The Black Monday Murders #3

The Black Monday Murders, Issue #3 is the third double-issue comic out of the four that make up the first arc or what will become the first trade paperback.  I hope that it becomes a long series, but who knows what'll happen by Issue #4.  Jonathan Hickman, artist Tomm Coker, colorist Michael Garland, and my favorite letterer, Rus Wooton, have created a rich world full of high finance and the occult.  In Issue #2, Viktor Eresko was arrested for the murder from Issue #1, but it's not as simple as that, of course.

This particular issue is very good, even in a series that is very good.  Besides the obvious themes, the comic also touches upon classism, authority, and how the two comingle.  Most of all, it's a comic about power, the power that comes with being a police officer, a high banking executive, or a member of the Russian mafia.  There is occult power, perhaps even extraterrestrial power, and it's all up to a very strange detective to sort it all out.

Poe Dameron #7

Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Issue #7 starts a new arc, and it looks like the series is going to continue for some time.  For those that haven't read Issue #1 through Issue #6, Star Wars: Poe Dameron is the story of what Poe Dameron and Black Squadron did in the events leading up to Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens.  Black Squadron is a sort of "black" ops group of pilot/agents within the Resistance, and their missions include finding the trail to Luke Skywalker.

This particular issue has Poe Dameron meeting an old friend named Suralinda from the Republic Navy who's now a journalist.  Of course, it all turns into a chase and a firefight in due order.  It also has him flying a stormsailer, which looks like a catamaran in the air.  The situations are a bit different from the rest of the current Star Wars canon, but Charles Soule and artists Angel Unzueta and Frank D'armata have really captured the feeling of Star Wars in this spy thriller.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #10

Spider-Man/Deadpool, Issue #10 continues the "Itsy Bitsy" arc, which started at the end of Issue #9.  Itsy Bitsy is a new meta-human who combines the traits and abilities of Spider-Man and Deadpool.  She of course starts out by fighting the two.  That's how super-powered stories usually start.  Well, except for Spider-Man/Deadpool.  They kinda' started out already working together, but then Deadpool assassinated Peter Parker.  Then he went to the Underworld to save him, so I guess that is how this title started out.

The ease of reading of this title is quite a bit lower than most Marvel Comics titles.  There are puns, innuendos, and obscure references.  On top of that, there's a bit more text.  I don't think my 12-year-old nephew, for instance, would get a lot of the jokes even though he reads a lot of Teen+ rated comics, including a fair amount of Deadpool.  This is a great series, though.  How can you go wrong with Deadpool, Spider-Man, Ed McGuinness, and Joe Kelly?

Descender #16

Descender, Issue #16 ends the "Singularities" arc, which focuses on Andy, the boy who Tim-21 was bought to be a companion of.  It shows his story after his mother dies, how he becomes friends with and then married to the woman who would become the leader of the Between, a cult of half-human, half-cyborg people just trying to survive.  This issue shows Driller's backstory.

The whole "Singularities" arc has shown pretty much nothing but backstories, and now that the arc is finished, there won't be any new Descender until December.  I'm pretty happy about this arc because it shows that the creators (Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen) are building for the future.  I do highly recommend this Image comic.  The art is all watercolors, so it's a little different from this particular cover.  The third trade paperback comes out in December, just before Christmas.

Blue Beetle #2

Blue Beetle, Issue #2 had me a little confused at first.  I guess I didn't remember Issue #1 as well as I thought I did.  Issue #2 starts out with the Blue Beetle hanging out with a posse of meta-humans, none of whom are superheroes.  Not every meta-human is a superhero like the Blue Beetle, and not every superhero is a meta-human.  You've got the Green Arrow and Batman, for instance.  One of the meta-humans takes a fancy to the Blue Beetle, and they fight and stuff.  I think I need a Venn diagram.

This comic got good quickly.  I really should be reading more of these $2.99 Rebirth titles by DC Comics, but so far, I've only been reading a few B-team superheroes in this title and Green Lanterns.  They come out every couple of weeks, and they're easy to read.  I liked the interplay between Blur and the Blue Beetle, and the revelation that Jamie's mother is their doctor brings an added twist to this title.  I'll buy it next time.

Civil War II #6

Civil War II, Issue #6 has Spider-Man (Miles Morales) smashing Captain America (Steve Rogers) on the cover, after a vision by Ulysses in Issue #5 shows Spider-Man killing Captain America.  Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) immediately tries to arrest Spider-Man, but Captain America nixes the idea, and Spider-Man goes home.  Not terribly much happens in this issue, but the planning, layout, and artwork are beyond compare.

One aspect of Marvel that's hard to keep track of is who the superheroes are.  There are two Captains America, two Hawkeyes, an Iron Man, and Riri Williams as Ironheart.  Thor is a woman, and the old Thor goes by Odinson, but the cover of the first issue of a new series by Jason Aaron and Olivier Coipel suggests that Odinson becomes Thor again.  The Thing is a Guardian of the Galaxy, but in Infamous Iron Man, which takes place after Civil War II, he's an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

At $4.99, this is a rather expensive comic, but it has a thicker cover and not quite as many advertisements as Issue #5, or at least the advertisements weren't as intrusive.  Really, this is a great series to read and collect.

Saga #39

Saga, Issue #39 deals with the aftermath of the death of Izabel and the arrival of a pair of freelancers, the March.  In Issue #38, Hazel was really mean to Izabel right before she died, so she feels bad.  There's also a brief look at what the Will is doing.  It's all downright amazing how creative Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples are.  They're really a magical combination, and this remains one of my favorite current comics.