rainwaterspark (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rainwaterspark) wrote2014-10-02 12:00 am
rainwaterspark) wrote2014-10-02 12:00 am
Entry tags:
Comics talk
Thor #1
So weirdly enough, the new Thor doesn't appear until the last two pages of the issue. Also, apparently new Thor's identity is going to be very much a carrot on a stick for readers, since they're keeping everything under wraps. (I guess logically she's Asgardian, since she appeared on the Asgardian moon...)
I also thought Thor Odinson's losing of his arm was kind of gratuitously grimdark. As though he wasn't angsty enough already.
Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier #1
Uuuuhhhh.
For anyone who's been following my blog for the past few months or so, you probably know by now that I'm a huge fan of Captain America and also Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier. I was excited when I heard he'd have a new ongoing series, but when I read the synopsis and saw the preview pages, I became kind of worried, because it did not sound like something I'd like.
The first issue was not something I liked.
The art was unique, but I also found it confusing as hell to follow. Normally I love creative paneling--I swoon over pages drawn by J. H. Williams III or Francis Manapul--but I was pretty lost in terms of figuring out which speech bubble to read next and just generally what was going on in this issue. The colors were very saturated and juxtaposed with black, without many shades in between, so sometimes it was really hard for me to figure out what was going on visually.
From the beginning, I wasn't a fan of the idea of Bucky Barnes in space, and I'm still not a fan of it. It just seems...weird, considering he's a character who's so grounded in Earth history and contemporary issues. I also don't really like the idea of Bucky becoming the "man on the wall" who decides to murder threats before they can become threats. Without much other context, it seems like a strange direction for his character to go. I mean, yes, even after Bucky got his memories back, he wasn't afraid to kill people. But (or so it seemed to me) he was clearly a lot more cautious about it, only attacking people who attacked him or were doing bad things. The idea of Bucky preemptively killing just seems...really...odd, and extremely ethically dubious.
(The only way I could see it making sense was if Bucky's still dealing with PTSD/mental health issues and is kind of defaulting to violence because he doesn't know what else to do. But I mean...even though he lost Natasha, he still has Steve and Sam and other friends who can keep him grounded...right?? I don't know anymore...)
Also, the idea of killing a leader to enforce democracy on an entire planet? That's so American (in a bad way) it hurts.
I'll keep reading this series, but it's definitely in my WDIRT (Why Do I Read This) pile.
Grayson #3
This series has been...more intriguing than I thought it'd be.
I did like the way this issue examined Dick's issue with guns, and how despite all the pressure other characters give him, he really does find a way to solve a problem without guns/killing, plus how the use of guns in the end made everything unnecessarily tragic.
-
Other general comics thoughts:
Elektra
A few words: WTF is going on? I'm sorry, not even the lovely art and W. Haden Blackman's writing can win me over when I've lost track of what is happening between issues. And since when was Kento telepathic???
The Wicked + the Divine
I swear I read this just because I'm a masochist. I really was not a fan of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's work on Young Avengers, so...clearly, it makes sense that I'm reading this series... Anyway, to sum up my main issues: whitewashed Amaterasu; main character with no personality beyond fan of the gods; the comic is not at all asexual-friendly; the events seem really random.
-
Currently reading:
DC: Earth 2, Aquaman, The Flash, Grayson, Batwoman, Teen Titans, Swamp Thing
Adding: Earth 2 weekly (Oct), Secret Six (Dec)
Marvel: Ms. Marvel, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Thor
-
WDIRT (why do I read this) pile: The Wicked + the Divine, Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier, Elektra, Spider-Man 2099
So weirdly enough, the new Thor doesn't appear until the last two pages of the issue. Also, apparently new Thor's identity is going to be very much a carrot on a stick for readers, since they're keeping everything under wraps. (I guess logically she's Asgardian, since she appeared on the Asgardian moon...)
I also thought Thor Odinson's losing of his arm was kind of gratuitously grimdark. As though he wasn't angsty enough already.
Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier #1
Uuuuhhhh.
For anyone who's been following my blog for the past few months or so, you probably know by now that I'm a huge fan of Captain America and also Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier. I was excited when I heard he'd have a new ongoing series, but when I read the synopsis and saw the preview pages, I became kind of worried, because it did not sound like something I'd like.
The first issue was not something I liked.
The art was unique, but I also found it confusing as hell to follow. Normally I love creative paneling--I swoon over pages drawn by J. H. Williams III or Francis Manapul--but I was pretty lost in terms of figuring out which speech bubble to read next and just generally what was going on in this issue. The colors were very saturated and juxtaposed with black, without many shades in between, so sometimes it was really hard for me to figure out what was going on visually.
From the beginning, I wasn't a fan of the idea of Bucky Barnes in space, and I'm still not a fan of it. It just seems...weird, considering he's a character who's so grounded in Earth history and contemporary issues. I also don't really like the idea of Bucky becoming the "man on the wall" who decides to murder threats before they can become threats. Without much other context, it seems like a strange direction for his character to go. I mean, yes, even after Bucky got his memories back, he wasn't afraid to kill people. But (or so it seemed to me) he was clearly a lot more cautious about it, only attacking people who attacked him or were doing bad things. The idea of Bucky preemptively killing just seems...really...odd, and extremely ethically dubious.
(The only way I could see it making sense was if Bucky's still dealing with PTSD/mental health issues and is kind of defaulting to violence because he doesn't know what else to do. But I mean...even though he lost Natasha, he still has Steve and Sam and other friends who can keep him grounded...right?? I don't know anymore...)
Also, the idea of killing a leader to enforce democracy on an entire planet? That's so American (in a bad way) it hurts.
I'll keep reading this series, but it's definitely in my WDIRT (Why Do I Read This) pile.
Grayson #3
This series has been...more intriguing than I thought it'd be.
I did like the way this issue examined Dick's issue with guns, and how despite all the pressure other characters give him, he really does find a way to solve a problem without guns/killing, plus how the use of guns in the end made everything unnecessarily tragic.
-
Other general comics thoughts:
Elektra
A few words: WTF is going on? I'm sorry, not even the lovely art and W. Haden Blackman's writing can win me over when I've lost track of what is happening between issues. And since when was Kento telepathic???
The Wicked + the Divine
I swear I read this just because I'm a masochist. I really was not a fan of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's work on Young Avengers, so...clearly, it makes sense that I'm reading this series... Anyway, to sum up my main issues: whitewashed Amaterasu; main character with no personality beyond fan of the gods; the comic is not at all asexual-friendly; the events seem really random.
-
Currently reading:
DC: Earth 2, Aquaman, The Flash, Grayson, Batwoman, Teen Titans, Swamp Thing
Adding: Earth 2 weekly (Oct), Secret Six (Dec)
Marvel: Ms. Marvel, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Thor
-
WDIRT (why do I read this) pile: The Wicked + the Divine, Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier, Elektra, Spider-Man 2099