Assorted Crisis Events, Volume 1

Assorted Crisis Events is an anthology series where each issue is done by the same creative team. This volume collects the first five issues of the series, five tales that follow different characters in different circumstances. The only thing these stories have in common is that they deal with time travel and one grand temporal disturbance. There is a mysterious figure in each story, a bearded man with a jet pack, but he's never around long, and what his role is, if he even has one, in this series is not revealed.

The first tale is about a woman who lives in a run-down building frequently used to fill disaster movies; the second about a man unstuck in time catching various glimpses of his life, Billy Pilgrim-style: from his family immigrating to the US, to working in a slaughterhouse, to episodes of family drama, to dinosaurs materializing and attacking. The third tale is about two cities from parallel universes coming together; the fourth about a man who speeds through his own life, seemingly never making decisions and just hurtling forward toward death. The fifth story is about a woman who is stuck in a time loop where she continually re-experiences a trauma event.

These stories are all morality plays of a sort, in the mold of very specific Twilight Zone episodes. They work because they tend to be instantly compelling, the twists are well executed, plus the artwork is simply incredible. The amount of detail, strategic coloring, and page layouts make for some innovative comics reading. I appreciate just how much work goes into visual displays that take advantage of how the passage of time can be throttled, warped, and communicated via comics. I prefer some of the stories to others, but I feel that they are all strong. And I am interested to see if any sense of continuity develops as the series goes on.

Assorted Crisis Events was written by Deniz Camp, drawn by Eric Zawadzki, and colored by Jordie Bellaire. Camp is one of the hottest writers in comics right now, having worked on the acclaimed series Ultimates for Marvel and Absolute Martian Manhunter for DC. Zawadzki has worked on a number of comics series, including the House of El trilogy for DC and Heart Attack for Skybound. Bellaire is an Eisner Award-winning colorist and writer who has worked on many series for multiple publishers. There are multiple interviews with the makers of this series listed here.

All of the reviews I have read about this book celebrate its merits. Matt Reads Comics called it "a must-read series." Evan gushed in his spoiler-filled review, "Overall, this might be one of the best comics I’ve ever read." Brian Nicholson was lukewarm on the series for reasons related to contemporary comics publishing, but he also noted, "The abundance of craft and intellect on display makes me hope it could open up and move beyond the closed-off system of thought that defines it currently."

Assorted Crisis Events, Volume 1 was published by Image Comics and they offer more info about it here. This series is intended for mature readers, and it is ongoing, currently up to issue 8.

Absolute Wonder Woman, Volume 1: The Last Amazon

DC Comics made a big splash last year with the launch of their Absolute series, which feature re-imaginings of some of their most prominent characters. I recently read this first volume of Absolute Wonder Woman, published this year and collecting the first seven issues, and it is fantastic. Here, the Amazon princess's origin is transformed so that she is the last Amazon, brought as a child to Hell by Apollo and left in the care of the witch Circe. From this unlikely start, Diana grows up to become strong and well-versed in magical arts and eventually goes to the surface world. Arriving in Gateway City, she takes on the vanguard of a series of monsters determined to destroy humanity. Armed with her magic lasso and a giant sword, riding a resurrected, skeletal Pegasus, she cuts an impressive figure.

This book depicts her heroism in many different ways, and I love how it comes from a very different place than the original character but still captures the spirit of her strength, valor, and compassion in a fresh and powerful way. The intricate storytelling is perfectly matched by incredible artwork, which depicts the infernal realms, gruesome monsters, and emotional moments with equal finesse and impact. The action and the stakes here are epic, and the artwork amplifies this aspect of the story with its pacing and grad storytelling. Also, I very much enjoyed these versions of WW's supporting cast, such as Etta Candy, Steve Trevor, and Barbara Minerva. I am very excited to see where this series goes from here.

The main creators in this volume are writer Kelly Thompson, artist Hayden Sherman, and colorist Jordie Bellaire, with the last two chapters drawn by guest artist Mattia De Iulis. Thompson has become a comics veteran with impressive runs on Jem, Marvel Comics' Captain Marvel and Hawkeye, and DC Comics' Birds of Prey. Sherman has drawn a wide range of titles from a variety of publishers. Bellaire has won Eisner and Ringo Awards for her coloring work on a number of books. De Iulis has drawn a few books for Marvel Comics and also collaborated with Thompson on the series The Cull from Image Comics. Thompson and Sherman speak about their work on Absolute Wonder Woman in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Tegan O'Neil called it "a miracle of a book." The reviewer at Short Boxes and Slabs wrote, "What works, I believe, is this: the creative team didn’t just pick up the familiar character and tweak a detail — they re-imagined the foundation, then built a story on that new foundation." You can also read a range of reviews of this book at the League of Comic Geeks.

Absolute Wonder Woman, Volume 1 was published by DC Comics, and they offer more information about it here.

The Banks

Way back when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the country, the comic book industry shut down for a couple of months. In that time, the publisher TKO ran an initiative to both sell their books and also pay a portion from each sale to local comic book stores. That's when I got this book. 

 

I am sucker for a well-done heist story, and The Banks is exactly that, with an intriguing twist. The thieves in this story are a grandmother/mother/daughter team who operate in Chicago, three generations brought together by the family business. This is not to say that all goes smoothly. The youngest and oldest members of the team especially rub each other the wrong way, with constant posturing and calling into question each others' integrity/commitment to the task at hand. 

The Banks themselves are some interesting characters, and much of this book works because they are so compelling. The oldest member of the team, Clara, got her start in the early 1970s, and the flashbacks into her past are great period pieces that look cool and also inform the plot/characters in definite ways. In the present, these women are very selective of their jobs, and they only work with lots of planning and an intention to act as modern-day Robin Hoods. 

The granddaughter, Celia, lives the high-stress and privileged life of an investment banker (a legitimate sort of thief), but when she gets a lead on a high-roller who seems a great target she presents the case to her mom and grandmother. While they are doing their homework, they find they might have the opportunity to avenge Clara's husband, Melvin Banks, which makes this job inevitable for them. In addition to all these goings-on, there is also a hotshot detective who is onto the team of thieves, and she would just love to make her career by taking them down.

As I said, the characters make this book unique, but what makes it work so well is taut plotting replete with great twists and a huge cliffhanger at the end of each chapter. The action is excellently paced and plotted. I just had to finish reading this book once I got started. The artwork is very lively, especially in the flashbacks, conveying emotion and affect even in its more dialogue-heavy sections. I highly recommend this book for any fans of heist/noir stories.

This book was a collaboration between high-profile, accomplished creators, including best-selling author Roxane Gay, illustrator Ming Doyle, and colorist Jordie Bellaire. Gay is best known for her novel Hunger, and has a slew of other publications. Doyle is best known for her work on the series Mara and The Kitchen. Bellaire is a multiple Eisner Award winner with too many credits for me to list here.

All of the reviews I've read about this book have been positive. Caitlin Rosberg called it "an engrossing, interesting read and would pair perfectly with last year’s film Widows for a celebration of unexpectedly emotional female-focused heists." Matt O'Keefe wrote, "Unlike most heist stories, the plot isn’t the central element, the characters are. The comic will ultimately be remembered for its three leading ladies, the lessons they learned, and what readers themselves can take away from the series." LaNeysha Campbell called it "a great graphic novel that also makes a refreshing addition to the heist genre."

The Banks was published by TKO, and they have a preview and much more available here. There is some profanity, violence, and sexuality in this book, so it is recommended for more mature readers. A film adaptation is in the works.

The Stone Heart

The Stone Heart is the second book in the eventual The Nameless City trilogy, and I know that second books can often feel like filler to get through before the dramatic conclusion, but this one left me breathless. So much happens in it that kept me wondering what was to come next that I really don't want to give much detail and spoil things for others. Let me just say that the political scheming gets complicated, there is a murder, and a new war for the city seems to be looming.

Pretty much the detail I will reveal is that a couple of new characters get introduced, friends of Rat. Iniko and Hannya are a couple of street performers. Iniko plays guitar (badly) in a band, and Hannya and her family are acrobats. They are not around for much of the book, but because of them we learn that Kai is pretty good as a musician.

 

Part of what makes this book so compelling is its interesting characters and their relationship dynamics. There are a couple of father/son conflicts, between Kai and his dad as well as between the General of All Blades and his son Erzi, which make for good points of juxtaposition. Also, we learn more about Kai's and Rat's parents. Still with all of this great character work, there is no shortage of action in this book. I cannot wait to see how all of it comes to a conclusion in the next volume.

This book's author Faith Erin Hicks has been an excellent, prolific comics creator, and she is one of my favorite artists. Among her growing list of graphic novel publications are Friends with Boys, Brain Camp, and Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong. She also has published webcomics, including The Adventures of Superhero Girl, which won an Eisner Award. She was joined by Jordie Bellaire who colored this book in beautiful fashion, adding lots of rich, lush flourishes to the detailed illustrations. Hicks speaks about her work on this book in this interview, where it is also announced that this trilogy will be made into a cartoon series.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been glowing. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review and explained that it "introduces a few new characters but mostly provides a vital and enthralling closer look at those readers have already met as well as unfurling more of the Chinese-inspired city’s past, as colorist Bellaire brings all to stunning emotional life." Elizabeth Reid wrote that in addition to "its page-turning plot, every page of The Stone Heart has gorgeous, full-color artwork." Oliver Sava commented that it is full of "smart, evocative creative decisions."

The Stone Heart was published by First Second, and they have a preview and much more available here.

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

Vision

I read a lot of comics over the course of a year, and I do read a bunch of superhero ones, too, though I rarely review them here. For this book, I will make an exception. Vision is a recently completed 12-issue series collected into two trade paperbacks. The main character is The Vision, a synthezoid with incredible powers originally created to destroy The Avengers. Now this character has existed for decades and has a very convoluted history, and this series takes it all into account while telling an original, streamlined, and compelling tale. Also, impressively, I feel like it is still completely accessible for someone who is new to the character.

In response to all that has happened to him in the past, Vision decides to literally make a family and move to the suburbs. He synthesizes a wife (Virginia), two children (Viv and Vin), and a dog, and moves to Arlington, Virginia just outside of Washington DC. There, they try to fit in, doing normal things like going to work, keeping a house, and sending their kids to school.

Of course, nothing can ever be normal and things get strange. Villains and shades from the past creep into the present, and there are a few shocking developments that turn into murders. All of these twists and turns seem part of a standard superhero yarn but here are all turned on their heads, put into a much different context, which makes the story so much more interesting, horrifying, and affecting. No matter what is happening in these books, the events are filtered through the reactions and sensibilities of this family, and they are surprisingly well-realized, complicated characters. Their wants, needs, and personalities take center stage and elevate the narrative tremendously. These books are some exceptionally well composed, both in terms of the story and the artwork, with cliffhangers and revelations that hit with great impact.

This series was created by Tom King, a comics writer who has since signed on exclusively to DC Comics, and Gabriel H. Walta, who has drawn a good number of comics for Marvel. Jordie Bellaire colored the entire series, which looks beautifully dark and muted for the most part, though the constant repetition of reds and greens creates an otherworldly tone. Artist Michael Walsh also drew one of the chapters. King speaks more about his view of this series in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read of these books have been full of praise. Rich Johnson piled on some hyperbole, called the series "Marvel’s Watchmen." James Whitbrook wrote, "That complete tonal difference, and the way it holds up a subversive mirror to everything The Vision has been about as a character for years, is what makes The Vision unlike anything we’ve seen from Marvel in such a long time." Laura Sneddon summed up, "Overall, this is an unexpected modern classic from Marvel, and unquestionably their greatest comic this year."

Vision was published by Marvel Comics and they have more info about the entire series and these collections here.

Plutona

Plutona has a pretty simple set-up: It is about five young people who happen upon the dead body of their city's greatest superheroine in the woods. So, in a way it is like a bizarro version of Stand By Me, but like that movie what really makes this narrative hum is the synergy between its protagonists. The superhero elements are the backdrop, and the human drama takes center stage. The players here are a motley bunch, starting with goody-goody superhero fanboy Teddy,

trying to be cool Diane,

proto-juvenile delinquent Ray,

tough-girl Mie, and her little brother Mike (who constantly annoys her):

Of course there is a bunch of in-fighting between these kids, but what transpires crosses over into surprisingly dark territory. There are lies and betrayals aplenty, and alliances and relationships form, shift, and morph in almost unrecognizable ways. This book is much more about identity and finding one's place in the world than it is about a murder mystery. And I found the characters and constant twists highly satisfying, because the characters were so well-defined and the plot was so compellingly complex.

Part of what makes this book work so well is that it looks very cartoony and bright, which juxtaposes very well with the darkness and seriousness of the plot. Writer Jeff Lemire and artists Emi Lenox and Jordie Bellaire have collaborated in excellent fashion, and this tale is simply masterful. Lemire has a laundry list of comics credits for all sorts of genres at all sorts of publishers. Lenox is a relative newcomer, and Bellaire is the reigning Eisner Award winner for Best Colorist. Lemire and Lenox speak about their work on the book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been full of praise. Doug Zawisza wrote, "I was ready to dismiss "'Plutona" #1 as "Stand By Me" meets super heroes, but Lemire, Lenox, Bellaire and Wands bring along a balanced cast and fun, lively art." Paul Bowler wrote that it is "one of those new comic book series that arrives like a bolt from the blue, capturing the imagination and completely blowing you away with its thoughtful premise, great writing, and beautiful artwork." Caitlin Rosberg called it "a mystery worth waiting for."

Plutona was originally published as a 5-issue limited series. This collection was published by Image Comics, and they have a preview and more information available here.