Review: Event Leviathan #4

Event Leviathan #4 came out this week and it was another fascinating issue in a wonderful mystery book. We have turned the corner in this book, now in the back half. And between some reveals here and a doozy of a cliffhanger, I am definitely still plugged in.

The deception, secrets, and feints continue to fly here. There are is enough to chew on to make me add yet another suspect to my list of who Leviathan is. And while my main Leviathan Theory remains unchanged, I have to consider the fact that this time I might not be right.

Brian Bendis continues to capture the voices of the detectives trying to solve the mystery. And mostly this is a back room conversation between our sleuths as they try to unravel this tangled yarn ball. I do have to chuckle seeing the group continue to snipe and suspect each other. Perhaps that is what Leviathan wants.

Alex Maleev continues to marvel here. While I think of him as a street level artist, perfect for the dark alleys of a noir mystery, he shines here tonight with the more sci-fi and super-heroic aspect of this issue. Love this cover, especially the diagonal color separation between the blues of Superman and the red of Leviathan. Visually arresting.

One last reminder. This is the review post for Event Leviathan #4. The clue review will post next week.

On to the book.

Boston Fan Expo Review

Hard to believe but summer con season is about a year in the rear view mirror.

This was a great year with Terrificon being a comic creator/commission fueled 3 day marathon of running from table to table.

Right afterwards was Boston Fan Expo. While there were great comic creators, this was a much more laid back convention for me with no commissions and just a few signatures I was hoping to get.

As such, it was a super fun, relaxed time thumbing through books, looking for hidden gems, and actually taking my time with the few creators I was hoping to meet

 But all of that was secondary to meeting so many comic community friends in person.

Rob, Ryan, and Shag from the Fire and Water Podcast Network,.
Diabolu Frank from the Rolled Spine Network.
Darrin and Ruth Sutherland from the RaD Network.
Derek Crabbe from the Fanholes podcast.
Keith G Baker, Time Price, and Ward Hill Terry were all there as well.

It was just amazing to meet these incredible people who I have been friends with forever on line. Walking the con, breaking bread, and even watching Transformers cartoons, that was totally the highlight. (Yes, I am the shy Dr. Mid-Nite at the far left.)

What is just as amazing is some of these friends thought that I was so organized and on missions at this con, which honestly was the most laid back con I have been to in a decade.

There was one major (probably minor) purchase.

I found a decent copy of Action Comics #261, the first appearance of Streaky, at a decent price.

I have only seen high grade copies in the wild. So this serviceable copy is perfect for my collection! Yay Streaky!!

 The major signature get was Becky Cloonan on my Harley Quinn #0.

That's now 11 sigs on that book.

I will also say it was great to see Steve Rude again. And I was very excited to meet Dan Slott and gush about She-Hulk and Silver Surfer for 2 days in a row. Slott was so animated and just a great ambassador for the scene.

And I have to be honest, I kind of gushed about his She-Hulk to him. Love that run.

As I said, this was a low-key con for creator missions which meant I had time to thumb through the cheap bins.

I found this book from my youth, lost in some parental purge. The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #6 with Howard Chaykin art, sure to be brought to the next con I see Chaykin at.

But the big win was meeting my buddies!

Supergirl Season 5 Poster

We are in the home stretch for the Supergirl season 5 premiere on October 6th.

As part of the promotion, the CW released this poster.

I love Kara front and center in the poster in her new costume and looking off into the distance.

But I also like that this season all the supporting cast is there as well.

This is an ensemble show so I am glad to see everyone in the cast get a nod.

But Supergirl is the axle the show revolves around. I am thrilled she has the position of prominence and the presence she does.

Can't wait for the show to get back on the air!

Bullet Review: Legion of Super-Heroes:Millennium #1

It has been a long time since a Legion of Super-Heroes book has been on the rack. We just saw the actual team pop into the Superman books at the end of the Unity Saga.

Before a new, true Legion of Super-Heroes book hits the stores, DC has released a two part mini-series to bridge the gap and define the timeline. Legion of Super-Heroes:Millenium #1, the first part, came out last week. It is written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen, Andrea Sorrentino, and Andre Lima Araujo.

There are interesting aspects to the book.

The idea of Rose and Thorn being immortal and walking through the timeline of the DCU is a decent hook. How did she become immortal? And what does it mean for someone with a tenuous grip on reality to live forever?

I very much like the idea of there being a defined order of the different eras in the DCU. What came first? At the very least we have a timeline. That works for me.

And the respect Supergirl gets shown here is wonderful. Kudos to Bendis!

What is missing is the Legion! I suppose their name in the title is a draw.

I'll concentrate on the Supergirl section but I'll briefly touch on two other moments in the book.

Review: Lois Lane #3

Lois Lane #3 came out last week and was another excellent chapter in this maxi-series. Writer Greg Rucka sort of pumps the brakes a little on plot progression, instead dwelling on character moments. Part of the beauty of this book is that we are really focusing in on Lois. Anything that makes her more three-dimensional, or gives us insight into her personality is great.

We also get a lot of Question moments in the book. Or moments with Questions. In particular, I loved Renee's reactions throughout the issue. She would be someone who could easily be written as a two-dimensional, hard and brusque. But again Rucka gives us a peek behind the curtain into who Montoya is as a whole person.

Mike Perkins continues to shine on art here. His ability to convey emotion with expressions and body language is pretty impressive. You know what these characters are thinking and feeling, his art complements the words so well. Add to that a martial arts fight in the middle which reminded me of Denys Cowan's work on the Question book in the 80s and you have a winner. That Cowan comparison is about as high a compliment I can give.

Throw in a funny cliffhanger and you have a solid read.

On to the book!

Fire and Water Network Patreon!

Hey everybody,

I often talk about the positive on-line comic community I consider myself part of.

A big part of that community, a sort of organizer of the group, is the Fire And Water Podcast Network.

In fact, if you head to their site and look over their shows, you'll see that I have been lucky enough to be a guest on many of their podcasts! It is a great group of folks who carry the theme 'find your joy' over the airwaves.

The group puts out shows near daily and all are worth listening to. To defray costs, the group has started and Patreon page. I figured as a sort of distant cousin to the show, I want to promote the site.

So if you are a fan of their shows, or have liked listening to me on their shows, click the link below and donate! Thanks for considering!

http://fireandwaterpodcast.com/podcast/fwpatreon/

Review: Supergirl #33

Supegirl #33 came out this week and I must admit I was something of a roller coaster of emotions. There are downs and ups and then a little bit of a down again.  The art by Kevin Maguire is great. Overall there are lots of wonderful moments in this book. There are bits in this book that made me say 'now that sounds like Supergirl', something that  has been very rare in this Marc Andreyko written run.

But after a year of Supergirl tooling around in space, this book ends pretty much back where it was at the end of the Orlando/Houser run. Which makes me quote Bugs Bunny. 'Was this trip really necessary?'

It is probably easier to just review the bits of the book that struck me and then give my end thoughts. There is a section in the middle which basically is a repeat of the Legion portion of Superman #14 so I wont be reviewing those pages here. Just know that Kevin Maguire's 2 page spread of the new Legion is just as prestigious as Ivan Reis' pages.

So let's jump right in.