Comic Picks By The Glick

In the years since I finished with Eric Powell’s signature series, “The Goon,” he’s returned to it and is two volumes into the latest series.  While I’m not about to see if it’s worth reading again, his Image miniseries with Tim Wiesch, “Big Man Plans,” made it clear that I should still make time for him on other creator-owned projects.  Now, years after its debut, I’ve finally read through the first volume of his Backwoods Appalachian “Conan” series “Hillbilly.”  If that description doesn’t immediately captivate you, know that it’s about Rondel, a prodigiously hairy black-eyed man who roams the region while wielding the Devil’s Cleaver and taking vengeance against the witches that inhabit the woods.

It’s not just witches, though they factor prominently into the stories of the first three issues.  There are also magical and cursed MacGuffins to drive the stories and even a cameo by Buzzard from “The Goon.”  Most of these stories are also pretty straightforward as they involve the title character encountering some trouble, dealing with it using his cleaver, and either sussing out the real cause afterwards or lamenting his sorry state.  It’s all pretty straightforward without much backstory or hint of an overall plot.  Though I’ll sympathize with Powell’s regret that he wasn’t able to get further into Rondel’s history with tomboy Esther.

What makes this first volume worth reading is the character that Powell invests into these stories.  His art is just as impressive as I remember it, as he gives these backwoods a very lived-in and memorably creepy look to them while Rondel himself cuts an imposing yet sympathetic figure.  The volume is also littered with memorable bits like the origin of the Iron Child, young Esther and Rondel hunting a giant boar with a bow-harpoon, Rondel’s conversation with the hanging tree, his encounter with genuine hospitality.  What I’m saying is that what the comic lacks so far in inventive plotting, it makes up for in artistry and an abundance of character.  It may be pricey -- this collection of four issues plus extras will run you $18 -- but it shows to me that Powell is still a creator worth following.  Time to catch up on reading this one…

glickscomicpicks@gmail.com

How successful was the launch of this new series from Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora?  So successful that initial orders to comic shops cracked the 50k barrier.  So successful that the first issue went into EIGHT printings.  So successful that what was originally going to be a miniseries, was upgraded to an ongoing series.  That “Once and Future” comes from one of my favorite writers and a fantastic artist made it certain that I’d pick up this collected edition when it came out.  The only catch being that the first volume of “Die” showed me that not everything Gillen is involved with is a complete home run.  “Once” is better than that, especially after we find out what its female lead has really been up to.

I really liked the first volume of Bendis’ “Superman,” but vol. 2 sees him falling back into some of his bad habits.  Specifically, wanting to enact major plot developments without putting in the work to make them feel earned.  This starts off with the return of a now-teenaged Jonathan Kent, last seen when his  grandfather Jor-El (and remember everyone, he’s the grandfather of the original “New 52” Superman, not this one that came in from the previous universe) offered to take him to space so he could learn how to be a proper Kryptonian/superhero.  Unfortunately his grandfather turns out to not be as stable as he initially seemed to be, and Jon finds himself wanting to go home.  Before he can do that, they fly too close to a black hole and wind up in another universe.  The one that happens to be inhabited by the Crime Syndicate -- the evil version of the Justice League.

While this series has always been a solid read, vol. 6 sees it taking some big strides towards being genuinely compelling.  Not immediately because of how Isao’s rain-soaked, late-night confessional cliffhanger from the previous volume was resolved.  It was handled well, as was Yori’s newfound affection towards Mari.  As the latter believes that the former’s mind is still stuck inside her body as Isao’s personality inhabits it, she wants to be as friendly as she can with this person she views as her ideal now.  Mari, on the other hand, isn’t having it.  Still unsure of who she really is, Yori’s efforts only wind up frustrating her even more.  Then she gets another call from herself.

The mystery behind this is resolved in short order, and in a very satisfying way as well.  It doesn’t just pay off the quasi-romantic complications from earlier in the volume.  No, it also offers further intriguing complications between Mari and Yori as well.  Mangaka Shuzo Oshimi makes all the right moves here in staging this round of setup/payoff.  He offers unexpected resolutions that make perfect sense based on how the characters have all been acting up to this point.  Oh, and he keeps the door open for my own theory about what’s really going on with Mari.

In fact, Oshimi offers up even more fodder for the idea that this whole situation may be down to Mari’s mental issues.  Past trauma, specifically, as we find out during a sequence where she reconnects with her younger brother and finds a photo of herself as a kid that was torn in half.  It triggers a memory about someone named “Fumiko,” that causes her mother to project an “OH GOD NO!” look when she’s asked about it.  Even before it throws in the missing persons issue in the last chapter, vol. 6 was clearly firing on all cylinders and marking a high point for the series so far.

glickscomicpicks@gmail.com

Welcome to another exciting volume of “Garo:  Hero Hunter!”  After our protagonist was left for dead at the hands of the Monster Association, he goes to hunt them on their own turf.  Not just for payback!  But to rescue the one kid who believes in him with all his heart.  That Garo rescues the kid shouldn’t surprise anyone.  Nor should the fact that the Monster Association’s heaviest hitters are lurking around down underground.  Including the demonic, plasma-spewing guard dog known as… POCHI!  If Garo can survive a few rounds with this puppy, then maybe he’ll be able to get some answers from Gyoro-Gyoro about how he’s been able to survive for this long and what the Association’s real plans for him are.  With any luck, they won’t involve him going toe-to-toe with their leader, the Demon King Orochi -- a dire fate that no one should wish upon their enemies!

In case you didn’t guess from the summary, Saitama doesn’t really have that big of a role in this volume either.  That still registers as a disappointment, as it has for the past few volumes.  It does help that Garo’s journey is actually getting more interesting now.  He’s so determined to carve his own way and fight against those who would look down on anyone that he has now turned on the organization made up of those he empathized with and took him in.  Garo’s story is now starting to read like a tragedy, even as he gives it his all, and especially after Gyoro-Gyoro tells him the score.  Alongside all of this is the typically spectacular art from Yusuke Murata, who even manages to make a volume made up of fights in darkened underground corridors and arenas look pretty impressive.  I’m sure he’ll make Saitama’s eventual return to the limelight look good too -- if that is what the last page in the final chapter is really foreshadowing.

glickscomicpicks@gmail.com

After 14 (really 28) volumes of “Prison School,” it’s safe to say that mangaka Akira Hiramoto has a pretty well-defined style.  It involves utterly ridiculous situations played completely straight, and served up with a near-constant stream of fanservice.  That’s not all he’s capable of (and one day it’ll be time to talk about “Me and the Devil Blues,” but not now), except it is what he’s clearly interested in and what his fans want to see as well.  How else to explain the existence of “Raw Hero,” then?  It may present itself as a new manga title revolving around superheroes, but it’s really just a chance for Hiramoto to do his thing with a new cast and setting.

It's been consistently entertaining up to this point, but does Aaron's run have a worthy ending?

After much preparation, it’s time for the Shuchiin Academy Culture Festival!  There are haunted houses and maid cafes galore, and oh so much drama to go around.  That’s mainly because Kaguya and Miyuki have finally made up their minds about how they feel regarding each other.  Now they’re just looking for the right time and situation to make their confession.  Much of the focus here is on Kaguya as she tries to take advantage of the superstition that if you give the object of your affection a heart-shaped object at the festival, your love will be eternal.  Kaguya being Kaguya, she just can’t simply give Miyuki the heart-shaped locket she has.  She’ll be resorting to things like tea-brewing, takoyaki, and balloons in order to get what she wants.  Meanwhile, Ishigami manages to do just that (unwittingly), Chika tries to warn her little sister off from getting involved with Miyuki, and Miko gets much more involved than she’d like in the creation of a haunted house.

It’s all great stuff as usual, even without getting into side bits like the appearance of two of the Ramen Kings and the return of Chika the Love Detective.  Yet, amongst all this comedy, there’s an unmistakable undercurrent of drama running through this volume.  That’s because after building things up for the past twelve volumes, mangaka Aka Akasaka is finally ready to make good on resolving the central romantic conflict of this series.  So the stakes here feel a bit more real… in between bits like Kaguya being EXTREMELY PREPARED when it comes to getting Miyuki to eat the takoyaki she wants him to.  So, rather than work against the comedy, the drama winds up working as a spice to give it just a little more urgency than it would usually have.

glickscomicpicks@gmail.com