One of the perks of me being on Twitter with my boisterous self, has been getting to talk to creators and being able to sample stuff that I wouldn't usually find until later in the game. Two such properties, I'm going to kick off this blog with.
The first is a short story anthology by Michael S Alter and his friends called Just A Minor Malfunction. 15 prose stories in issue one that range from fantasy to science fiction to philosophical horror that are all linked by, well, just a minor malfunction. If you are a fan of stuff like the Outer Limits and Twilight Zone and heck, even masters like Asimov and Stephen King, do yourself a favor and pick this up. Issues one & two are on Amazon for only 99 cents and are great for the reader on the go. Just remember to keep the lights on and hope your bus/train/taxi/plane are working well!
Second up is something me and my fellow blerdy podcasters have been talking up for awhile: Tuskegee Heirs #1 by Marcus Williams, Greg Burnham & Omaka Schultz. Take all your knowledge of the Tuskegee Airmen and then combine that spirit with the atmosphere of a Robotech or even Gundam's Teen fighters and you got this. I was anticipating this book for over a year and I must say gentlemen: mission accomplished! I totally geeked out...and am STILL geeking out. Why? I did say "Robotech" right??? Hehehehe
Now onto 3 weeks of books!
The Flintstones #6 by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh & Chris Chuckry - The unexpected hit social satire continues with a literal end of the world scenario forecasted by the scientist. How will the citizens of Bedrock react? And what does Pebbles and Bam Bam have to do with it all? Still having fun putting the parallels together with today's society.
Faith #6 by Jody Houser, Meghan Hetrick & Marguerite Sauvage - Our positive high flying wonder essentially has met her dark opposite: a psiot cat who is powered by the dark urges in us all. Old enemies are on its trail too and if that wasn't all, the cat is using/feeding off a teen pop star. Yep. Faith goons need all her wiles here.
Millennials You Are Special #2 by Dimitrios Fragiskatos, Guillermo Villarreal & SirGryphon - The current time/age/culture interpretation of superheroes continues with the team handling pressing issues. Like what to eat for dinner, managing the hits on websites and oh yeah, they have to find time to stop a pair of Millennial supervillains. Just wait until you get the motivations of Apathy and Coldheart.
Nailbiter #27 by Joshua Williamson, Mike Henderson & Adam Guzowski - Story one features Sheriff Crane struggling to put the final pieces together in her hunt for the serial killer. Why? People of interest have either been maimed or have disappeared. Throw in that weird ass town Buckaroo, spooky origins and an unseen complication and, yeah, things might be much worse. Confession time: I picked this up for this 2nd Story by Tee "Vixen" Franklin & Juan Ferreyra called The Outfit and all I can say is beware a woman scored. Thanks Tee. I'm not going to sleep easy for a minute.
Avengers 2 by Mark Waid, Mike Del Mundo & Marco D'Alfonso has The Kang War continuing as The Conqueror strikes at the Avengers during their most vulnerable time: children. Help comes from an unexpected source and a hero's missteps lie exposed. No win scenario meets doomsday folks!
Then in Champions 3 by Mark Waid, Huberto Ramos, & Edgar Delgado, Kamala, Sam and Miles started this team to make a difference and BOY they get a trial by fire early. The land is called Sharzad. A holy genocide is taking place. Women and children in harm's way. You may think the heroic path is easy but the kids are about to discover situations may not be that black and white.
Next up in Goldie Vance 8 by Hope Larson, Brittney Williams & Sarah Stern, Goldie has put the pieces together and it has led her to an intriguing place: bottom of the sea. Now can she unravel the last pieces and save her friend from a watery grave? The fun and kid friendly revolution continues
Nova 1 by Jeff Loveness, Ramon Perez & Ian Herring - Once again Marvel gives me what I been wanting but with a cost. Sam is adjusting to recent life changes and has luck rivaling Peter Parker as even cosmic heroes go through high school hell BUT Richard Rider is back! The original human Nova is back but at a cost. What could that mean for our universe? Remember WHY Rich couldn't come back in the first place? Yeahhhhh
Clean Room 14 by Gail Simone, Walter Geovani & Quinton Winter just goes to show in horror stories, KILL THE KID! Ahem now that I got my black moment out of the way, the kid alien/demon is more sadistic than we thought. We get a little more history of the conflict and character interactions with them. And we meet Astrid's biggest fan. Really
Deathstroke 8 by Christopher Priest, Larry Hama, Carlo Pagulayan, Jeromy Cox & Hi-Fi - So how would Slade take out someone like Superman? Well this issue goes a long way to show how he's a threat to anyone when he has time to prepare. Ingenious. Meanwhile the machinations surrounding Rose go deeper and she's left in an unsure place.
Earth 2 Society 19 by Dan Abnett, Bruno Redondo, Vicente Cifuentes & Rex Lokus - Just when the heroes thought the worst was over, the Sandmen attacks grow in intensity. Just as they set out undercover to explore the new world. The Bat group learns more about their new land from Steel. And we get to see the villain at last...
New Super-Man 6 by Gene Luen Yang, Viktor Bogdanovic & Hi-Fi - Kenan and his dad try to stop the now Starro-ed passengers and dad's revolutionaries/Kenan's teammates. Leave it to Yang to ramp up the melodrama along with the stakes. Can Kenan overcome his own failings to truly be the hero in time? And if he does, what will the cost be of such learning?
Scooby Apocalypse 8 by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Dale Eaglesham, Ron Wagner & Hi-Fi - Go in to the hospital and find drugs and tools to help Fred's broken leg. Simple right? Yeeeeaaah. I so didn't see the curve ball the writers did here with the hospital as the implications may make this landscape of horror even WORSE for our band of survivors.
In Betty Boop 3 by Roger Langridge & Gisele Lagace, we got a bug problem at Grandpas house as Betty faces a problem of a different complexity: love. Or more exactly put, a friend asks her for a huge favor to help her land a man she really wants. After the horror of previous issues, this whimsy help slow down my heart rate. Lol
Meanwhile, the Superwoman shapeshifter returns in Superwoman #5 by Phil Jimenez & Jeromy Cox, and this is not a good time for Lana. Her body is starting to fail her, Ultrawoman and her Bizarnesses have wrecked havoc and all but taken over Metropolis. Can Superwoman, and the Irons' hold out? And what the heck is the deal with those Lois visions anyway?
Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows 2 by Gerry Conway, Ryan Stegman & Sonia Oback - This time we see things from Mary Jane's perspective as Mole Man and his forces attack New York. There's a handful to handle in getting May focused for school. There's also a drawback to her powered suit concerning Peter. And oh yeah I mentioned Mole Man right? He's a little crazy.
Morris continues to try and reach his father in Mosaic 3 by Geoffrey Thorne, Khary Randolph, Thony Silas & Emilio Lopez. However, we may have seen the first unfortunate side effect of his body jumping with his first host intruding his home. AND he can "see" Morris! That news might pail to what Morris is about to learn about his world prior to Inhumanity....
Power Man Iron Fist 11 by David F Walker, Sanford Greene & Lee Loughridge has moves being made. Alex Wilder is gathering his forces to seize control of the underworld. Luke heads back to Disco Devil and finds out what transpired while he was trying to bust out Danny. And Danny...well Danny continues to be the book's heart...and networker.
Spider Man 10 by Brian Michael Bendis, Nico Leon, Marte Gracia & Rachelle Rosenberg features the return of Miles to Ganke and a very poignant retelling of what is going to happen in Civil War 7 & 8. Included is the reasoning behind exactly WHY Miles went to the very place of the disastrous vision.
Already had picked up Black 3 by Kwanza Osajyefo, Tim Smith III, Jamal Igle & Khary Randolph through their Kickstarter BUT I still support through buying the floppy too. You should too! Forces are gathering and the Kid is now caught between the "mission" and his beliefs....
The mysterious men in black buyers make a move in Motor Girl 2 by Terry Moore as they up the ante to purchase the junkyard. Meanwhile, Sam gets another "alien" repair visit. And I still don't know what the deal is with the Gorilla assistant! Quirky fun and I have questions aplenty...
The teens find out more about what is underneath their city as the government forces approach in KISS 3 by Amy Chu, Kewber Baal & Schimerys Baal. But why are the twins untouchable? And what exactly happened to the Guardians of the Old City? Secrets begin to unfold here...with LOTS of property damage!
Malin and Davix take on Lincoln in Horizon 6 by Brandon Thomas, Juan Gedeon & Frank Martin as once again everything you think you might have known about the agents and their mission gets tossed off the table and reformatted. Way to keep the readership on their toes gents...
The Ring Bearers are still stuck in an alternate future in Star Trek/Green Lantern Stranger Worlds 1 by Mike Johnson, Angel Hernandez & Alejandro Sanchez. Only one problem: it is totally cut off from their universe AND the power batteries! So as reserves begin to dwindle, how the various light wielders cope? And how is that tied into the Federation/Klingon conflict?
We see the disasters of the past few years through the Dora Milaje eyes in Black Panther World of Wakanda 2 by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alitha Martinez & Rachelle Rosenberg. We also see the illicit romance in the ranks grow as loyalties and faith to the crown wane. Expert piece by piece deconstruction of what we hold dear on display here.
With Captain America mentally fatigued by his recent failing, a new person wields the shield in Captain America Sam Wilson 16 by Nick Spencer, Angel Unzueta, & John Rauch. Misty Knight investigates an interesting erotica ring involving females of power and "borrows" the hubcap to help. But where is Sam? Well you just have to read the book....
It is Hawkeye & Red Wolf vs Hydro Man in Occupy Avengers 2 by David Walker, Carlos Pacheco, & Sonia Oback. But how do two non-powered heroes take out someone like Hydro-Man?Meanwhile the Fireheart Brothers steel themselves to take on the corporation that has taken root in their land....
The latest small animal fad has taken the world by storm in Power Man Iron Fist Sweet Christmas Annual 1 by David Walker, Scott Hepburn & Matt Milla and our heroes are in line to get one for Danielle. Along the way, we run into Jessica Drew and her kid, Daimon Hellstrom, and a demonic invasion led by...? Wait really?!?!?! Him? Oh well it is Christmas...
Nighthawk goes to the extreme to bust his captured teammates out of SHIELD custody in Squadron Supreme 14 by James Robinson, Leonard Kirk, Paolo Villanelli & Chris Sotomayor. However, this might not fall into the same line of thinking with a returning Hyperion and Namor. The fractures are now in total display for allies and enemies to see especially after *REDACTED* happens....
Told folks that Cosmic Entities would eventually have a reckoning involving Galactus's change from Destroyer to Lifebringer and in Ultimates2 2 by Al Ewing, Travel Foreman & Dan Brown it hits the fan as Lord Chaos, Master Order & The Living Tribunal put the Big Guy on trial. Elsewhere, the team deals with another powerful force in the Marvel Universe and we learn through flashback that there may be a potential problem on the horizon closer to home...
The Veronica/Cheryl Blossom reaches a conclusion...kind of, in Archie 15 by Mard Waid, Lori Matsumoto, Joe Eisma, & Andre Szymanowicz. Meanwhile, Betty deduces exact why Archie wants to be like Jughead and the gang bands together to help Archie make his parents' anniversary party happen...despite his luck...
It is Garrison and Kay on the run in Bloodshot USA 3 by Jeff Lemire, Doug Braithwaite & Brian Reber. But wait? Isn't she Deathmate? What about her powers? What about Magic? Hell, how the hell are they going to cure NYC? You think one book is going to answer all that? Tantalizing quality from Lemire again...
So who is dangerous enough to force Kris to give in and try to contact Peter (Sting) from exile? Well his name is Alexander Solomon and in Harbinger Renegades 2 by Rafer Roberts, Darick Robertson, Juan Jose Ryp, Diego Rodriguez & Frankie D'Armata we see how he's marshaled his forces in trying to round up and activate unknown Psiots. Problem is two fold: reactivation is dangerous and unfortunately, the Renegades are still o so fractured...which may cost them a member to Solomon....
Enter the James Gang as Mycroft Holmes & The Apocalypse Handbook 4 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld, Joshua Cassara, Luis Guerrero, & Simon Bowland continues with Mycroft and his "companions" being in their company. How does that relate to his mission for England though? That's the fun part of this series: no straight answers. Like his brother's classic stories....
My Collections/Graphic Novels Acquired included:
It is Superman and Wonder Woman along with various allies vs Vandal Savage and his bloodline in Superman: Savage Dawn HC by Peter Tomasi, Gene Luen Yang, Aaron Kuder, Greg Pak, Jon Bogdanove, Vicente Cifuentes,Javi Fernandez, Jack Herbert, Dan Jurgens, Doug Mahnke, David Messina, Ben Oliver, Howard Porter, Bruno Redondo, Cliff Richards, Rafa Sandoval, Ardian Syaf, Patrick Zircher, Blond. Hi-Fi, Lee Loughridge, Tomeu Morey, Trish Mulvihill, Arif Prianto & Wil Quintana.Meanwhile, Superman's slowly losing his powers and there's a comet passing by the Earth. After Truth, there is usually pain and boy is Savage wanting to bring in the pain on Mr. Kent and his allies....
Dick Grayson and Batman might of faked his death to facilitate his entry into Spyral but we all knew sooner or later his nearest and dearest would find out the truth. In Grayson Vol.3: Nemesis by Tim Seeley, Tom King, Mikel Janin, Hugo Petrus, Juan Castro, Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez & Jeromy Cox, we get to see him try to explain to friends how he's still around. All while an assassin is targeting Agent 37's interactions from previous missions.
During the past Convergence, we were introduced to a Lois and Clark that had married and conceived a son. In the "new" Earth that arose afterwards, the couple along with their son survived. But how they cope on a world with a Superman and Lois Lane already? Well that's what Superman Lois & Clark by Dan Jurgens, Lee Weeks, Neil Edwards, Marco Santucci, Stephen Segovia, Brad Anderson, Jeromy Cox & Scott Hanna is all about! Well that and the lengths they go to build a "normal" life for Lil Jonathon Kent.
The team travels to then gets seperated in the Ultimate Universe in All New X-Men Vol 4 HC by Brian Michael Bendis, Mahmud Asrar, Mike Del Mundi, Andrea Sorrentino, Marte Gracia, Jason Keith, Marcelo Maiolo, Marco D'Alfonso, & Rain Beredo and run into some very familiar yet different faces. Then a member of the team returns as the Black Vortex changes the team forever. And speaking of returns, some longtime favorite mutants make their presence known in the story of The Utopians.
SO there's part one of my 2 part year ending blog. Part 2 inspired by friend and debate sparring master Bison4Life and I will delve into my best music gets over the past year. Yep going to be a BIG list..lol
Thx For Reading All! Until Next Time, Keep Fantasizing!
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