http://www.afronerd.com/2016/10/three-weeks-of-books-not-so-quick.html

Three Weeks of Books. And I not even jumping into the books I got at the Con. That going to be Part 2!!!!

Kingsway West 2 by Greg Pak, Mirko Colak & Wil Quintana – Just when the story seemingly has a set narrative to slip into, Pak goes and flips my table over with the deeper introduction of two characters glimpsed in issue one. Meanwhile, Kingsway’s purpose and power(?) gets ever more shrouded in mystery because of that confrontation with constables. 

Rom 3 by Christos Gage, Chris Ryall & David Messina – The Wraiths are everywhere! For the humans realizing the truth for the first time, there’s not much time. Rom is literally surrounded by the enemy. Allusions to the IDW extended universe are made. And is there a cure for Wraith infection? A lot of ground covered here folks!

Horizon 3 by Brandon Thomas, Juan Cedeon & Frank Martin – So how many aliens are on Earth and to what extant is their presence is known? What happens when one gets caught? And what are Earth’s countermeasures? Some of the questions raised and (possibly) answered here as it is a great time for a jailbreak. 

Agents of Shield 9 by Marc Guggenheim, Ario Anindito & Rachelle Rosenberg -Peeps have asked how this book would work in relation to the show. Well best of both worlds here as Fitz exposed! Coulson on the run from Director Elektra (yes you read that right). An “old friend” returns and Deathlok has an extreme solution to save a teammates life. All this and Civil War too! Speaking of which…

Civil War II 5 by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez & Justin Ponsor -Yeah. You remember how Tony was in CW 1? How he went to a place that we said there was no clean redemption from? Well Carol has not only gone there but she has bought real estate. Meanwhile, book is a giant vs book as fights galore are happening between heroes. Then Ulysses happens. And well, one of my favs is now in the crosshairs. Well that last page combines with a statement from a book that follows so succinctly it scary…

Civil War Choosing Sides 6 – In the 1st story by Chelsea Cain, Alison Sampson & Jordan Bellaire, Tony enlists Jessica Jones to do some digging into Ulysses. And she does so in her own signature style. The 2nd story by Christina Strain & Sana Takeda convinced me that we so need White Fox to have more appearances it isn’t funny. Carol’s faction goes to Korea to recruit her and yeah, we get to see her powers. Finally in the 3rd story by DeClan Shalvey & Jordan Bellaire, the Nick Fury saga comes to a close…well as close to a close as any SHIELD story can I guess. What this means for the future is anyone’s guess…

Power Man Iron Fist 8 by David Walker, Sanford Greene, Flaviano & John Rauch contains two narratives leading from the same plot point as Danny’s doing detective work in prison along with his fellow unjustly locked up folks. Luke’s freaking out on the outside as is planning a breakout just as Captain Marvel comes a calling. Yeah. This one isn’t to be missed readers. 

Archie 12 by Mark Waid, Thomas Pitilli & Ryan Jampole – The fallout from Battle of the Bands strikes our major players/lovebirds/friends as cards are strewn all over the table. Another “major” event happens and Archie, well he’s Archie. Not a good time for Archie people. At all….

Justice League Darkseid War pt2 HC by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Francis Manapul, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oscar Jimenez, Paul Pelletier, Tony Kordos, Brad Anderson, Alex Sinclair & Brain Buccellato – The finale to the story (and New 52 Universe). Darkseid is dead. The heroes struggle controlling their newfound Godhood. Grail makes her move for power. The Anti-Monitor is changing. The Justice League is going to need help and it may come in the form of a baby?!?!? Yep. The universe is screwed. 

So as the Nu 52 Universe began, fans like me wondered where was the White Lantern a.k.a. Kyle Rayner. Well I got my answer in the critically acclaimed Omega Men TP by Tom King, Barnaby Bagenda, Toby Cypress, Ig Guara, Jose Marzan Jr., Romulo Fajardo Jr., Tomeu Morey & Hi-Fi. Embroiled in the midst of a Holy War/Galactic Confrontation, Kyle must go through trials and tribulations with/vs the outlaw group known as the Omega Man. Thought provoking in terms of social and philosophic interpretations as to what heroism is. After this, Tom King is a force to be reckoned with.

Surviving Megalopolis 6 by Gail Simone, Jim Calafiore & Jason Wright -So the second act is over….or is it? Insanity and mayhem reign as insane superheroes and supervillains clash with the all too human squad stuck in between. Survival is the goal but after you see how this goes down, it may not be an option for ANYONE.

Return to Astro City 39 by Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross, Carmen Carnero, & Peter Pantazis where we say hello to an old friend as Marta and the folks from the hill return to the spotlight. You know that also means the return of The Hanged Man. Just wait until you see how exactly. 

Deathstroke 3 by Christopher Priest, Joe Bennett & Jeromy Cox enters Rose Wilson into the equation as Deathstroke tries to unravel a mission entangled with echoes of his and Wintergreen’s history. The bar scene is deep with all the subtext that you love seeing from a suspense movie.

Titans 3 by Dan Abnett, Brett Booth & Andrew Dalhouse -The Wally all the time show continues as Kadabra presses the attack. Roy and Donna have a moment. We check in on Herald & Bumblebee, and Linda finds about how deep this rabbit hole gets. Now I’m going to need more character development here….

Wacky Raceland 4 by Ken Pontac, Leonando Manco & Mariana Sanzone -To say this series has been dark is an understatement. Well in this edition, there are more rules to the race than we thought. And we find this out during downtime in Vegas of all places! The cars have a moment that um ok I can’t explain without spoiling. And how well do we know these racers?

MASK Revolution 1 by Brandon Easton, Tony Vargas & Jordi Escuin -To respond to threats alien and weird, a special task force called the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand was formed. Unfortunately we only get glimpses of the key players/members as the book focuses on Mayhem and backroom deals tied to Revolution. Here’s hoping the regular 1 does better. 

You want fights? In Sam Wilson Captain America 13 by Nick Spencer & Jerome Acuna we get  Captain America vs USAgent. The city vs AmeriCops. Rage vs Sam. The clash of ideals vs reality continues in earnest here. And who’s side will Steve fall in with? Speaking of Rogers…

In Steve Rogers Captain America 5 by Nick Spencer, Javier Pina & Rachelle Rosenberg has…um…I know a lot of people hate the Hydra thing. Well if you didn’t like that you are REALLY going to hate this one! The Skull has wormed into every part of his past now. To the point where even if we get a clean resolution now, I think the Red Skull has won. 

Drax 11 by CM Punk, Cullen Bunn, Scott Hepburn & Antonio Fabela contains the final battle. A kid’s life and future hang in the balance. Drax still can’t take a joke and still has that bounty on him. And Terrax and Triple F are still farmers. Really? Glad to see we ending this one as weird as we began it. 

Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur 11 by Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare, Natacha Bustos & Tamra Bonvillain – Kid Kree thinks he’s the man with the plan. Lunella torn between anxiety and duty. Devil Dinosaur just wants to get some sleep. Things are either going from bad to worse or are getting better. And once you read you’ll see why it is an either or and not both. 

Ms. Marvel 11 by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Adrian Alphona & Ian Herring was Heartbreaking. Simply heartbreaking. Kamala is trying to save everything and everyone by herself and we readers know how well that usually goes. And still the biggest domino has yet to fall. The “talk” happens on the last couple of pages folks. Yeah. Not good. 

Things couldn’t get much worse for our hero in Nighthawk 5 by David F. Walker, Martin Morazzo & Tamra Bonvillain. He’s captured. Beaten up. Unmasked. In the presence of a lunatic. And while he’s so “occupied” the city is still a shooting gallery for gun runners. Good luck with this one Raymond. You’ll need it!

So you steal a star destroyer and didn’t think there would some sort of clapback? Star Wars 23 by Jason Aaron, Jorge Molina & Matt Milla focuses on the problems of maintaining a huge ship with a skeleton resistance crew. How Chewie hasn’t choked anyone out yet is a miracle. And as if that wasn’t a problem enough, remember that elite Stormtrooper Squad from a few issues back? Guess who just entered the fray… GL Rebellion because you are going to need it!

I told you that the last prediction in Civil War II #5 was going to have repercussions and in Thunderbolts 5 by Jim Zub, Jon Malin & Matt Yackey, Bucky decides to change the vision himself by eliminating the “threat”: Miles Morales. But what if in doing so, it threatens to reveal him or the team? Meanwhile, the rest of the ‘Bolts try to bond and well…this is the T-Bolts. Nothing goes easy….

Yeah I’m of two minds concerning Ultimates 11 by Al Ewing, Kenneth Rockafort, Djibail Morissette & Dan Brown. On one hand, Thanos’ plan starts to come clearer in focus and it revolves around Conner? Yeah. Not good. Then of course team takes on Thanos which, well you have to see this fight… Then comes the Civil War beats interwoven in this story which gets me to damn the delays in this project AGAIN! Two characters with beats in the main story come off WAY different here which is certainly oft-putting. It starting to remind me of Tony Stark’s depictions in the 1st Civil War changing with every book.

I got Bloodshot Reborn 17 & 18 by Jeff Lemire, Mico Suayan, Tomas Giorello, Diego Rodriguez & David Baron, capping off the Bloodshot Island Saga and starting up the new Bloodshot USA angle. Questions abound; Histories for each of the Bloodshots; Is Deathmate truly Kay? And Bloodhound being Bloodhound are ALL in play. Glorious, GLORIOUS chaos!

The investigation continues in Generation Zero 2 by Fred Van Lente, Francis Portela & Andrew Dalhouse. Keisha learns more about this team that she has requested help from and not all of it she likes. Questions about her family and friends abound as well as the mysterious Cornermen. Town just keep getting weirder….

So for some reason against my wishes I broke down and picked up Death of X 1 by Jeff Lemire, Charles Soule, Aaron Kuder & Morry Hollowell. Not that I have anything against the creators but the whole mutant situation and Marvel and Fox has left a sour taste in my love for anything X. Anyway, I went on a Twitter rant a week ago about my love and craving for a certain X-Character annnnnd now I wish I hadn’t. Sigh. The Inhuman-X-Men conflict has now begun with blood spilt, who will remain standing in the end?

Just when things couldn’t get more nuts in James Bond 007 Eidolon 10 by Warren Ellis, Jason Masters & Guy Major, Bond doesn’t know who to trust…and neither do his superiors. In the world of covert intelligence, trust issues and who’s watching your moves, the answers may be deadly if they are one and the same….

After all of that danger and death, I needed some fun. So I picked up Betty Boop 1 by Roger Langridge, Gisele Lagace & Victoria Robado for the new adventures of the animated heartwarmer. A home under siege, demonic pacts, and crazy fun saloon hijinks make for laugh out loud reading. A promising start for readers and Betty fans young and old….

Continuing in that vein of thought, I also picked up Archie Meets Ramones 1 by Alex Segura, Matthew Rosenberg, Gisele Lagace & Victoria Robado. The Archies are struggling in preparation for a Battle of the Bands and while in frustation, Archie receives a classic album from Sabrina. Time travel, classic punk pranks and “holy” locations are tied into the hijinks that  ensue. Still chuckling at the initiation scene….

I’m liking this fun tip so I carrying on with Goldie Vance 6 by Hope Larson, Brittney Williams & Sarah Stern. Goldie continues her investigation into not only the pretty astronaut but into her best friend. The more you think you know, the further you have to go and in this case, we going to a beauty pageant??? Hmmm….

The fallout from Civil War carries through as the major narrative in Champions 1 by Mark Waid, Humberto Ramos, & Edgar Delgado. Due to the actions of those they once admired, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man & Nova strike out on their own. AND they are looking for recruits. First up, the Totally Awesome Hulk. Social statements abound in this one through the lens of Mark Waid. Humberto Ramos drawing teens once again. This seems too good to be true…

So. Yeah. I hate the goat in Autumnlands 13 by Kurt Busiek, Benjamin Dewey & Jordie Bellaire. I mean he just essentially c***blocked the crew AND turned the stone/mechanical babes psychotic. More mysteries appear to our heroes in the form of another “goddess” and well the last 4 pages had me scratching my head once again…

I’m ready for the mashups and some are more classic than possible. The first story in Future Quest 5 by Jeff Parker, Doc Shaner, & Hi-Fi sees the Agents of FEAR stage an attack on the gathered heroic forces. Speaking of which, a new hero gets born…The second story by Jeff Parker, Craig Rousseau & Jeremy Lawson involves the origin of The Impossibles and how it is tied to the current predicament. Plus, a new member for the team?

Divinity 2 TP by Matt Kindt, Trevor Hairsine & David Baron shows another cosmonaut survived the phenomena that change Abram into a near god and unfortunately she’s a diehard communist. So imagine her surprise at current Russia’s situation. Yep. The Earth might be totally screwed here in the long run but it is a beautiful descent!

Clean Room 12 by Gail Simone, Jon Davis-Hunt & Quinton Winter – ok just when I thought I was ready for whatever shock Madame Simone had planned for me, um. Yeah another last page nightmare vision folks! So Mr. Davis-Hunt is leaving after this issue of rampaging demons, fights and weird flashbacks. Way to set the bar high for the next artist Sir!

Flintstones 4 by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh & Chris Chuckry – the satire slaughter continues as for the first time marriage between a man and woman is proposed. You just have to read this one because wow. Just wow. The team is trying to get this book banned somewhere and I’m left laughing at the overt and clever subversion. 

Squadron Supreme 12 by James Robinson, Leonard Kirk, & Chris Sotomayor – Warrior Women clash!!! Thundra and Blur captured! Spectrum and Hyperion intangible and well you’ll see where they have ended up. Remember time is cyclical and everything evens out in the end. Or so I believe. 

Black 1 by Kwanza Osajyefo, Tim Smith 3, Khary Randolph & Jamal Igle – I boasted hard about this creation. Put my money where my mouth was and backed the Kickstarter. Take a core concept of X-Men. Cross that with current events involving police. Then strain it through the lenses of Alphas and Cleverman and we MIGHT get this. I’m just geeking out to hold a physical copy in my hand but there might not be a more personally relevant book on the stands to me right now. 

Part 1 in the books. Until Next Time, Keep Fantasizing!!!