You wait all year for an Irregular Reconnaissance of comic books and then two come along in the space of the week. Actually, this issue is effectively part two of IR: Comics #6 so there’s no overlap.
Let’s talk comic books. What would you recommend? What series needs to be checked out and read by everyone you know? Equally, what’s gone off the boil? Is there a series in which you want to say “It’s not just you” to former fans who’ve wondered what’s gone wrong?
The Maxx
Episodes 1 to 2 (Comixology | TFAW)
Woo-hoo, I say; woo-hoo. I’m not normally one to re-read or re-watch things. If I’ve seen a movie I don’t need to see it again for a long time. If I’ve read the book then I tend to watch the movie to see how it’ll differ. The Maxx is different. I’ve a copy on VHS. It’s a rare treasure. It’s incomplete too. MTV had to cut big chunks out of it to make it fit on tape.
I dived onto The Maxx when the comic book appeared. I’m two books in and it has been everything I could have hoped for. It’s so similar, it’s the same style, the same Maxx and characters. There are some wonderful small differences too. There’s extra attention to detail, little bonus quirks and the overall experience is greatly improved.
I’m so pleased with this series I live in fear of the quality slipping or some dramatic turn I wasn’t expecting and didn’t want.
Status: Lovin’ it.
Trinity of Sin: Pandora
Episodes 5 to 7 (Comixology | TFAW)
It’s odd that the teasers for the Trinity War brought me to Pandora. I’m enjoying Pandora more than I enjoyed that plot. Pandora’s Box did unleash evils – well, disappointment at least. That means this Pandora finds herself in a very different world and with a very different worldview.
Since the box opened again, so to speak, Pandora has essentially been a frontline force of Justice League Dark and a powerful member. She hardly ever whines. She gets things done. She’s got a bone to pick. What’s not to like?
I tell you what. I do worry about the future. After all; once the current drama is sorted and the Blight is dealt with – what’s left for Pandora?
Status: Improving, now worrying about what happens next
Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger
Episodes 13 to 16 (Comixology | TFAW)
Reading Justice League Dark and Pandora has dragged me into reading The Phantom Stranger. I don’t have to keep reading his plot line but I do. It works for me. A bit like Pandora, The Phantom Stranger is currently acting as a member of Justice League Dark and a powerful one too.
The plight of the Stranger is very closely related to that of the Blight. In fact, it’s hard to imagine the Blight story line making any sense or working half as well without him.
The catch? I’m new to The Phantom Stranger. This is the plot that’s defining him for me. We’ve briefly encountered names like the Sin Eater to me but they barely have any meaning.
Status: Enjoying it right now, concerned my interest will drop as the Forever Evil drama winds down
Constantine
Episode 10 (Comixology | TFAW)
I grumped about Constantine in IR #2: Comics. I don’t really want to be following the adventures of the uncharismatic anti-hero but I have to in order to make sense of Justice League Dark.
The good news is that Constantine #10, a crossover plot issue, is better than #5. This issue wasn’t such a bore.
Status: Trying to avoid. He should be a good character and it’s frustrating the conman vibe is failing so badly
Justice League Dark
Episodes 25 to 27 (Comixology | TFAW)
I’m glad I stuck with this one. It seemed I was getting closer and closer to dropping this from my reading and it was only the feeling that I should read a DC title, a Justice League title, that kept me going.
The Blight plot line is a clever way to tuck big events into the Forever Evil drama in a way that the capes wouldn’t notice and yet keep the mystics busy. What’s more; the current Justice League Dark feel more like a “Justice League” and rather more dark than the previous attempts. I think this even includes Nightmare Nurse. That’s a character I keep on meaning to look up on Wikipedia and never seem to get around to doing.
Let’s hope this style of Justice League Dark can continue as Forever Evil ramps down.
Status: Surprisingly happy, still reading
Green Lantern
Episodes 26 to 28 (Comixology | TFAW)
I’m struggling to keep up a little here. I liked how the Green Lanterns were flung from emergency to emergency after the Third Army and First Lantern (though I found both of those threats a little disapppointing). I’m following the next in the storyline path as well as I can in Comixology rather than just reading this core Green Lantern title and yet I managed to miss one of the human Green Lanterns going over to the Red side of the emotional spectrum.
Maybe I missed one of those little editor notes.
I started to read Green Lantern to follow Simon Baz. I’m not sure whether I’m in the right series now or whether Simon Baz has a dedicated plot all to himself.
Status: Sticking with it for now but concerns rising
Samurai Jack
Episodes 2 to 4 (Comixology | TFAW)
Yes. Samurai Jack started strong… and has kept going.
The most important thing about this comic book is that it feels like Samurai Jack. It’s drawn like Jack, plotted like Jack and told like Jack. We’re enjoying episode adventures where Jack’s outlook and skills are exactly the tonic to solving the problem at hand.
Any concerns? Not really. I accept that it doesn’t have the same drama as the TV, despite the cleverly drawn fights simply because it doesn’t have motion. On the other hand I can see how Jim Zub can inject something of a story arc that’ll be fun to follow, get us interested in what happens next without messing up the adventures of the foolish samurai warrior.
Status: Recommended
