Iceman #3: I really, really want to like this series, but, OMG, the art is so bad. It's hard to get past it. Grace does a great job of showing Bobby trying to be real with his parents in anticipation of telling them he's gay. He even gives us insight into why Bobby uses humor to deflect emotions, as his parents do the same thing during their ill-fated dinner. Actually, it's less "humor" and more "bitchiness." In that way, we get a good sense why Bobby is apprehensive about telling them the truth. But, Grace opens a door here as his mother admits they're not giving him a fair shot. In fact, I thought Grace does a great job of using mutants as a parallel for gays when he has Bobby's mother mention that society might be totally fine with mutants (gays) now, but it wasn't for a long time. They're having a hard time making that switch, and, frankly, I am, too (but from the other side, obviously). But, the art distracts from the story Grace is telling. It's almost like Vitti has been possessed by Rob Liefeld, with random lines populating all his figures. These sort of solo X-Men series don't typically last long, and I just hope they smooth out the art problems to give Grace some space to tell the story he wants to tell.
Spider-Gwen #22: After convincing Kitty to stop Logan from killing Harry, Gwen calls Reed to get a second opinion on whether the Lizard/Venom switcheroo will work. But, she's really calling for moral support, and Reed does her a solid by not giving it to her. She's convinced she's saving Harry, but Reed asks her what she really expects to happen here. It's not like Harry can just live a normal life once he's divested of his Lizard persona; he's made mistakes for which he'll have to pay. Moreover, he reminds Gwen she had numerous other options -- hiring a lawyer, calling in Captain America -- other than aligning aligning herself with the Kingpin. Left unsaid, Reed is basically saying Gwen is doing what suits her interests, getting back her powers and freeing her father. She's not really saving Harry for his sake; as we said, Harry is unlikely to walk into the sunset when he's cured. But, Gwen does it anyway, essentially proving Reed's point. I really have to give Latour credit here for allowing Gwen to be so morally ambiguous. It's a difficult road to hoe, but he really nails the landing (to mix metaphors) here.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #10: Gillen continues to remind us that somewhere under that tough exterior Aphra still seeks a certain level of approval. We saw her disappointment when Luke made it clear at the end of the "Screaming Citadel" arc that he couldn't forgive her for using him to get answers about Rur, and here Aphra selects a lower offer for Rur because the Shadow University promises to keep evidence of her cheating buried (allowing her to keep her doctorate) and even allow her access to Rur. Now she just has to survive Rur itself!
Also Read: Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #5
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