Showman Killer, Vol. 2

Showman Killer, Volume 2: Golden Child continues the story of the all-powerful assassin/warrior.  In Volume 1, he comes across the Omnimonarch's son, but for some reason, he decides to save the child's life and raise him.  Of course, with futuristic technology, this is done in the blink of an eye.  In this volume, you find out why he has feelings for the child and how the two are related.  They are on the run from the Superheirophant, who has taken over control of the galactic empire.

I don't know how at such an advanced age, Alejandro Jodorowsky keeps putting out such quality work and finding such quality artists like Nicolas Fructus.  Fructus is a board-game designer and animation specialist who Jodorowsky brought into prominence in the world of comics.  Fructus had done comics before, but come on, Jodorowsky.  Anyway, I loved the first two volumes of Showman Killer, and if I can pry a little money away from my computer build, I'll order Volume 3 when it comes out on February 7.

Monstress #9

Monstress, Issue #9 keeps rolling along. The art is consistently detailed and fantastic, yet it comes out every month like any normal comic. It opens up when Moriko's sister makes an appearance, along with her mother, who is a wolf Arcanic and the Queen of Wolves.  The two fight over the mask, Maika, and the future; the mother is a member of the Dawn Court.  Then there's a flashback to Maika's childhood, where Moriko is challenging her.  Then back to the ship, which is headed to the Isle of Bones.

This is a difficult comic to enjoy but a rewarding one.  The dialogue is dense, as is the art.  While I usually spend at most 15 minutes reading a comic, this one takes me 30 or 45 minutes, and it's easy to miss plot lines and situations.  There's a nice tribute to the Japanese artist Hosukai on the cover, for instance.  I'm sure I'm missing other homages and situations.  There's a lot to see and read.

Rocket Girl

Rocket Girl is a title I borrowed from Comixology Unlimited because the cover art caught my eye.  I read a few pages, and it was funny and well drawn, so I kept reading.  It stars Detective Dayoung Johansson of the New York Teen Police Department.  She's 15, and she's from the future, the year 2013, but not the 2013 we were aware of.  She goes back in time to 1986 to stop Quintum Mechanics from changing the past to their benefit in the future.  She stays in 1986, becoming Rocket Girl.

The scenes of 1986 New York City are almost uncannily accurate, like scenes out of Taxi Driver, although that movie was filmed a bit earlier. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Times Square was a mess.  Then came a mayor who was tough on crime, Rudy Giuliani, who instituted stop-and-frisk policies, racial profiling, and the like.  He cleaned up Times Square, but at a price.  This also took place at a time when crime decreased throughout America due perhaps to the decrease in atmospheric lead, which has gone down since hitting its peak at 1993.

As of the time I'm writing this, I've only read Issue #1 of Rocket Girl, although the first three issues are free with my Comixology Unlimited account.  I'll probably read up to Issue #7, which is as far as this very good series got when it ended in 2015.  The issues cost $1.99 each, but the first three are free, so it'll cost around $8.  The first trade paperback collects Issue #1 through Issue #5, and the last two issues are only available in comic-book or digital form.

Spider-Man/Deadpool #12

Spider-Man/Deadpool, Issue #12 is a Christmas issue written by guest writers and with art by guest artists. It starts off on Christmas Eve in New York City, where Deadpool is having a Christmas party without Spider-Man. His secret Santa is Kate Bishop, who he gets a T-shirt saying, "I killed the Hulk, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt." I guess he got his Hawkeyes mixed up. Nice Civil War II reference. Meanwhile, someone seemingly from Asgard is beheading everyone who is dressed as Santa Claus. After Deadpool gets kicked out of his own party, he and Spider-Man go out to solve the problem.

I don't know what Peter Parker's place is in the current Marvel universe, but this comic is pretty fucking funny. There's something about Spider-Man that makes Deadpool that much better. I've read my share of Deadpool comics, but this one is by far my favorite. I've also read my share of Spider-Man comics, and this is one of my favorite iterations of Spider-Man, which is saying a lot. In short, this is a very good issue of a very good series.

Spider-Man #11

Spider-Man, Issue #11 starts off with a prose revelation that Miles Morales's father made a deal with the intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect his life. This was hinted at in an earlier issue, when Jefferson contacts that intelligence agency. Almost the entire issue is centered around Jefferson, Miles Morales's father, who is back in the spook industry again. Now he's after the illicit trade in Terrigen Mist or rather, creating it.

Things don't go as planned, of course. This story has a neat twist at the end which I won't give away. A lot of the recent Spider-Man comics haven't focused on Miles Morales himself, and this one is no different. I guess they really needed to develop the people around Miles Morales because as he's such an new character in the main Marvel universe that his situation isn't as fully realized.

Civil War II #8 (Spoilers)

Civil War II, Issue #8 concludes the limited series. The issues starts with a climactic battle between Captain Marvel and Iron Man while Captain America and Spider-Man look on. The Inhuman Ulysses, meanwhile, grows ever stronger. He shows everyone a vision of the future, and it isn't pretty. Then he leaves after growing too strong for the Earth and its people. Tony Stark doesn't really die, but he's not really alive, leaving open the possibility for him to return in a year or two.

This is a visually stunning comic, perhaps the most visually appealing comic I've ever seen from Marvel. Overall this series has been excellent. The eight issues at $4.99 each costs almost $40 in total. For this extra money you get pretty much just sturdier covers. I know some people will complain about there not being enough dialogue, as people complained about Issue #6. I think there is enough room in the comics world for comics with less dialogue than normal. Some people think that if they pay $3 or $4 or more for a comic that they should get more enjoyment out of it timewise. I don't think this is the case.

Wicked Chicken Queen

Wicked Chicken Queen is my Retrofit Comic of the day.  The story opens up in the year 150 BCQ, the "BCQ" standing for "Before Chicken Queen."  The story unfolds page-by-page, with a sentence accompanying a lavish pencil drawing.  Each of the drawings shows a single scene (with a few exceptions), a castle with  a chicken head, dances, and of course, the Chicken Queen.  The beings of the island have one giant eye that takes up most of their head.  They seem to have no technology beyond gears and wheels, but then the narrator makes mention of a phone, and of course, there are phone wires on the cover.

The Chicken Queen is found as an egg, falls in love with the girl who finds her, and lays eggs every day that the people eat.  The King dies, making the Chicken a Queen, and at some point, she becomes wicked and attacks them.  The narrator is a rarely seen figure, a woman with a daughter in college.  All the main characters are women except the King.  This is the perfect comic to share with a friend or family member.

The difference between mini-comics and mainstream comics is like the difference between country blues and city blues.  I know people love their superstars, and I've been to mega-concerts at sports stadiums.  But there's something to be said for watching John Underwood or someone at a bar and hanging out with them afterward, maybe buying a tee shirt.  It's the same at a PWG wrestling card, or at least it used to be, when you could still get tickets.