Saturday Splash Page #50

 

"Snakes vs. Apes," in The Union #3, by Paul Grist (writer), Andrea Di Vito (penciler), Le Beau Underwood (inker), Nolan Woodward (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer)

This mini-series was originally supposed to come out in mid-2020, loosely connected to the Empyre event. You remember, the one where the Coati (the telepathic trees) launched an invasion of Earth, or something? Yeah, I didn't pay it much mind either, and the COVID pandemic threw a giant spanner in the works. So Marvel, in their eternal churn, merely delayed the mini-series to instead loosely tie it to King in Black over the winter of 2020-2021.

Either way, the event is incidental to the story Grist tells, which is about a super-team meant to represent the United Kingdom, with superheroes from each part of the British Isles. Except the hero meant to lead them gets killed in issue 1, leaving Union Jack to try and lead a team of people that all hate the English and certainly don't want to follow the guy wearing England's flag on his chest.

Grist adds in some super-villains (including a talking corgi, so adorably evil), plus a super-villain turned government minister (whose power, appropriately for a stuffed shirt, was to leech the power from other people), a techbro billionaire sponsoring the superhero team, some backstory for a couple of the characters, and a race to steal a MacGuffin stone that will somehow make a person an Emperor.

I think this would have worked better if Grist drew it himself. Di Vito's work makes it look like a fairly standard superhero story, but it doesn't feel like that kind of story. The costumed heroes and villains are largely ineffectual, several steps behind the real bad guy (surprise! it's the billionaire!). Grist's own art, where besides the costume, Jack Staff doesn't look much different from anyone else in his world, would seem to match a story where the heroes can't get past their distaste for each other (or their own egos and incompetence) to actually stop anyone. Some of the character designs are pretty nifty, though.

The team does come together briefly at the end, urged by Britannia's spirit as the representation of a unified Britain, to work as a group rather than everyone trying to act alone. They still don't accomplish much The public doesn't rally behind them, they aren't the ones who eventually secure the MacGuffin. I guess Grist is focusing on small victories. Union Jack feeling he does measure up, The Choir turning away fully from her criminal past, the bureaucrat helping out because Britannia believed in him once upon a time. The team members of Wales, Scotland and Ireland not chucking Union Jack off a bridge. Progress.

What I Bought 6/1/2021 - Part 1

I hope everyone had a wonderful Clint Eastwood's Birthday Day on Monday. It is the most holy of days on the Reporting on Marvels and Legends' calendar. I observed the traditional ways, watching the Leone trilogy while eating pizza.

The Union #5, by Paul Grist (writer), Andrea Di Vito (penciler), Le Beau Underwood (inker), Nolan Woodard (colorist), Travis Landham (letterer) - Runnin' away from a ghost like they're the Mystery Inc. crew.

The tech bro has the Empire Stone. The heroes' attempts to stop him all fail, not that we see them try much. Doc Croc and his gain take a run at it and don't do any better. Britannia's sort of a ghost that's been lurking inside Union Jack to survive (and keep him from dying when he does stupid crap), but neither of them can stop tech bro alone. Together? Sure, that works. Doc Croc briefly gets the stone, then loses it to the government official, who impersonates a the intelligent corgi and eats it. The day is saved!

I am not sure what this was supposed to be about. The conclusion says Britannia kind of faded away after making some cryptic/uplifting statement. Union Jack's in the hospital, and the rest of the team has apparently vanished. There's no moment where the team really comes together and gets anything done. The public reacts negatively to their actual appearance, but there's no follow-up with that. I wonder if Grist had something entirely different planned for this when it was sort of tying in to Empyre instead of King in Black, but I doubt it. Maybe the point was you can't artificially create a super-team, just because some billionaire wants it to happen? If they aren't on-board with some common purpose, it'll fall apart. Or if it all hinges on one person - Britannia in this case - it's not going to work.

I don't know. I'm just guessing.

Runaways #36, by Rainbow Rowell (writer), Andres Genolet (artist), Dee Cunniffe (color artist), Joe Caramagna (letterer) - Gert's wisely decided to get the heck out of this book before she gets killed again.

The issue focuses on two conversations involving Gert. One, set several weeks before the previous issue, has Chase come home and find Gert from five years in the future waiting for him. She's 21 now too, and she's here to a) be with him, and b) take him back to the future with her. Chase is actually suspicious of this, especially when Gert won't tell him what she's trying to save him from. He won't go, so Gert's just been coming by to visit and make out with him off-and-on ever since.

The other conversation is between 16-year-old Gert and Victor, at the same time as the previous issue. There's a little tension after that whole Justice Inc. thing, and Victor worrying that since he can't fight against the programming Ultron gave him that makes him geek out over heroes, he won't be able to fight the programming that will make him evil, either. Gert figures everyone on the team is likely to go evil, and she's more concerned about getting left behind. And while they're walking, they find Chase and 21-year-old Gert making out.

I have no idea how this is gonna go. Future Gert seems sad or worried about seeing Victor, which seems like the kind of thing that could lead to explosions and "How could you?!" On the other hand, Gert's not typically the sort to freak out or get violent. So there might just be a lot of sarcasm between the Gerts, and confused stammering among the guys.

 

You can see similarities in the Gerts based on facial expressions - they both love rolling their eyes - but Genolet adds some differences in body language. They're both talking to guys who are taller than them, but Future Gert is constantly looking Chase in the eye, while Present Gert spends a lot of time looking at the ground or just down in general. Future Gert's body language is a lot more confident. Hand on one hip, or just willing to reach out. She's not holding herself in, while Present Gert seems like she's trying to minimize contact with anything for most of her walk with Victor. She won't even let her arms swing at her sides while she walks, she keeps them both on her backpack straps. It's a much more reserved, withdrawn posture.

I even think Present Gert and Victor are viewed at more of a distance than Future Gert and Chase. That may just be a matter of the two of them not standing as close to one another, so the p.o.v. has to be from further away for them both to be in the same panel, but Present Gert seems to sit lower in the panels, and just generally is less of a presence than her future self.

What I Bought 4/3/2021 - Part 2

There was only one new comic out this week I wanted, so I didn't bother going hunting for it. Next week is supposed to be pretty good, so I'll try and grab it then. In the meantime, here's two fourth issues from last month to look at.

The Union #4, by Paul Grist (writer), Andrea Di Vito (penciler), Le Beau Underwood (inker), Nolan Woodard (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - I can't decide what the green lights in Choir's mouth remind me of. The weird engine from Event Horizon? A Borg Cube thing? It'll come to me in the middle of the night, I'm sure.

After opening with a flashback to some fight thirty years ago where The Sponge had the drop on Britannia (who I keep expecting to pop back up under some, "You can't kill the spirit of a nation" thing), they move to the present. Where "Doc Croc" (who doesn't like that name) and his band of lackeys (including The Choir) are invading the Tower of London to steal "The Empire Stone" created by John Dee. The Union go down like a bunch of chumps, demonstrating a total lack of teamwork. But that tech bro that put the team together takes the stone for himself before Croc can get it.

Well, we all knew that billionaires are the true villains. I'm pretty much expecting the last issue to be a fight between Croc and his bunch, as the old-school costumed villains (including a talking, cybernetically enhanced corgi), versus the irritating corporate sleazebag and his shitty haircut and stupid mustache. That could be highly entertaining, or highly depressing. I mean, I'm rooting for the super-villain personally. At least they've got flair and style.

 

At this point, there's no real sign the heroes are going to get their act together and work cooperatively. Or maybe they will and it'll just prove ineffective. I'm not sure yet what Grist is going for there. The Sponge seemingly didn't kill Britannia 30 years ago, and instead now works for the government. So people can change, can triumph over their inner demons? But they need the right person to nudge them along? And the team doesn't have that person, since Union Jack's clearly not cutting it. Although I feel like there's been so little opportunity to see him try it's hard to say he can't.

Guess I'll have to wait until the last issue comes out in May to see where Grist is going with this thing.

Black Cat #4, by Jed MacKay (writer), Nina Vakueva (artist), Brian Reber (color artist), Ferran Delgado (letterer) - She won't be happy when those cats barf all over the loot to mark it.

I'm assuming this was originally going to be the second Annual, which was mentioned before the canceled the previous run. It's focused on Lily Hollister, one of several characters added during Brand New Day. She was that one goblin villain, Menace? She had a kid with either Harry, or maybe Norman slept with her behind his son's back, I don't know. She doesn't remember much of that, and now she's trying to be a hero called the Queen Cat. Her costume is just a color-reversed version of Felicia's earlier outfits.

Vakueva draws Felicia's current costume pretty much how Kris Anka did in that two-part Madripoor story that came out last year. Where the collar flares out a lot more, the furry parts at the wrists and ankles are more like flares than cuffs, and the "mask" isn't really even that

Lily was working as a waitress at the party Felicia attended in the very first issue of the previous volume, and she's been trying to hunt Felicia down ever since. If she's going to be the hero, she needs to bring down the villain who she resembles. Nice touch by Vakueva that, when we Lily sees Felicia at points from earlier stories, she's drawn closer to how Travel Foreman drew her. Bigger hair, and with the more classic fur cuffs on the costume. Lily eventually found their hideout by staking out a takeout place, beat up Black Fox (wrong animal, lady) and stole everything they'd stolen. Except Felicia finds her faster than expected and whups her butt. 

Most of the issue is narrated as a journal entry Lily is writing, and the entry cuts off abruptly when Bruno and Doctor Korpse bust in unexpectedly. But Lily finished writing like two pages ago. Closed the journal and was laying there on her bed looking pleased with herself. So that didn't quite track. 

 

The big part of the issue is that Felicia encourages Lily to keep being a hero if that's what she really wants, and if she needs Felicia as a foil, then that's OK, too. The whole thing is presented as Lily only knowing enough about who she was before to hate that person, and wanting to be someone better and different. Felicia, having gone through that horribly conceived stretch where she tried to be a crime boss (thanks, Bendis and Slott, you putzes), and now getting back to what she does well (and what makes her a cool and fun character), gets that. 

I'm pretty sure that's the only time MacKay's referenced the whole "Queenpin" status quo. Hopefully it's the last time, but it fits in this situation. Felicia isn't the sort of character to judge someone else for deciding to do something dangerous and ill-advised with their life. It's not a great issue as a standalone, since Lily seems so obviously out of her league here. But as a breather between the magic-slinging madness from the previous three issues, and a return to the upcoming Big Heist, it works. Gives the comic a chance to re-center on what it's really been about.

What I Bought 3/2/2021 - Part 2

We've got two different books on their third issue today. One is still in its King in Black tie-ins, but the other has fully moved on to greener pastures.

The Union #3, by Paul Grist (writer), Andrea Di Vito (penciler), Le Beau Underwood (inker), Nolan Woodard (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - I went with the Dave Johnson variant cover, because it looked cooler.

The Choir went home, but made the mistake of stopping a robbery and getting noticed. Now she's vanished, and the annoying government guy is on Union Jack to go investigate. Complete with his new teammate, British Puck! I mean, Bulldog. Also, he has a red cross painted on his face, which should probably make me think Switzerland, but instead reminds me of that Crossed series thing Avatar publishes.

Snakes and Kelpie are there, because they and Choir had been keeping in touch, and there's a shapeshifter called, appropriately, Shifter. After a brief squabble, government guy allows himself to be taken hostage. but once they're in the car, it turns out he used to be a power-stealing villain called the Sponge. He weakens Shifter, then shoots him in the head, but pretends the guy committed suicide. Delightful. Couldn't just take away his healthcare? Anyway, he knows who's got Choir, so that'll be a thing for next issue. If Union Jack is going to get this team to rally around him, he's gonna have to get on with it.

I really wonder how differently this would read if Grist was doing the art as well. Because I read some of the dialogue, or caption boxes, or character names (the Sponge in particular), and I can picture it looking like Jack Staff, and it reads differently. Like how the captions would proclaim Jack Staff Britain's greatest hero, as he's busy getting his ass whooped or made to look like a chump. Like there's a sort of dry humor to it Di Vito's art isn't really suited to convey. I think Di Vito can do physical humor (there was a bit of that in the brief Dan Slott-penned The Thing series, Di Vito drew most of), but if Grist is being sly, the art is instead trying to make everything read straight.

 

When Union Jack's busy getting attacked by Bulldog, Selwyn mentions that apartments in Central Manchester don't come cheap, but then a later panel shows Jack's apartment is upstairs of a Tesco. That Jack's apartment is above a grocery store feels like a joke (shades of The Simpsons' Frank Grimes leaving above a bowling alley, and below another bowling alley), a nod that he's not getting much from the government to begin with. Maybe I'm misreading everything.

Black Cat #3, by Jed MacKay (writer), C.F. Villa (artist), Brian Reber (color artist), Ferran Delgado (letterer) - So many facets.

So Felicia grabbed that piece of the Yggdrasil Staff, and while her body tears up symbiote dragons out in the real world, the source of the magic is inside her head, making a sales pitch. While he first leads her down what Felicia dubs a 'trauma exhibition', Strange wakes up and is not happy at what he finds. Although the expression Villa gives him as the ghost dog relates the situation is hilarious. I cackled at it.

Seems Felicia has to put down the power willingly to get away from it, and if she doesn't, that will apparently be worse than the King in Black. Yeah, I could see how giving the 'raw power of creation' free reign could be bad. The magic makes its offer to Felicia: Everything she ever wanted. The deaths of all her enemies? Sure. All the wealth, everyone kneeling to her, her father alive and reunited with her mother? Absolutely. Every lover she ever lost back and entirely devoted to her? That's where she draws the line, using magic to make people love her. So she rejects it, breaks free of her mind. But she's still got a little of the power left, and she and Strange are going to have to fight some more dragons. That, thankfully, will take place in the main mini-series, so we don't have to waste any more time on symbiotes.

I feel like Felicia would have balked at the offer sooner. I understand it might have been as effective dramatically that way, but I look at that she's a thief. What she wants, she takes. Why would she want this magic source to just give her everything? If she really wants to get back at Fisk, or Eddie Brock, she'll find a way to do it herself. If she wanted all the wealth, she'd just steal it. The fun is in the getting, not the having.

 

But MacKay's had Felicia make reference to wondering if her crew actually like her, or if her mother even likes her, so I can see how the offer of all that affection would be both what the magic thinks is its trump card, and precisely where she won't go. Because it wouldn't answer the question of whether anyone actually likes her. Or, it would, be the answer would be, "No, because you used magic to make me like you."

We could probably have some fun with analyzing the locations Felicia and the magic have their discussions, but it feels like a big enough thing to save for its own post, whenever I find time to get to it. I do notice Villa doesn't really shift his art style for the paintings showing events from her past. His version of her being badly injured by Venom doesn't attempt to mimic MacFarlane's style, for example. Reber alters his shading on his colors so that everything's a little faded or hazy. Not duller, but softer maybe, less contrast than on present-day Felicia and the magic. Memory being unreliable, or just losing its impact with time, maybe.

What I Bought 1/20/2021 - Part 1

Only three comics so far this month, but I did manage to find all of them last week. I was even able to find the specific covers I wanted for the two where I had a preference. Take the small victories. Gonna look at the two mini-series today, save the one ongoing for Wednesday.

The Union #2, by Paul Grist (writer), Andrea Di Vito (penciler), Le Beau Underwood (inker), Nolan Woodward (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - If you're gonna kneel over someone's defeated body, you could at least look at them.

The remainder of the team's fight against the possessed guards ends quickly, and badly. The Choir gets possessed - because apparently sound isn't a problem for symbiotes anymore - and Union Jack gets decked. By the time he wakes up, the bad guys are off to the nearest town, wreaking havoc in an amusement park. The symbiotes are destroyed by Jack jamming a sword hooked to a generator into a bunch of water - because apparently symbiotes are vulnerable to electricity now, fantastic - recovering Choir and saving that particular, limited day.

Then the rest of the team tells Jack they're leaving, because they were only in it for Britannia, and they're not stoked about taking order from "Union Jack". To make matters worse, Jack learns that if he can't produce a team to lead, he's in violation of some contract he signed with the government, and he's going to jail. At least according to some shitbag PM that acts as liaison. I'd question how likely that is to happen - you just lost several more heroes, you want to throw one of the few you got left in the pokey - but given the whole Brexit thing, I'd say Britain's government doesn't deserve any more benefit of the doubt than the United States'.

Well, we got to see a little of what the new characters could do, which is something. And I do like the tension between Jack and the rest of the team. I'm curious though, if you took him out of the picture, would the other three get along, or are they only united in the face of the symbol of England? I don't have any idea how well Scotland, Ireland, or Wales work together when left to their devices.

 

I like The Choir's design, with the scarf across the lower half of her face, although I thought it was a little funny the symbiote even covered the scarf where it hangs off her. I guess that means you can't just grab it to try and swing her into a wall, but it seemed like overkill. Overkill, in a Marvel Event tie-in about symbiotes overtaking the world? The hell I say! I wish Kelpie had a look that suggested "water demon" more than generic spandex. I know she's supposed to look like a superhero, and something streamlined is probably smart for a water manipulator, but it's a little underwhelming compared to Choir and Snakes.

Iron Fist: Heart of Dragon #1, by Larry Hama (writer), David Wachter (artist), Neeraj Menon (color artist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - Aja can't keep a monthly schedule to save his life, but I like the guy's work.

Danny's Randall Gate has been modified by a guy named Fooh to be able to travel to the other Heavenly Cities, so they do a test run to the Under City and finding under attack from undead ninjas on horseback. Danny's asked to protect the dragon, and finds Taskmaster has killed it an stolen its heart. Now I like Taskmaster, but that seems. . . improbable. Him beating Danny and escaping, not nearly as improbable. Back in New York, Luke is babysitting the future Iron Fist, Pei, and a baby dragon (the one that so liked Felicia in that issue of Black Cat). Then Lady Bullseye shows up with more undead ninjas, but Iron Fist and Fooh's return makes her run. In the meantime, though, someone killed Tiger's Beautiful Daughter and her city's dragon, too. 

Why does Tiger's Beautiful Daughter seem to draw the short straw on this stuff? She was the one that Davos beat down, and now she's the one that gets killed. Let Dog Brother or Bride of Nine Spiders take turn. Or John Aman.

I'm not sure it isn't just Hama's writing, but Taskmaster seems off, in terms of dialogue. Oddly formal, even when he's boasting or talking trash. 'Might I remind you that I am fighting you to a standstill without the use of my left hand?' It makes me wonder about possession, but Luke also uses the word "obstreperous", which is not one I'd see him using casually with friends. More like something he'd use with someone who was talking down to him. But I'm not up on Luke Cage's current status, so who knows. It's fine, just odd. 

At any rate, I definitely appreciate that Hama just dives right in. Danny's gonna visit a city, oh crap, it's under attack! Dead dragon! Luke Cage punching undead ninjas! Shit's going down! Screw decompression and lots of build-up via talking! Larry Hama and David Wachter know you want to see action!

 

Wachter goes a little heavy with the extra lines on characters' faces and the shading, but overall, I like his work. There's a good flow in the action sequences, where you can read how one action leads into another, and it leads the eye across the page naturally. He took an intermediate approach on Danny's costume between the classic with the really high collar and the shirt open to the navel, and Aja's more streamlined version. It leans towards the classic look to be sure, but the v-neck isn't as deep, the collar's more restrained. 

I wish Menon would brighten the colors up a bit. Maybe in the Under City, which I'm guessing doesn't get much sun, it makes sense for things to be drab, even for a "heavenly" city. But back in New York, I feel like the colors could pop a little more.

Minor quibbles aside, I have a good feeling about this mini-series. Getting excited to see the rest of it.

What I Bought 12/18/2020 - Part 3

It's Christmas. I'm at my dad's, since it'll be just us and his dogs in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully you're able to be with someone you'd like to be around.

For today, we got a couple of first issues. That's good. They're both King in Black tie-ins. That's probably not good.

The Union #1, by Paul Grist (writer/penciler/inker), Andrea DeVito (penciler), Drew Geraci and Le Beau Underwood (inkers), Nolan Woodward (colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer) - What' Union Jack doing with Atomic Robo's revolver?

I would say it's an introduction to the team issue, but it's barely that. Most of it focuses on Union Jack trying to get some regular joe soldier guys through some sort of training exercise, except the team has taken most of them down already. There's a little bit of discussion after, some tension between the costumed types and the soldiers, some tension between Britannia and some stupid tech bro guy that's sponsoring/funding them, and then a symbiote dragon shows up, and Britannia gets impaled on its tail the same time she cut its head off.

I get the impression she'll be back shortly. Probably has a life-force tied to England and can't remain dead or something. But at this point I know Kelpie has some kind of water manipulation power, The Choir has something voice-based, and Snakes talks in diamond-shaped speech balloons. That's pretty much it. Why these characters, or anything else about them really, I don't know. I think there's a Paul Grist variant cover that provides a tiny bit more information, but you should probably try and do a little more in the first issue.

 

DeVito gets two different inkers, which I assume is because this was originally supposed to tie-in to Empyre, and they had to take out pages of invading plant-people and replace them with pages of invading symbiotes. There's a couple of spots where DeVito's work looks more like Tom Grummett's, especially in the faces, than I'm used to. I think Geraci and Underwood were lighter inkers than what I'm used to seeing on DeVito's work. Which would mostly be Annihilation and the Abnett/Lanning Nova series, where DeVito inked his own work.

It's pretty standard superhero comic art. Nothing really flashy about layouts or designs, very straightforward in that sense. But clean, easy to follow art. Gives you all the information it's supposed to (as far as I can tell). The dragon could probably stand to look weirder. It mostly just looks like it has really wrinkly skin from being in the tub too long. You'd think a symbiote-wearing dragon would look more monstrous.

Black Cat #1, by Jed MacKay (writer), C.F. Villa (artist), Brian Reber (color artist), Ferran Delgado (letterer) - The Villa variant cover was the only I could find that wasn't King in Black related, and actually emphasized what I'm buying the book for, Felicia stealing stuff.

Cat was going to rip off some guys who heisted an old SHIELD laundered cash location, but the symbiotes came crashing through the ceiling and ruined that. She reluctantly jumps in to help Captain America, and is feeling pretty good about their chances until she watches Dr. Strange get captured. Cap tells her to bail and get Strange back, and so that's what she's going to do. Steal him back from Knull with the help of her crew and some scientist guy I assume was part of Venom's supporting cast recently.

I wouldn't say much more happens in this issue than in The Union, but I think MacKay does a better job at least explaining who the doctor guy is and why Felicia is bothering to recruit him. And makes sure to make a nod towards the plotline left over from the last volume about her plan to rob the Thieves' Guild vault. Plus, this is at least a sort of tie-in that makes sense. The Black Cat isn't going to be on the front lines, she's going to be working behind the lines.

 

Like with DeVito, Villa doesn't do anything really outside the box or wildly creative. Again, though, the art is solid, clear, easy to follow. You can understand the story, and it looks nice enough. The expressions on Felicia's guys to her mission on the last page are pretty good. Villa's dragons are possibly even less distinctive than DeVito's. Basically just dragons that are all black, except the membrane for their wings, which is red. Occasionally in a close-up, you see tendrils and threads of the symbiote flicking around the dragons' mouths, but that's about it. It makes more sense, given the symbiotes usually are presented as becoming skin-tight outer coverings, with maybe a few tendrils, but it still feels like a letdown.

But I'd just as soon be done with the tie-ins as soon as possible, so as long as they get through them on time, that's fine with me.