Thursday Morning Superhero

It seems like things are starting to return to normal. The convention season is behind us, my kids are back in school, and Nintendo is still making it really difficult to purchase their products. At least I have Supreme Court action, back from the dead fighting, a new virus breaking out on earth, and crazy vampire grandpas to keep me occupied.

Pick of the Week:
Dept. H #17 - Mia gets one helluva an email from Lily that details the shaky background of their friendship. The crew is close to finally making it back to the surface, but if we can trust the briefing from Lily it looks like they might want to remain under water. According to Lily, the H-Virus had another outbreak on land and is creating all sorts of havoc. I want to trust her and feel that her heartfelt email to Mia is a way to get her message out before they all die. Aaron is looking might suspicious, but I haven't nailed down a motive on him just yet.  What is clear is that Matt and Sharlene Kindt have crafted a great murder mystery at the bottom of the ocean and this is a series well worth your time.

The Rest:
Redneck #5 - We finally learn the truth about what happened to Slap and holy hell was that brutal. Apparently not everyone in the family is on board with attempting to co-exist with humans and Slap was caught in the crossfire. This issue brought back memories of the first and makes you really appreciate what author Donny Cates is setting up. JV is pissed off and I don't think things are going to end well for anything. Add into the mix that they are accountable for turning Father Landry and are going to have a hard time remaining hidden for long. I am expecting a lot of blood in the next issue.



Secret Empire #9 - We had some nice victories over the past few issues. Led by Sam Wilson, the Avengers were able to take down the planetary shield and destroy the bubble over Manhattan. On top of that, they were able to welcome the Winter Soldier back to the team after everyone thought he was killed at the hands of Zemo. Come from behind victories and the return of seemingly dead best friends is pretty cliche superhero comic, but it is pretty cliche for a reason. When properly written and executed it is a lot of fun.  Thanks to Nick Spencer and crew, Secret Empire continues to be an entertaining event that will likely have no real impact on anything other than a fun story. Issue 9 is an epic battle showing how the tides really are turning, but there is one enemy that they were never prepared to face. Captain America himself.

Daredevil #25 - Matt Murdock has made it all the way to the Supreme Court. In an attempt to establish a legal precedent that masked superheros don't have to identify themselves to testify, Murdock is up against one of the best lawyers in the country and Kingpin himself. In addition to the lawyer, Fisk reaches back out to Tombstone to take a more violent approach to preventing this case from being heard. I liked watching the justices fight Daredevil in his mind as he made arguments and dealt with tough questions. This was a fun approach to Daredevil that focused more on the law and less on him beating up bad guys with his billy club, which based on the conclusion of this issue, Plan C for Fisk involves a lot of fighting.



POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

As I write this week's post I am distracted by the thoughts of playing games, running demos, and playing more games. Gen Con is only one week away and this is the first time in a while that I won't experience the four greatest days of gaming. At least I have my weekly comics and the new Duck Tales premieres this weekend.

Pick of the Week:

Baby Teeth #3 - Now that Sadie has discovered that her baby has retractable fangs and is interested in blood, she has a bit of predicament on her hands. She figures out that she can't provide the blood herself and needs to find someone willing to help. We meet her aunt, Heather, who has a checkered past. Heather actually proves to be someone that Sadie can confide in, but we learn that the child is picky about what blood he drinks. Who would have imagined that the Antichrist would be so picky. What I love about this book is that it is a horror story, but one that doesn't take itself too serious and one that has heart. I feel that Sadie is going to be a great character and one that will grow tremendously from the scared 16 year old who we have met in these first three issues.


The Rest:
Gravity Falls Shorts #3 - While I would love to see Gravity Falls comics that explore stories that weren't part of the phenomenal television show, I enjoy seeing Gravity Falls comics on the shelf and welcome anything that can bring in new fans. This book features three of the shorts that Disney aired on Youtube between seasons. Featuring Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained #54: The Mailbox, Mable's Guide to Fashion, and Public Access Television, this cinetory comic is a recreation of the hilarious shorts that I watch with my kids on a weekly basis.



Captain America #25 - Nick Spence encouraged me to pick up this issue due to its Secret Empire tie- in via a persuasive tweet. I will note, as it says in this book, make sure you read this prior to reading Secret Empire #8.  Things are not looking good in the attempt to take down Captain America's Hydra.  He is only missing a few of the cosmic cube fragments, but there is hope and Namor has a secret plan.  I won't spoil the big reveal, but I am glad that Spencer convinced me to pick this title up this week.

Secret Empire #8 - Through the help of a time capsule and the last remaining cosmic cube fragment, the Avengers have a plan to bring down the shield surrounding the earth. Sam's attempt to get the fragment to the shield didn't work, but with the help of the Guardians of the Galaxy the shield is finally taken down and the heroes have one last shred of hope. This, thrown in with Namor's secret weapon that was reveled in Captain America #25, make up the combo that will take down Hydra and restore the Marvel Universe to what it was with no lasting ramifications.  While it is typical of most major comic book events, Secret Empire is one of the stronger events of recent memory and one worth your time.

Doctor Aphra #11 - Aphra, now in control of the Rur crystal, was forced to demonstrate that it really did possess the former Jedi Rur in its core. Her demonstration led to Rur possessing a droid and bringing complete and utter chaos. Triple-0, the rogue 3-P0 style droid, beckons Aphra to work out some sort of deal. It isn't clear what Triple-0 wants, but based on the information that he provides her, she will want to start spilling the beans. Otherwise she might end up back with Vader, who she betrayed prior to getting her own series. I really like how they are bringing these series back together.





POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

While not a lot of panels have been announced for San Diego Comic Con, my off-site adventures for the week are starting to take shape and involve my fifth trip to Hop Con, my fourth trip to Funko Fundays, and my third trip to a taping of Conan.  If my good luck continues I will also be attending my second The Loyal Subjects party.  Now I just need to figure out what my new experience will be in 2017.

Pick of the Week:
Secret Weapons #1 - I have dipped my toe into the Valiant Comics line a few times and have enjoyed what I read, but I have never been truly hooked before.  This issue for Secret Weapons has me hooked and extremely curious about the events that led up to this issue.  From what I gather, and feel free to correct me, Harada is one of the main characters who has been finding and grooming Psiots (individuals with powers) for his needs.  He had a secret facility called The Willows that housed those who had special powers, but nothing that seemed useful at the time.  This site has been destroyed and there is currently someone trying to track down Psiots that won't attract attention if they end up missing.  This individual is using an ancient creature that has the ability to absorb Psiot abilities when it soaks in a chamber with the person.  This creature has been let loose and is currently hunting a group of heroes with some odd abilities that resulted in their meeting at The Willows.  The series will follow the group of Nicole Finch, who can speak to birds, Martin Tyus, who can make inanimate objects grow, and Owen Cho, who can conjure items without any control over when and what he conjures.  This group is joined by Livewire, one of the founding members of Unity who actually has a good superpower.  She is a technopath and uses her ability to corral the group to figure out what the hell is going on in Oklahoma City.  This is an impressive debut issue that more than up to the hype.

The Rest:
Redneck #3 - This issue featured an amazing pride month variant cover from Ed Luce that is simply amazing and benefits the  Trevor Project.  They made some t-shirts of the cover as well, but I am not sure that I would feel comfortable wearing it around my kids. Regardless you should go pick up the variant cover edition of this book, check out an up and coming series, and help out an organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth.  Issue three is an absolute blood bath and the impending chaos is going to take this book far beyond the vampires trying to lay low and run a BBQ restaurant.  The dynamic started to shift with the end of the last issue but it goes completely off the rails in this one.  Not for the faint of heart, but a book I can't recommend enough.

Saga #44 - Alana is still in extreme danger given how her body is responding to her pregnancy.  The journey from where the legal abortions are conducted on this planet to where Alana can get one is no easy task.  This has been a bit of an odd arc, but one full of Brian K. Vaughan's sense of humor and one in which we really get to see Hazel grow up.  I will admit that there are a lot of details in this series that I have forgotten over the years, but the relationship between Marko, Alana, and Hazel remains central and keeps me coming back for more.  There are some growing theories on what the ending of this issue means and it was quite surprising, but I think the solution is something simple.

Secret Empire #5 - Marvel's summer event continues to impress as the race for the cosmic cube fragments intensifies.  While I have been enjoying the main story line, I am intrigued by what is happening behind the scenes and what the true plan is for taking down Captain America and Hydra.  While it is similar to most major comic book events and will likely not really have that big of an impact once it reaches its end, it is extremely well written and I have enjoyed the twist of Captain America as a sleeper agent.





POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.