Welcome to the Legion!

This week I found myself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Convergence material that had come out and though I look forward to reading some of it, I couldn’t bring myself to start this week. I also had an exciting time participating in Free Comic Book Day, which occurs annually on the first Saturday in May. In the past, I had found gems like The Walking Dead and Rocket Raccoon. This year featured the new Avengers team, another great installment of Simpsons humor from Bongo Comics and Chakra The Invincible from legendary creator Stan Lee. I was surprised to see many local libraries participating in addition to the comic book stores.

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This week’s Pull List had a mixed bag. The first of these is Silk #3 by Marvel, written by Robbie Thompson with art by Stacey Lee. This book came out of the Spider-Verse after Silk (Cindy Moon) had appeared in Original Sin. I was happy to see a new member of the Spider Family and have enjoyed the first two books as she tries to find her way. This issue is outstanding because of an interaction Silk has after the fight. We far too often see the hero fight the villain-of-the-week and when they are done, drag them off; Silk takes an approach that is rarely seen and gives me hope for the new series. So far, the writing has been solid and the art keeps me looking at the detail in the backgrounds.

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The next book I chose was another Marvel book, Princess Leia #4 (of 5), written by Mark Waid, Pencils by Terry Dodson and Ink by Rachel Dodson. For obvious reasons, this has been on my list since I first heard about it. I keep wanting this to be a good story and I keep getting let down. I was hoping to hear a tale of how the destruction of Alderaan affected the heroine of the Star Wars Universe. I have read a vast majority of the novels in the Expanded Universe and know she has a great story to tell, but I was looking forward to it on the pages of a comic book. Instead it feels disjointed and I keep getting the impression I missed something. I am familiar with the character and I still feel lost. The writing is a bit of a letdown and the art follows suit. The artists clearly have issues drawing hands and feet, as well as faces, which look plastic.

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All-in-all I find the art distracting, which is forgivable until combined with the writing. Things are already shaky, and then R2-D2 saves the day by finding a speeder that looks like a rip-off of Coulson’s Lola and then herds a rock monster to eat Stormtroopers as this issue’s resolution. I will read the last issue when it comes out just because I am a completionist and I still hold out a little hope that all of this will make sense.

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The last book is Red One #2 from Image, written by Xavier Dorison with art by Terry and Rachel Dodson.   You may recognize those names from the last pick, and I must say that the art is very different. I wondered why, and then found the answer at the end of the book. Red One is a two-issue (59 page) story arc that introduces the character. We will see another miniseries in the spring of 2016 and more stories have been promised after that. It seems that the artists had more time to practice their craft on this, and it shows. The story is phenomenal and it strikes a balance between an over-the-top 70’s action movie and an allegory about today’s struggles with fundamentalism.

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Many parallels are drawn between current issues and those of the 70’s so the reader can easily identify with the story. This is aided by larger-than-life superheroes that inspire their respective populations. I am sad I will have to wait almost a year for more, but I am glad a book like this is being written. It may be easy to say that the character, Alabama (Red One), is a clueless, generic female character until you see her suited up and hear what she has to say when battling for the marginalized. I feel like this would be a great book to discuss with friends. I highly recommend getting both issues of this story or trade-waiting for the art they promise will be in it.

For next week, I am looking forward to Jupiter’s Circle #2, No Mercy #2, Spider Gwen #4 and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #5. Next week is shaping up to be another DC-free week. I can’t wait until the move is over and they can get back to storytelling.

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Michael Espinos

When I’m not teaching middle schoolers engineering I am a Maker, Outdoor Enthusiast and consumer of all things geeky.
Working on a book as well. See a sample here: michaelespinos.wordpress.com