RP’s Rapid Reviews — September 19th, 2018
by Cory Webber
Each week, we here at RP try to deliver as many in-depth comic reviews as we can. Alas, we are only human, and can only do so much. But, we know how much you all love comics, and we want to review as many books as we can. I mean, it can be hard to wade through the multitude of books released each week. So, without further ado, here are some quick-shot reviews of books that our staff did not individually review. I try to stick to #1’s, beginnings and endings of arcs, and one-shots, with the occasional book I’m excited about. Read on to find which books I recommend.
Justice League Odyssey #1 (DC) — Spinning out of the Justice League: No Justice event, Justice League Odyssey sees a small team exploring the mysteries of the Ghost Sector. If that sentence doesn’t make any sense to you, don’t worry. Joshua Williamson does a wonderful job at easing any potential new readers into the series. And Stjepan Sejic’s art (oh, the art!) is just astounding. From penciling to coloring, they gave Sejic full reign to create new worlds and new creatures, and it paid off in spades. While his grandiose designs and expansive space scenery is impressive, it’s the more intimate, personal scenes where he really shines. His facial expressions and body poses could tell this story without any words.
Now, if you’re not into team books, consider giving this book a try. Williamson keeps the team small, which allows each individual their moment to shine. And, the lineup is an eclectic, yet effective, roster that lends to the intriguing premise (sorry for the vagueness because of spoilers). The most interesting development is the mysterious individual pulling the strings to get this team together.
Verdict: Buy It! Sejic’s art alone is a reason to check this out. This series is promising, and maybe my favorite of the three current Justice League books.
Power Rangers #31 (Boom!) — Power Rangers #31 is an epilogue of sorts to the Shattered Grid event, which finds the Rangers stuck in a place outside of existence, and with their powers on the fritz. Full disclosure: I haven’t been up to date on my Power Rangers reading. However, when Marguerite Bennett takes over a book, you have to check it out. It’s like Comics 101, duh! While I can’t say for sure what exactly is going on, I like where this is headed. Bennett does a wonderful job of pacing and setting up what looks like a pretty challenging new status quo. Moreover, I loved the art. It was a perfect combination of loose lines, deep inks, bright colors, and inspiring layouts.
Verdict: Buy It! I am totally on board for the entirety of Bennet’s run.
Star Trek Vs. Transformers #1 (IDW) — This mashup sees the Enterprise team respond to a distress call on a planet just outside of Klingon territory where they come across a battle between Autobots and Decepticons. This issue does a fine job at introducing all the main players and getting in all the expected hallmark phrases. We get a “Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor,” and a “more than meets the eye.” Writers John Barber and Mike Johnson do a good job balancing the myriad characters and pacing the action.
Moreover, Philip Murphy’s art was very cartoony. That, coupled with Christa Miesner’s bright primary and secondary colors, and I let like I was watching a Saturday Morning cartoon. Aside from a nice action-packed, two-page spread, the creative team played it pretty conventional with the overall page and panel layouts.
Verdict: Wait and See. This crossover has some potential to be really fun and fancy-free, but nothing that will necessarily move the needle for either franchise. For me, it warrants checking out the trade on a ComiXology sale.
Domino Annual #1 (Marvel) — As far as annuals go, Domino Annual #1 is a perfect look-in for new and current readers alike. With five stories of varying length, the creative teams give us a nice glimpse into Domino and her friends. First, we get a Gail Simone-penned origin of Domino’s posse, namely how Domino and Diamondback meet Outlaw for the first time. This story is classic Simone with the witty banter and great action. Next, we get a Cable-focused story from Fabian Nicieza, co-creator of Deadpool, Shatterstar and X-Force. It’s a quick 5-page story that doesn’t offer much to the overall issue. However, it is a nice little interlude that decompresses Cable and nicely boils down to what his existence really isn’t like.
Next, Dennis Hopeless offers us a fun distraction for which fans of Colossus will most likely cheer. Especially for those who were disappointed that Kitty left him at the altar. Finally, we got, not one, but two short stories by Leah Williams. In her first story, Williams introduces us to the Rejex, a support group for mutants who feel alone and left out. We get some great cameos from Doop, Beak, Eye Boy, and others. Honestly, I hope we get a Leah Williams written Domino and the Rejex series out of this. Any series where these, and other forgotten characters, have group therapy sessions, would deserve my hard-earned money.
Verdict: Buy It! If you’re looking to see what all the fuss is about the ongoing Domino series, then check out this annual. It’s a perfect issue to sample a bite.
That’s it for this week!
