefs his time-travelling squad of heroes (which include a Phoenix infused Vision). Wasp almost saves the day. And then Eimin shows up to beat up Thor with the help of Exitar the Celestial. It’s a LOT of stuff to juggle, and Remender is adapt at keeping these balls in the air. I do think a close to the chapter on the Apocalypse Twins would refresh the comic though, and I hope Remender considers this in the coming issues.

Lady Gaga and the shadow of Bad Romance

For better or worse, Bad Romance has been the disco-stick by which all of Gaga’s other releases have been measured. Despite the runaway commercial success of Born This Way, which most critics deemed too preachy, those in the music journalism industry seem to have turned away from Gaga, deeming nothing she has written or produced since as worthy of note. Rolling Stone loudly declared that Bad Romance was “relentlessly catchy” and in possession of a tone that was both “melancholy” and “joyful” at the same time. This high praise has seemingly enshrined the song and everything she has released since in a musical limbo, one that critics and some members of the public seem convinced she is unable to escape. Reviews of the album Artpop have been apathetic to Gaga’s return to EDM after Born This Way and its flirtation with a rockier and more mad-cap sound.  But, what if I were to tell you, that since the release of Bad Romance, Gaga has released ten tracks the absolute equal of her journalistically proclaimed masterpiece? Some of these are singles, but some (frequently the best) are found nestled deep in her albums. So, in no particular order are 7 tracks as good as (or better than) Bad Romance.

Do What U Want ft. Christina Aguilera

The troubled second single from Gaga’s Artpop has been handed around like an unloved child over the past few months. It was designed as the centre-piece collaboration for the album- a show-piece for Gaga’s voice, supported by an ascendant R. Kelly. It was naïve of Gaga to think that her listeners would overlook the more than questionable history of Kelly and pretty weak sales have reflected the public’s reluctance to embrace this song, despite its killer hook. The R. Kelly involvement thematically made sense, with lyrics reflecting Kelly and Gaga’s shared wariness of the press (“…but then you print some shit that makes me want to scream,” etc. It just ended up making people feel uncomfortable and it didn’t make me especially proud to count myself as a Gaga fan.

However, in a clever act of re-positioning (slash back-pedalling), Gaga has recorded a new version with Aguilera which has steadily been climbing back up the charts worldwide. The cynic in me kind of knows that it’s a patch-job, but the music fan delights in their collaboration. The performers share a similar vocal aesthetic, soulful and embellished with lots of ornamentation that make them a wonderful fit. Rumours of strife between the pair always made collaboration seem unlikely, so this duet is a pleasant surprise. Instead of the contrast between Gaga and Kelly in the original version, there’s a wonderful melding of their similar styles that pushes through the underlying cynicism of the origins of this new version of an already pretty great song. Let’s hope the pair work together again soon (and release a video soon, please).

     The Edge of Glory and Gypsy

Lady Gaga includes a few songs like these on each of her albums. I suppose they could be classified as rock ballads, but I think of them more as Gaga’s Springsteen tributes. They’re full of drums, guitar and wailing saxophone and lyrics clearly flavoured with a sprinkling of knowing Springsteen references:

“It’s hard to feel the rush, to brush the dangerous

I’m gonna run right to, to the edge with you

Where we can both fall far in love.”

Or, even more Springsteen inspired lyrics from Artpop’s Edge of Glory equivalent Gypsy:

“Pack your bags and we can chase the sunset

Bust the rearview and fire up the jets

Cuz it’s you and me!”

So, yes- I’m a huge admirer of The Edge of Glory and its little sister, Gypsy. Another unknown tidbit about Glory that strengthens the Springsteen connection is that the E Street Band’s Clarence Clemons recorded the sax solos featured in this song and Hair, as well as appearing in the video for Glory shortly before his death. I’ve included the Kermit the frog duet version of Gypsy because it’s just adorable.

Scheisse

If you took a straw poll of a hundred Lady Gaga fans, this is the track that most of them would say should have been pushed as a single from Born This Way. Despite not being promoted as a single it managed to make a dent in the US charts. It’s the most overtly European of her tracks and is clearly going for the European dance hall audience. A frequent point of criticism seems to be of Gaga’s German accent, but those people are tireless nitpickers unaware of just how gloriously silly the song is supposed to be.

Its pulsating rhythm lulls the listener almost to a trance like state and its clumsy feminist lyrics are engaging enough once you’ve been worn down by the addictive beat of the song. Gaga also does it brilliantly live.

Venus

This is the kind of Gaga I love. Songs about nonsense astrology, delivered while making puns about Uranus. This track sums up how much fun she had writing and producing Artpop. It bleeds enthusiasm and joyfulness. It’s a little over-produced, but as Gaga’s debut into producing a track completely on her own, that’s more than forgivable considering how compelling the central melody is. It’s a track that owes a lot in terms of vocal delivery to Bowie and I’m sure this blatant tribute was intentional. This incredibly playful track is a highlight of Artpop for me and a promising hint at what future independently directed productions might sound like. Gaga’s recent twitter styling as “The Goddess of Love” hints that Venus might be getting the nod for single release. It deserves this promotional push and a suitable elaborate video to go with it.

MANiCURE

When Gaga goes a bit rocky, she starts to sound quite a bit like Courtney Love (except with a better voice than Love). That tendency is very prominent in this song which everybody’s favourite person Adele has cited as the best Gaga has written in years. I prefer Venus and Edge of Glory personally, but there’s a lot to recommend this track too. It’s short and sweet and has one of the most addictive choruses on Gaga’s Artpop.

ARTPOP

“A hybrid can withstand these things”, Gaga sings near beginning of this song, laying out her musical motives- hybridisation of rock and dance, and a whole load of other things too. This song is lyrically nebulous, swaying from idea to idea- “My Artpop could mean anything,” she sings. A lot of people have flagged this lyric as an admission to the shallowness of Gaga’s work, but that’s a fairly lazy reading of her work. Surely art (or pop) that allows for multiple readings is a good thing? Anyway, this is a fun, low tempo track and came as a complete surprise as the title track from this album.

If any of my three readers has some differing thoughts or would like to disagree, sound off in the comments.

Marvel Round Up 22/1/14- Part 2

More X-Books! I've decided to write a longer post on Hickman's Avengers in the future, as reviewing this book on a weekly basis seems a little piece-meal. I'm dropping X-Men as of this week for reasons outlined below

All-New X-Men #22.NOW

I’m not going to even touch the numbering nightmare that is this issue- there are so many numbers, and decimal points vying for attention on this cover. Marvel needs to sort this crap out. Just look at how confusing it would be to new readers (especially since this had been designated as a jumping on point!)

Anyways…after years of diminishing returns on the Avengers titles, Brian Michael Bendis is a wonderfully rejuvenated force on the X-Men books, especially All-New X-Men which has buckets of energy and playfulness. It offsets the darker tone of the other book set in Cyclops’ territory really well. After the last arc in which the team recruited X-23 and took down the Purifiers, I expected several issues of Bendis styled down-time in which everybody sits around and chats about their feelings or just hangs out. We get a little bit of that at the start of this issue with Bobby charmingly making snow angels. We also get a great moment in young Scott and Jean’s relationship where they both express how exhausted they are with all the fatalism and pre-destiny surrounding their every move. Jean gets a lovely bit where she flips out at the thought of Scott ending up with Emma Frost: 

“[I] find out we get married but you end up with silver boobs McGee.”

It’s this theme of fatalism that has been a driving force behind this book and makes even the more saggy issues zip along while being driven by this concept. The theme really comes to the fore in this issue with Jean being abducted by the Shi’ar, presumably to answer for crimes she has yet to commit as the Phoenix. It’ll be nice to have this team interact with The Guardians of the Galaxy and I’m sure that book will benefit in terms of sales from this cross-over. Immonen’s art, as always, is gorgeous, and I’m excited to see him draw some spacey stuff in the coming issues.

X-Men #9

I’m pulling the plug with this issue. Critics and fans seem to love Brian Wood’s writing, but it’s just not for me. As a huge fan of Grant Morrison’s run on X-Men, I may be overly sensitive to elements of his work being transformed into something they were never meant to be. I know that comics are supposed to be malleable and allow for different interpretations of the same idea, but the version of John Sublime presented in this series is so far removed from the original version it’s mind-boggling. I don’t want to sound like a whiney fan-boy, but Sublime should never be portrayed so that he can be a potential love interest for a character. It’s a reduction of the character to something he shouldn’t be, and this annoyance seems to have finally pushed me over the edge on a book I’ve tolerated rather than enjoyed. Bye bye X-Men.

Marvel Round Up 22/1/14- Part 1

It was an insanely busy week for Marvel, with the schedulers apparently losing control of their senses once again. Most of the Avengers and X-Men books were out this week, so reviews will be split between today and tomorrow.

Wolverine & The X-Men #44

This loose arc spanning the past few issues hasn’t been named, but as of the apparent resolution in this issue it turns out that it’s a pretty important comic. Well, as important as an X-Men comic can ever be I suppose. The issue features two related plots wrapping up the Westchester school’s involvement in the current conflict between the two mutant schools and S.H.I.E.L.D. The first plot features the kids squaring off against the two undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and it seems to be acting as further proof of concept for the upcoming shift in focus on this book from teaching staff to students. To be fair, this comic hasn’t focused that much on the teachers in quite a while and I’m really looking forward to seeing what direction Jason Latour takes Idie, Quentin Quire and Genesis in. I hope the secondary kids like Kid Gladiator and Shark Girl get to stick around too.

The rest of the book features Cyclops and Wolverine squaring off against S.H.I.E.L.D.’s sentinel force. It’s the first time the two have shared panels and not been directly at each other’s throats. There’s a moment where their argument about how Scott views himself begins to escalate and it feels like they schism is going to widen even more. However, Jason Aaron cleverly side-steps this, defuses the situation and has the two damaged men calm down, even going so far as to have them share a drink. It’s a lovely scene and reminds me of how much I miss their old relationship (even though the current status quo for the X-books has borne some of the best X-Men stories since Grant Morrison). I’m not sure if it hints at a softening to their relationship, perhaps leading to the end of the schism in the not too distant future? 

The issue looks great too, with Pepe Larraz’s pencils tonally matching what has come before. I’ll say this much for Wolverine & The X-Men- it’s the most visually consistent X-book out there and doesn’t experience the same art schizophrenia as Uncanny X-Men.

Mighty Avengers #5

The writing on this book impresses me enormously. Since it was launched it hasn’t had a single issue to itself, being forced to participate in Marvel’s two recent events, Infinity and Inhumanity. In this issue, writer Al Ewing pays lip service to the Inhumanity stuff, sending White Tiger and Power Man off to the wreckage of Attilan to find some Macguffin relating to supernatural story-line that ties into the “mysterious” Ronin’s reasons for being on the team (I’m pretty sure everybody in the world knows Ronin’s identity is Blade at this point, right?). Anyway, all that stuff is pretty inconsequential, with the real star of the book being Al Ewing’s excellent character work. He writes Jessica Jones and Luke Cage perfectly. There’s a great moment when they both punch Spider-Man in the face when they can’t take his crap anymore. It would have been a classic moment if it weren’t rendered almost unintelligible by Greg Land’s awful art. I can’t wait for another artist who doesn’t trace porn stars to start drawing this book. Shudder. There’s one particularly egregious moment where She-Hulk is supposed to triumphantly join Jessica and Luke in their smack-down on Spider-Man, but Greg Land just draws it with She-Hulk’s ass sticking out and slaps a generic porno face on her. It’s depressing stuff.

Fortunately, Ewing’s writing rises above the limitations place on him by editorial and art. There’s some really interesting thematic stuff about the ethnic make-up of the team and I hope they return to it in the future. Really starting to look forward to this book more and more.

 All New X-Factor #2

I just want to lick Carmine Di Giandomenico’s art. It’s an especially good fit for Peter David’s mutant team as it’s incredibly evocative of Larry Stroman’s art in the 90s. I know you could make the argument that Stroman could still be drawing the book (as he did occasionally during the X-Factor Investigations era of the last few years), but the sad truth is that Stroman’s art has become increasingly looser and just not very good. My only issue with the new costume designs are the goggles. You don’t get to see the character’s eyes while they’re wearing them and this can occasionally be detrimental to the story telling. It’s a small criticism of an otherwise very pretty looking book.

On the writing side of things, Peter David continues the slow burn of establishing the new team.  Quicksilver and Polaris are good choices. The half-siblings have a lot of issues to work through, as well as a lot of poor choices weighing on their shoulders. This issue hints at some of the character work that David might be trying to get at with Quicksilver. Here he’s confronted by three characters he previously screwed over and it doesn’t go especially well for him or the rest of the new team. Gambit is fun in the book too, which is something I rarely get to say about the character, who is far too often bogged down by his destructive relationship with Rogue and his tedious links to the Guild. Here he gets to be the debonair wise-guy. I’m intrigued to see who take up the other three places on the team.

Looking S01E01

It’s the Girls for Gays, insomuch as it has a central cast and is on HBO. Comparisons with the ascendant HBO Lena Dunham comedyrama (I don’t like the word dramedy) are obviously inevitable, but probably unfair. It’s a lot more leisurely in establishing itself than Girls was (so leisurely that I’m a little pressed to name any of the characters or anything that happened). The San Francisco setting is the most notable aesthetic difference. The city-scape is frequently shown covered in a thick haze of smog, perhaps obscuring something, perhaps the male gaze (of the male gays) that this show is so eager to convey as its central theme. It’s pretty interesting that there’s now a show about the gay perspective on and experience of the male gaze. I’m not really sure yet what the ultimate comment on that is going to be, but I’m willing to watch the rest of the first season to find out.

Anyway, yes- male gaze. Looking is what this show is all about. There are vast swathes of the show where the characters sit in silence, watching others or being watched- the most noticeable of these is Jonathan Groff’s character’s experience being flirted with on the train. It’s interesting to watch this under-used actor (previous credits include Boss and Glee, Looking will hopefully be his proper breakout) finally get to play gay after so many years as a straight man and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of material he gets. He’s not as charming a presence on-screen as Lena Dunham was in the early episodes of Girls, but the rest of the ensemble gathered here are definitely promising.

As expected, there are different gay subcultures represented here, but that representation is subtle and not as screamingly advertised as it can be on other shows. Nobody is the overt bear type, the gaybro, etc. This is to be expected from a HBO drama, I suppose, but it’s certainly refreshing to encounter an ensemble as potentially diverse as the Girls girls. Gay men have been more and more prominent on television in the last fifteen years but nobody has delivered on the promise of Six Feet Under’s David Fisher. I expect the journey of these men will be quite different from David’s journey of self-acceptance in 6FU, though. These men all seem to be fully out, and I expect the show to focus a lot more on the sex part of sexuality. It’s not as daring a statement as the opening of Russell T Davies’ Queer as Folk, but the potential is definitely bubbling away. I’m going to stick with this show for a while and see where the similarities with Girls stop and to see how it all plays out.

One last thought- laughs are a little thin on the ground. There are a few funny bits like Dom’s exchange with his doctor roommate and Paddy pretending to be a doctor (so much medicine based humour!), but it leans far closer to the drama part of the comedy-drama spectrum.

Truthfully though? I’m mostly here waiting for Russell Tovey.

The Clara Trilogy- a few short thoughts on The Name of the Doctor, The Day of the Doctor, The Time of the Doctor and the future.

Everyone else in the world has written at great length about these three episodes, so I’m going to try and come at them from a slightly different angle: This loose trilogy is all about Clara. Bear with me and I’ll try and tell you why!

There’s this neat line about a third of the way into the anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor: “Same software, different face.” It’s a fantastic summation about the consistency of theme within the show and it almost certainly reflects Moffat’s views (he did write it after all!). The Doctor is fundamentally the same as you move throughout the show- and you know what, so too is the show itself. The show’s foundation of this brilliant, lonely person bobbing about through space has remained unchanged in 50 years. The portrayal hasn’t really changed since Patrick Troughton took on the role, with subsequent actors simply embellishing the character with a few new or adapted flourishes- the odd hand gesture here, a pair of sand-shoes there. The Doctor remains “never cruel or cowardly” and “never gives up, never gives in.” It’s a wonderful declaration of the empowering truth of the show. Like a cult, but nice.

The basic unit of Doctor Who is this spirit of kindness, underneath all the timey wimey-ness and aesthetic changes, it shirks all cynicism (well, it usually does anyway, the odd murdered villain notwithstanding…). These final three episodes are all about this kindness, but more precisely, they’re about somebody new experiencing this kindness and learning about it over a handful of episodes. They’re all about Clara discovering her own Doctor-ish bravery and re-stating the mission statement of the show, to itself and to new and old viewers alike.

It’s become a new series tradition (sidenote: should we even be calling it the new series anymore? It has, after all, run for longer than most American cable and network shows, and almost all new IPs from the UK) for the just-introduced companion to have their hero-moment at the end of their first series (or for Donna and Martha, their only series). It’s usually a statement about how the companion has overcome their fundamental damage in some way or they face some flaw in order to save him: Rose nearly sacrifices herself to save the Doctor, Martha travels a ruined world to spread a message of hope, Donna becomes the DoctorDonna, Amy wills the Doctor back into existence, Amy murders a woman tied to a chair- all heart-warming and character defining stuff! With Clara it’s a little harder to identify the one moment that could be classed as the above hero moment. Sure, in The Name of the Doctor she throws herself into the Doctor’s time-stream to displace the Great Intelligence’s negative influence, and that’s a great moment, but it feels diffuse and isn’t one succinct statement about the character, like you get with the other companions. Some people have called this out as being a failure in the writing, or how the character is portrayed, but I disagree.

I think Moffat is trying something new and different with this companion. I think he’s playing a much longer game with the character than people expect. Clara is the fulcrum in these three episodes. Not only does she drive the plot in ways that are usually reserved for the Doctor, but she also gets further hero moments throughout the trilogy. She plays a vital role in The Day of the Doctor. As we watch the three Doctors in the ugly moments before they decide to blow up Gallifrey, we discover that she’s the one who convinced 10 and 11 to travel to the time-locked Gallifrey because she just noticed something in the War Doctors eyes telling her that he still hadn’t used the Moment to end the war. It’s her tears and horror at the revelation that her Doctor, the eleventh, could now be responsible for the death of billions of innocents that give the Doctor that push to come up with a better solution to the war. She helps him remember exactly who he is in that moment.

In The Time of the Doctor it’s her pleading with the Time Lords that nets the Doctor another set of regenerations to play around with. The Doctor comforts Clara (and perhaps himself) with the words “I will always remember when the Doctor was me.” Clara’s mounting terror when she sees the new guy is fantastic. In this moment, the Doctor doesn’t even know how to fly the TARDIS, so how is he expected to remember his relationship with Clara? Jenna Coleman plays these emotions really well and I’m sure the re-establishment of their friendship will take some time. I’m gonna guess that the Doctor might have a case of the classic post-regen amnesia, with Clara being once again called upon to state just who exactly the Doctor is supposed to be. We might even find throughout the season that he breaks Clara’s rules, which might push her away, however temporarily.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say, in far fewer words is this: Clara has been a slow-burner of a character. Loosely defined in her early episodes, we’re only now learning more about her through the prism of how she views the Doctor. These three episodes are a great show-piece for the new-ish companion. That Moffat is able to juggle this character development along with servicing The Paternoster Gang, multiple Doctors, Daleks and a regeneration bodes well for this rejuvenated show. 

Marvel Comic Book Solicitations April 2014

What better way to start a blog than by reviewing a handful of eye-catching previews and covers from Marvel, that only a handful of people will have an interest in? Onward!

Original Sin #0

MARK WAID (W) • JIM CHEUNG (A/C)
ARTIST VARIANT COVER BY PAOLO RIVERA
IT’S THE PROLOGUE TO THE BIGGEST MARVEL SERIES OF THE SUMMER!
WHO IS THE WATCHER? That’s what Nova is wondering after his latest brush with the moon-dwelling enigma he’s encountered before! But what he discovers will have a profound effect on the young hero, as well as priming the pump for the most cataclysmic event in Marvel history! WHAT DID HE SEE?
40 PGS./ONE SHOT/Rated T+ …3.99

In a shocking reversal of what usually happens, Marvel are about to imitate the ideas of DC. It looks like they’re going to take a stab at an Identity Crisis-esque murder mystery. They’re shaking it up a bit by making it outer-spacey (tho I’m sure the lawyers would prefer if it were referred to as Cosmic Marvel TM). Another idea yoinked from recent DC efforts is the irritating numbering. It’s usually DC stealing crappy ideas, so bravo Marvel. Also, The Watcher looks like he’s having a heart attack in this cover.

Amazing Spider-Man #1

Dan Slott (W) • Humberto Ramos (A/C)
Variant Cover by Marcos Martin
Variant cover by Ed McGuinness
Variant cover by Pop Mhan
Variant cover by JEROME OPEñA
75TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS
75TH ANNIVERSARY SKETCH VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS
Young variant cover by Skottie Young
Blank Cover variant ALSO AVAILABLE
The Greatest Super Hero of All Time RETURNS!
The world may have changed since Spidey’s been gone, but so has Peter Parker. This is a man with a second chance at life, and he’s not wasting a moment of it. Same Parker Luck, new Parker attitude. Putting the “friendly” back in the neighborhood, the “hero” back into “super hero,” and the “amazing” back into “Spider-Man!” Also returning: The recharged and reenergized ELECTRO!
64 PGS./Rated T+ …$5.99

Peter Parker is back, and it took much longer than everybody expected. The last year of Superior stories slightly outstayed their welcome- 6 months of a terse, snippy and hugely irritating Otto-Man would have been more than enough. Who cares though, because this Marcos Martin cover is the single most beautiful cover of the last forever. The sense of movement and weight, the perfect anatomy and the insane detail of the city below/above is breathtaking. It’s simplicity and efficiency remind me Frank Quitely’s work on All-Star Superman (also known as the best comic book ever).

Nightcrawler #1

CHRIS CLAREMONT (W) • TODD NAUCK (A)
Cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
Artist Variant by Humberto Ramos
Animal Variant by TBA
NIGHTCRAWLER IS BACK!
Newly-returned from the afterlife, veteran X-Man Kurt Wagner finds himself in a world that’s a far cry from the one he left: Professor Xavier is dead, Cyclops is on the run, and the X-Men are divided. But determined not to let his new lease on life go to waste, Nightcrawler hits the road alongside Wolverine, eager to right some wrongs and safeguard the future mutantkind…and he’s going to do it by the means he loves most: swashbuckling, lady-charming and—of course—BAMFing!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …2.99

Because you demanded it! How long did the last Nightcrawler series last? Not very. BUT! Now is probably a great time to give this another whirl. My reservations are numerous, starting with the assignation of Chris Claremont as sole writer. I think it could have been a fun little series written by anyone else, but Claremont has been producing sub-standard fare since his return to the franchise in the late 90s/early 00s. If they use it as an X-Men legacy style free-wheeling vehicle to explore the mutant schism, then that could be pretty cool- but I have a sinking it’s going to feature an overwrought Kurt questioning his faith ad infinitum. Also, thanks Marvel solicits for constantly spoiling the resolution to the Rogue story-line over in Uncanny Avengers by constantly sticking her on covers.

Doop #1

Peter Milligan (W)
INTERIOR ART BY DAVID LAFUENTE WITH LAURA ALLRED (A)
Cover by Michael Allred
Artist Variant by TBA
Living in the margins of the X-Men, Doop has freaked out X-Men and readers alike. However, when he gets deeply involved in X-Men business (and in the personal life of Kitty Pryde!), Doop will be thrust into the spotlight. This adventure will prove that Doop is, in fact, the most powerful X-Man! Written by co-creator Peter Milligan (X-FORCE), covers by co-creator Mike Allred (X-FORCE, FF) and innovative interior art by David Lafuente (AVENGERS, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN)!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Now here’s a comic that I’m sure nobody wants, and yet I’m very excited! Milligan was excellent on X-Statix but his shortlived run on X-Men was very disappointing- let’s hope this is more like the former. Fun cover from the Allred’s and with interior art from David Lafuente it should look lovely!

Uncanny Avengers #19

RICK REMENDER (W) • DANIEL ACUñA (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY AGUSTIN ALESSIO
• AVENGE THE EARTH Continues!
• Kang’s Chronos Corps arrives on Planet X with a terrible offer!
• The former members of the Uncanny Avengers must reunite to save the Earth!
• Magneto’s all-new X-Force are out for the blood of a Summers!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

You’ve got to hand it to Remender, who I assume plans his stories out over years as opposed to months. This has been one (incredibly long) mostly coherent story from the outset. I understand why some people’s patience is wearing thin with this, but the sheer number of ideas being thrown at the page pulls me through even through the most exposition heavy of issues. And look! Magneto has an X-Force now. I suppose it’s only fair since everyone else has had a turn. Beautiful cover too, even if it is missing a background beyond swishy space lines.

Ms Marvel #3

Cover by JAMIE McKELVIE
Artist Variant by annie wu
• The All-New Ms. Marvel has already gained international fame.
• But in Kamala’s case, star-power comes with a whole lot of... awkwardness.
• Find out why the most exciting new Marvel hero is also the most loveable!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …2.99

I can’t express how much I’m looking forward to this comic (and dreading its cancellation, which seems inevitable). Look how lovely Jamie McKelivie’s cover is and how excellently it uses white space.

Loki: Agent of Asgard #3

AL EWING (W) • LEE GARBETT (A)
Cover by JENNY FRISON
Variant Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL
• Loki heads back to the dawn of Asgard to join its greatest heroes on a quest for an otter-skin of gold, the heart’s-blood of a dragon... and a certain magical sword.
• Meanwhile, Loki does not appear in this issue.
• Both these statements are, for once, true.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

And the award for most pornographic cover this month goes to…