comics from 6/1
Swamp Thing miniseries #5
Fun having Len Wein back in the writer's chair but its still a little too pulpy for my taste. Body morph/evil Swampie has been done before I think? But this is at least not as bad as New 52 Swamp Thing. The thing that oddly bothers me the most is the text bubbles going from orange to yellow.
The Wicked + The Divine #19
Love this comic when its firing on all cylinders (psychedelic make-up, multi-pantheon of gods born as wayward stage fiends, writing that triple crosses and bait-n-switches the readers attention/expectation) but this current story arch is kind of treading water. I realize I'm behind by 1. (I'm slow at writing about these things.)
Vision #7
Seeing that Miracleman is seemingly in limbo, this is the only Marvel comic worth caring about. The paneling and writing is v reminiscent of late 90s Vertigo and I love it so much for that. Not an action comic but a family drama with questions about free will, responsibility, and general Rutger-Hauer-speech-inducing existentialism that'll leave the movie fans scratching their head after a blind buy. Eat it nerds, this rules.
Cinema Purgatorio #2
Anthology comic. The eponymous story from Moore and O'Neill is concise episodic synesthetic horror; the type that belongs to the oppressive air of 50s vaudeville and nickelodeons and their air conditioned hegemonic envelope. Works well so far. The other stories? Not so far. MODDED brags to be Road Warrior meets Pokemon but at this pace it'll never get to either. The most interesting (because it hasn't been revealed at all) is A MORE PERFECT UNION, which has the battle of Gettysburg as humans versus...giant beetles? No clue, but the buildup is nice. CODE PRU is slim on story, obese on detailed drawing (all of this is b&w btw) and reminds me a lot of any early 00s White Wolf art (a good thing).
Rachel Rising #42
The final issue, boo! Loved this series. The ending was a little rushed, but it may only feel that way because of serialization, time between readings, etc. Still, having that sort of guy as revealed to be perpetrator is a little too Amer-Occidental for a series that made such good work of its slow burn occultism and old world mythos. A re-read will probably make it better. Terry still draws women more realistically (respectfully) than most anyone.
Providence #9
Somwhere on the interwebs there are rp nerds just clamoring for an epic Azatoth or Cthulhu reveal that I know we will never get, and I love Alan Moore even more for it. While set in a world where all of HPLs works have diffused into New England reality, actually having the man appear (and with this issue, stay(?!)) is a clawed-tentacle treat, meaning both achingly obvious and connected to something we can't really yet see. The entire history behind the Stella Sapiente is enough for me, but all the little nuances for the lit lovers are amazing and will provide re-reads with surprises (I'm currently reading all of Lovecrafts shorts, and his prose has (once again) crawled its way into my head and therefore into my music)). In panels, seeing him evoking an antiquated vernacular to his overbearing mother the previous encounter with him and Lord Dunsany (still need to invest in his bibliography) seems mawkish, and it remains to be seen if the reader is seeing all there is about him. This whole series has had that aura of doubt and wrath since issue 4 with my favorite poem of his marching its way out as its hypnostic coma and this month it's continued with those glasses and their horrible knowledge (but can't Robert tell what hes seeing?).