Friday, November 2, 2018

Not-Very-New Comics: The September 12 Everyone-but-Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

The New World #3:  I don't have a ton to say about this series at this point, other than it's a trippy combination of art and words that seems to be telling a larger story than the art and words imply.  I don't know how it is, but it is.  On the face of it, it's about Stella trying to flee her oppressive grandfather and his use of her to advance the police state he rules, but she won't flee without her cat.  Her priorities are in the right place, I say.

Oblivion Song #7:  I am not a fan of stories where the author drags out "the secret" as long as s/he possibly can, so I'm thrilled Kirkman gets right to the heart of the matter here.  Nathan confirms what we already mostly know or suspect.  He and a team of researchers and scientist at a think tank activated a device that caused the Transference.  All but one of the team is killed in the first few moments.  While Katherine (the other surviving member) works on a way to reactivate the device, Nathan gathers batteries.  Katherine sacrifices herself to turn on the device, but it only has enough juice -- as originally should've been the case -- to send back Nathan.  He explains why it became his life's work to correct his wrong.  Although disgusted, Director Ward keeps Nathan in prison partly to save him and partly because he wants to provide the device to the Defense Department to use as a weapon.  Meanwhile, Heather tells Nathan he's right when he says to her that he should've told her sooner, because she understands now just how much of a hero she is.  She gives him two darts:  one to send him to Oblivion and one for him to return.  Kirkman does a great job of building the suspense throughout the issue as we watch a still-stranded Ed try to grapple with his new reality.  I can't imagine Ed's wife is going to be thrilled to see Nathan return without Ed.  At this stage, the only mystery on the books is why the energy field on the other side of the dimensional door amplified the device the way it did, but I have confidence Kirkman will get there sooner rather than later.

The Wild Storm:  Michael Cray #11:  Honestly, I've kind of lost the thread here.  I keep confusing Dion with Diana Prince, and I'm not really sure why Constantine and Diana "need" Cray at this point.  If Constantine just needs access Diana's energy grid to summon whatever demon he wants to summon, can't he get that access without Cray?  Hill seems to be writing for the trade at this point.  Ellis has done an amazing job somehow keeping us in touch with the overarching story with each new issue of "The Wild Storm."  Hill seems to have given up trying to do so, and it's a shame.  I don't really get why we deviated so much from the series' original premise of Cray hunting down this Earth's versions of DC's heroes with his untrusty band of sidekicks.  Instead Hill has killed off his supporting cast and we're mired in a story that Hill seems unlikely to conclude nicely in his one remaining issue.  I guess we'll see.

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