Recipe for 1/3/18
Pick of the Week:
Birthright #3 revealed exactly why Mikey made his choice to throw away his quest. The slightly unsettling thing about this issue is how gray Lore appears, he does not behave like the infamous and vile tyrant that needs to be vanquished. He was something more cunning, he showed the chosen one the damage his quest wreaked on his family. His parents are at each other’s throat, his older brother is burdened with guilt/loss, and his father is flirting with suicide as a mean to escape the pain. The one boon of this entire ordeal has been the repairing of the Rhodes’ marriage. To see Wendy tender and loving to Aaron after that period of distrust/hatred/anguish. Bressan and Lucas deserves accolades for the bang up job they have been doing. That temple towards the end was breathtaking.
Black Bolt #9 had so much emotion and a sense of closure. Titania finally found out what happened to her beloved husband, Carl “Crusher” Creel, and learned that he died a hero. Her pain was tangible and permeated the pages (props to Ward for being able to convey this). I also love how Ahmed continued the process of making Titania a gray and complicated character. I loved how his death earned him the respect of his allies and enemies. For the Odinson & Captain America to even attend his funeral showed what type of men they truly are.
Worthy Mentions:
Astonishing X-Men #7 features the return of a classic X-Men villain (which makes sense since he is an energy being & energy cannot be destroyed). Fortunately the X-Men have members that wield his weakness assembled. I am not sure how I feel about X and I wonder how long before he is crippled.
Captain America #697 continues to be the perfect palate cleanser from the previous run and Hydra Cap Mega Event. It was a pretty straight forward Kraven story featuring Cap as the prey.
Extremity #10 revealed what Shiloh truly is much to his own horror and the shock of Rollo. I am glad that Thea was able to pull herself out of the darkness she was stuck in
Guardians of the Galaxy #150 features the return of HIM aka Adam Warlock and an unexpected appearance of Kang. It’s almost painful to see the downgraded Nova Corps and Raptors, they seem more like warring LARP factions than interstellar police forces. I thought the ending with Drax was an awesome development. I am surprised that the Skrulls are still around and are scheming to reestablish themselves. It would be cool if they could acquire the Reality Gem and restore their planet/race.
Rise of the Black Panther #1 retold the story of T’Chaka’s reign and his dealings with Captain America. I had no idea that T’Challa’s mother had died shortly after giving birth to him
Superman #38 pleased me that Future Tim was able to redeem himself in death and prevent a future disaster. There’s something cool about the Future League using Tim’s hand to ride through Hypertime and emerge in the present.
The Meh Pile:
Many books were extra meh but nothing worth burning or mentioning.
This review was written in partnership with Pop Culture Network. They can be found on their website: www.popculturenetwork.com
