Comic Picks By The Glick

If you don’t think that Margaret Atwood can do whatever she wants at this point in her career, then consider this:  She’s following up her science-fantasy series “Angel Catbird” with “War Bears,” an intimate look at the Canadian comics scene during WWII.  We see it through the eyes of one Alain Zurakowski -- half Quebecois, half Polish, all aspiring comics artist -- as he gets a job at small-time Toronto comics publisher Canoodle Comics.  With American comics under embargo, they’re putting out lots of war-themed B&W comics to an appreciative audience. All under the auspices of take-no-guff editor Gloria Topper and lead artist Mike Mackenzie.  Alain starts off inking Mike’s work, but he’s got his own ideas about the kind of comic he’d like to draw: A were-bear named Oursonette who fights the Axis Powers alongside the Allies.

That Oursonette’s adventures become something of a minor hit shouldn’t surprise you.  Yet Atwood and artist Ken Steacy are very much aware that they’re chronicling a footnote in comics history.  Alain and the rest of the Canoodle crew are also under no illusion that they’re working on borrowed time until American comics are let back into the country, and that’s even as they deal with the everyday shortages and drama that the war brings.  That the creators know how to keep the story grounded leads to “War Bears” being a small-scale charmer. Alain’s struggles grew on me and I liked seeing the twists and turns that his relationships with Gloria and Mike took along the way. Especially when we find out something about Mike near the end and a tired trope becomes fresh again for me.  Steacy’s impeccably detailed art also captures the era quite well and I was ultimately left wishing that I’d got to spend just a little more time in this story.

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Above-the-Board Recommendation:

Curse Words vol. 5:  Fairy-Tale Ending

Is it a series about a really bad wizard learning to become a good one?  Or just one who can downplay his worst impulses to get what he wants? Or is it none of the above?  Vol. 4 left off with Wizord at the mercy of those whose lives he ruined either directly or indirectly and a major revelation about how the Hole World came to be.  It was the kind of stuff that made me rub my chin and go, “Well played sirs.” This is as opposed to, “HOLY CRAP! I cannot believe I just read that!” which is really what a penultimate volume should be aiming for.  Now it’s time to see if writer Charles Soule and artist Ryan Browne have a solid enough game plan to deliver a finish that will elevate the series. Or at the very least keep me from putting it in the “To Sell” pile the next time I reorganize my collection.  Speaking of which…

Above-the-Board Recommendation:

Immortal Hulk vol. 5:  Breaker of Worlds

Collecting issues #21-25, the last of which is also featured in these solicitations.  It’s also given a rather final-sounding solicit as the story is described as taking place at the heat death of the universe.  No points for guessing who’s there to see the Ninth Cosmos off. I may not be into this series as much as everyone else, but I can appreciate its fresh take on the character.  Also, the fact that its success may finally (FINALLY) vault Al Ewing into the ranks of A-list Marvel writers is enough for it to receive my eternal gratitude.

That final-sounding solicitation however, does raise a specific question:  Are we headed for a relaunch next month? Given that this title has been outselling “Batman” in recent months, you’d think that’d be reason enough to not upset the cart.  But you can never underestimate Marvel’s love for a quick buck when it comes to relaunching a buzzworthy series with a new #1. I’m fully expecting to see a new “Incredible Hulk #1” next month with the advance word being that the story of the “Immortal Hulk” is over and now Ewing has a new tale to tell us.  Which I’ll be onboard for because, hey, it’s Ewing.

On its own terms, this is probably the most entertaining “Mars Chronicle” has been so far.  It starts off with a thrilling and creative fight between bounty hunters Dass and Gillum before segueing into the inevitably tragic end of Yoko’s mom/nanny Kyoko.  There’s a bit there that chillingly illustrates how much of a psychopath Erica has become, but mangaka Yukito Kishiro manages to twist it around into something weirdly heartwarming by the chapter’s end.  Then the climax kicks into gear as Erica and Yoko are brought back to Cydonia province’s capital so that the latter can be officially recognized as the daughter of its leader. If that sounds like a good fate for her, then you might be a bit concerned to know that this is exactly what Baron Muster has been planning for.

What follows is a ragged yet thrilling scream of triumph as the Baron gets what he wants.  To the detriment of just about everyone in Cydonia. But hey, something, something about making an omelette… Seeing the Baron’s plan play out is a cynical joy in the unexpected detours it takes along the way.  I can’t say that I expected it to play out the way it did, right up until its end. That included finding out the secret origin of Yoko/Alita along the way.

Whether or not Kishiro will be able to tie that origin into the sprawling “Alita” saga going forward remains to be seen.  My money’s on “not” because while following Muster’s story has been fun, it’s not his name in this series’ title. In fact, the past four volumes now feel like the mangaka was using this series to tell a story that he was interested in, but didn’t have much relevance to Alita herself.  The second volume also sticks out like a sore thumb in how it featured present-day Alita and Erica as a means of placating fans who were wondering when this series was going to follow up on the events of “Last Order.” That still seems like a ways off as the end suggest we’re finally, FINALLY, coming up on the scene that opened that series as the two cyborg girls prove that they’re more than just helpless war orphans.  It’s about time, even if I wouldn’t put it past Kishiro to throw in another digression next time.

comicpicksbytheglick@gmail.com

Above-the-Board Recommendation:

Grendel:  Devil’s Odyssey #1 (of 8)

I didn’t expect this:  Matt Wagner is returning to his other signature creation to push it forward.  After the prose/illustrated novel “Past Prime” took “Grendel” to its farthest point in the future, Wagner left it there for a decade.  He spent that decade looking into the past with its most famous/infamous protagonist Hunter Rose. We got to see his early exploits in a couple of Eisner-winning anthologies, an eight-issue miniseries, and a “Shadow” crossover both by Wagner himself.  Now he’s back to… end it all?

“Devil’s Odyssey” finds the unstoppable cyborg Grendel Prime facing his biggest challenge yet.  He’s been tasked by the current Grendel Khan to find a new home for humanity as the Earth is slowly dying.  Easier said than done for someone like Grendel Prime, but is that what he really wants? The moral compass of “Grendel” the series is so skewed that the solicitation text can pose a hackneyed question like, “But will the deadly and relentless paladin ultimately save humanity . . . or destroy it?” and it’s actually hard for me to answer one way or the other with any certainty.  Which is part of the series’ appeal too.

Above-the-Board Recommendation:

The Sandman Universe Presents:  Hellblazer #1

Oh, it’s a new series from DC featuring John Constantine…  Wait, it’s under “The Sandman Universe Presents” banner. So that means it’s a Mature Readers book that’s going to take place in the same shared continuity as the long-running “Hellblazer” series!  And it’s even going to be written by Si Spurrier, a writer who seems like a perfect fit for the character and his universe.  Granted, I’m a bit worried about how the premise for this new series is more than a bit complicated: This version of Constantine is the one who was only featured for a couple of pages in the original “Books of Magic” miniseries as a casualty in the war that an evil Tim Hunter started in the future.  Somehow, he’s found his way back to the present where Tim is just learning the rules of magic. It seems like Constantine has a binary choice to make, and I’m sure Spurrier has realized that too. I want to see what he’s figured out and that’s why I’ll be reading this series.

Marvel’s “Endgame” victory lap and its unveiling of “Phase 4.”  The future of “The Walking Dead” on TV and on film. The final “Game of Thrones” panel with the cast.  I went to none of the panels that featured these things. As is the case with all of the Comic-Cons that I attend, my focus is generally on one thing only:  The Comics. So I went to a lot of panels featuring comic creators, publishers of comics and manga, manga critics/fans, and even those offering scholarly analysis of manga and manga-influenced titles.  Were they any good? Yes and no. Find out which was which below.

John and I take a mulligan this week to talk about a series that's fun because it does things you won't see elsewhere, sometimes for good reason.