Weekly Reader, February 13, 2023

[Jeff]

Fantastic Four - No way this was going to live up to my expectations, but

having the first issue be so specifically about only two characters also had an affect on my thinking. Even though I knew going in that the entire family wasn't going to be in this issue, who was in this first issue certainly brought the idea of family with them. And reading this on the tablet was crazy due to some repeat panels   I thought my shit was broken  

Very intriguing ending

Lol. I thought my tablet was broken too.   

Wolverine - A little lost and I am not a huge fan of Percy (to say the least) I will say I was more entertained by his writing in this issue than I usually find myself. Ryp's art didn't hurt. Not sure I wills tay on (Still not happy about the direction of the X-Men/Mutants) but I hope to at least stay on while Ryp is involved. Who knows, maybe it will lead to more.

Oh yeah, if you started with this one I can see how you got confused.  Probably should have started at least one issue back.

[Jeff]

Looks like I’m ahead of the game.  Going to go ahead and add these to read this week!

DC Universe Ultra    
Stargirl: The Lost Children 3
Batman - One Bad Day: Riddler #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Two-Face #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Penguin #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Bane 1

———————————————————————————

[Perry]

Crossgen Tales #1

Oh, hey, thanks for reading this. The download would have been plenty  , but glad you took some time to dip the toes in 

Are these new stories or reprints?  I’m hoping for an issue 2 [Ruse]

These are first issue reprints of just four of the Crossgen titles.

Two of them (Mystic and Sigil) are part of the original four Crossgen titles that were first released, that also included:
SCION - A really cool sword and sorcery title written by Ron Marz and drawn by Jim Cheung
and
MERIDIAN - A semi-swashbuckling Cloud-City tale written by Barbara Kesel and drawn by Steve McNiven

The remaining two (Ruse and Sojourn) were part of the 1st expansion of five additional titles, that also included:
THE FIRST - The Crossgen "Gods" or "Immortals" title, like Thor and Odin, by Barbara Kesel and Bart Sears
CRUX - (One fav of mine) A group of Atlanteans, but more like the X-Men, by Mark Waid and Steve Epting!!!!
NEGATION - (My favorite and responsible for my return to comics) Another sci-Fi theme by Tony Bedard and Paul Pelletier
 
If Crossgen would have stayed there, with those 9 titles, for another year or two... man... I think such great things would have happened. But they expanded way to fast, sadly.

   Ruse 1 - A pretty good detective tale mixed with some magic. 

This was a really cool title. From the art, to the coloring to the story... was set to be an incredible mystery run! DAMN IT!!! 

     Mystic 1 - I’m not always a magic fan but this has enough intrigue to make me want more.

This honestly did get much better, but it also honestly faded a bit after the first 14 or so issues

     Sigil 1 - A good first issue.  This one is Sci-Fi with some fun adventure.

This was one hella fun, and the art got better as the series went on... I seem to remember (I could be wrong) this was a good one though. Almost like Captain America in space. Haha

     Sojourn 1 - My favorite of the four.  I want to keep reading this!

This was the first time I saw Greg Lands art and I was blown away by it. Glad he is back to his old ways of not copying Victoria Secret models for every panel now
 

Really was a great little company for awhile. So much variety and "no super-heroes" was their goal, but... yeah, okay, no supers heroes, just powered people  That entire Symbol or "Sigil" aspect does to this day excite me though.

 

[Jeff]

     Sojourn 1 - My favorite of the four.  I want to keep reading this!

This was the first time I saw Greg Lands art and I was blown away by it. Glad he is back to his old ways of not copying Victoria Secret models for every panel now
 

Wow! I didn’t even realize that was Greg Lands art!  And I liked it!

[Jeff]

DC Universe Ultra    
Stargirl: The Lost Children 3
Batman - One Bad Day: Riddler #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Two-Face #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Penguin #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Bane 1

———————————————————————————

Stargirl: The Lost Children 3 - Love it! Especially the big “reveal” on the last page! Oh boy! This will be explosive!

Batman - One Bad Day: Riddler #1 - OMG! That was amazing! Man I love what Tom King does with these characters.  This was a GREAT book!

Batman - One Bad Day: Two-Face #1 - An ok but predictable story. Hard to follow that Riddler issue.

[Perry]

Got through all my Big2 stuff and I didn't lose to the worst team in the NHL, so I had a pretty good night
 

Just kidding Jeff. As you know the worst team in any professional league is still a professional team, so don't feel too badly. The Steelers once lost to the Denver Broncos when they had Tim Tebow at QB. And as he was/is/and forever shall be, the most underserving person worhty of a QB spot, your team(s) could never do worse than that.
  

DCUltra
Detective Comics #1064
Detective Comics #1065
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #11
Nightwing #100
Gotham City: Year One #1
Gotham City: Year One #2
Gotham City: Year One #3
Gotham City: Year One #4   

MU
Fantastic Four #1
Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #1
Captain America: Sentinel #6
Wolverine #27

Other
~B.P.R.D Hell on Earth v5 (Containing the Remaining Issues)
End of Days #1
End of Days #2
End of Days #3
End of Days #4
End of Days #5
Cometh the Hour #1
Cometh the Hour #2
Cometh the Hour #3
Cometh the Hour #4
Cometh the Hour #5

****************************************

Gotham City: Year One - After reading what I somewhat expected to read in issue one, the title turned into an original product after all. Really glad Jimmy and Jeff... and Jeff and Jeff AND JEFF...    talked me into reading it as both were correct in their assessment about its quality and greatness and I am truly glad I added and read it. Now however the wait... I have to just wait 2 and a half weeks to finish this run!!!! That wait will seem like forever now
 

Cap - I agree with Jimmy on the art here. There are even major props to be given for the fact that this artist... I forgot his name... AGAIN... but this artist continued to draw the bullet marks (where warning shots were given) on the pavement even a couple panels later. That I really liked and appreciated. Also like it when artist use the flowing technique with fights, although there is a glaring problem on one of the fight scenes where

Cap and Bucky are fighting, Buck tears off a plane wing, they fight with it and then, suddenly, they are in the air? I think that a hover-type craft picked them up in its updraft? I think? It is very confusing because A) we don't see the craft prior to that and B) with the artist showing movement lines going... what looks to me as "down"...

I had problem resolving that scene
 
Not sure I... Well... on second thought as I am typing... I guess I'm okay with where the story is going and what happened here. It goes back to the end of the first issue so... yeah... okay, I get it.
 

[Jimmy T]

Action Comics #1050 - Despite having issues with the art, I liked this issue and the reset that happened.  It makes future stories more promising.  And the Metallo storyline is finally about to bear fruit!

For an issue like "1050" the artist was damned poor. Had the stylings of what I always call 'coloring book art' meaning they put the form, and shapes in right order to look like a Superman, but man, there was no greatness to it, no awe, and certainly nothing I would tell anyone about. In fact, I'll pay attention to the name to AVOID them on other projects.

[Jimmy T]

Amazing Spider-Man #13 - I might be out on this one.  I have no idea who the villain in the big reveal is.  This arc isn’t holding my interest so I’m bailing out for now.  Might come back if the next arc is more interesting.

That's the Goblin Queen. She was the villain from the end of the prior ASM volume. Also, that's a transformed Dr. Kafka, if you remember that psychologist from YEARS AND YEARS ago by J.M. Dematteis and such.

[Jimmy T]

Cap - I agree with Jimmy on the art here. There are even major props to be given for the fact that this artist... I forgot his name... AGAIN... but this artist continued to draw the bullet marks (where warning shots were given) on the pavement even a couple panels later. That I really liked and appreciated. Also like it when artist use the flowing technique with fights, although there is a glaring problem on one of the fight scenes where

Cap and Bucky are fighting, Buck tears off a plane wing, they fight with it and then, suddenly, they are in the air? I think that a hover-type craft picked them up in its updraft? I think? It is very confusing because A) we don't see the craft prior to that and B) with the artist showing movement lines going... what looks to me as "down"...

I had problem resolving that scene
 

Yeah that specific part had me a bit confused, but it was over quickly, so, no bother to me!

[Jimmy T]

What I finished up reading this week:

DC ULTRA

One Bad Day Bane-not my favorite, and I felt a bit confused as to how Bane got to the place he was in, considering recent Batman exploits and Task Force Z. I think this one becomes my least liked.

Catwoman Lonely City 2-4 - what a good read! Think 'Dark Knight Returns' for Selina Kyle. Very sad for her in the final realization of what her last happiest moment meant though.

New Champion of Shazam 4 - good issue for Mary, good mini for Mary as well. I like me some Shazam!

Black Adam 7 - Priest doing Priest things, hell yeah! What a fun use of a Flash villain here

Flash 791 - There is...bad things happening here in Central City. Not really happy with what the unveiled antagonist heralds

World's Finest 11 - A bit of a moment of underwhelmingness in the point of the risen action  and story with Superman's words, but still a great title to read

Nightwing 100 - I love what this team has been doing to this book. A few hokey moments that don't ruin anything that has been developing or buidling to this point.

MARVEL UNLIMITED

Captain Steve Rodgers 6 - I do like this artist's storytelling (even with the agreed upon moment of head scratching huh? That me and Perry agree on). Not sure I entirely believe in the nature or need for the fight, but things have moved forward!!

Ghost Rider 8 - Yes, will still describe this book as creepy, and I'm so digging it. There is no outline to follow, or 1-2-3 directions for what a GR book should be, it's so cool to read how out there this is!

Avengers 62 - the end of the building up of AVengers through time shtick. At least this was a focus on Agamatto, the OG sorceror supreme of them all. Cool issue.

Fantastic Four 1 - I dug it! Let this guy do some more, and lets see what mythos he ends up building for Marvel's First Family!!

Think I'm still gonna try
Black Panther Unconquered (for some reason
Moon Knight 17 ( cuz I forgot to read it)
Spider-man Lost Hunt 1 (another of those 'way back relooks' into big important times of a character's history)

[Jeff]

DC Universe Ultra    
Stargirl: The Lost Children 3
Batman - One Bad Day: Riddler #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Two-Face #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Penguin #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze #1
Batman - One Bad Day: Bane 1

———————————————————————————

Batman - One Bad Day: Penguin #1 - Excellent issue!  This was well written and perfectly paced.  I’d love to see this Penguin crew on a regular basis.

Batman - One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze #1 - Meh.  Just an ok story that changes up the Freeze character and not to my liking.  But I understand why Perry likes it and I can appreciate that.

Batman - One Bad Day: Bane 1 - Ugh. The worst of the bunch IMO.  I didn’t like this one at all.

[Perry]

DCUltra
Detective Comics #1064
Detective Comics #1065
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #11
Nightwing #100
Gotham City: Year One #1
Gotham City: Year One #2
Gotham City: Year One #3
Gotham City: Year One #4   

MU
Fantastic Four #1
Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #1
Captain America: Sentinel #6
Wolverine #27

Other
~B.P.R.D Hell on Earth v5 (Containing the Remaining Issues)
End of Days #1
End of Days #2
End of Days #3
End of Days #4
End of Days #5
Cometh the Hour #1
Cometh the Hour #2
Cometh the Hour #3
Cometh the Hour #4
Cometh the Hour #5

****************************************

BPRD - From what I have understood, the BPRD series will be divided in three large (LARGE  ) story arcs or "cycles":
- Plague of Frogs
- Hell on Earth
- The Devil You know
I tried to wrap up this current omni as it is the last part of the Hell on Earth cycle, but I just didn't make it. That said, things have ramped up greatly with the "End of Days" story and now I am on what I am going to assume is the downswing of this incredible narrative with this last arc, but who knows!