Wess Reads Comics - Week of 1/25/17

Each week, Wess grabs a few issues from his stack of comics to share his thoughts with you. If you're looking for a place for brief, initial impressions, then this is it! Have questions about books that Wess didn't review? Then leave a comment below!

Credit: DC Comics

Kamandi Challenge #1
Written by: Dan Dido & Dan Abnett
Art by: Keith Giffen, Dale Eaglesham, Scott Koblish, & Hi-Fi
Published by: DC Comics

Honesty time, I really didn't know much of anything about Kamandi before this maxi series was announced. And to be even more honest I still don't know much about him! But I was really enticed by the premise of this book. Here's the deal: each issue, a different creative team spins a tale with each issue ending in a cliff hanger. In the subsequent issue, a new creative team has to resolve the cliff hanger and then create a new one of their own! Also, I loved that there was gong to be a tribute to Jack "The King" Kirby. If you don't know much about Mr. Kirby, then Let Me Google That For You.

I felt this issue was a great start to the challenge and we actually get a treat in that there is actually a cliff hanger half way through this issue and then creative teams switch. One added treat is that the person who created the cliff hanger gets to explain how they would have resolved it after the next person gets a shot. Here, we get a nice intro and it pretty much jumps right into the fray out of the gate. You start to get a feel for the premise of Kamandi without getting all the answers up front. If you're a Kirby fan, there are lots of great elements that feel like Classic Kirby - from the story telling right down to the art. I thought each team did a great job with their homage while still putting their own spin on this universe.

Here's a run down of the creative teams coming up!

Dan Abnett and Dale Eaglesham
Peter J. Tomasi and Neal Adams
Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
James Tynion IV and Carlos D'Anda
Bill Willingham and Ivan Reis
Steve Orlando and Philip Tan
Marguerite Bennett and Dan Jurgens
Keith Giffen and Steve Rude
Tom King and Kevin Eastman
Greg Pak and Joe Prado
Rob Williams and Walter Simonson
Gail Simone and Ryan Sook
Len Wein and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopéz

Grade: A

Credit: Marvel Comics

Civil War II: The Oath #1
Written by: Nick Spencer
Art by: Rod Reis, Phil Noto, Raffaele Ienco, Szymon Kudranski, & Dono Sánchez-Almara
Published by: Marvel Comics

At this point it seems like most people would agree that Civil War II was not as compelling or gripping as the original. Where as in the original Civil War you may have struggled to decide which side you came down on, Civil War II pretty much presents you with a clear choice. However, now that the mini-series has concluded, we see a new side to the conflict. Captain America's side. The evil Captain America, mind you. The interesting thing about this one-shot is that you could read most of it from the perspective of your good ole red, white, and blue wearing, watch-your-language saying Captain America and you'd be none the wiser. But, the more you read on the more it comes clear exactly how Captain America plans to capitalize on this situation. They've created a great through-line from Civil War II to the upcoming Secret Empire.

My only complaint really is that this is a long read. You have Cap giving two speeches in this issue. One to the American people and one to the **SPOILER**.....unconscious Tony Stark. There are so many word bubbles with so many words. If you sit down to read this, get comfortable and get rid of distractions because there is a lot of Steve Rogers yapping away here. Luckily he has some pretty interesting things to say...

Grade: A-



PULL LIST

DC Comics

• Action Comics #972 by Dan Jurgens, Stephen Segovia, Art Thibert, & Ulises Arreola
• Detective Comics #949 by James Tynion IV, Marguerite Bennett, Ben Oliver, Szymon Kudranski, Ben Oliver, Gabe Eltaeb, & Hi-Fi
• Justice League Vol. 1 - The Extinction Machines TPB
• Justice League of America: Killer Frost - Rebirth #1 by Steve Orlando, Jody Houser, Mirka Andolfo, & Arif Prianto
• Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #6 by Joshua Williamson, Howard Porter, & Alex Sinclair
• Kamandi Challenge #1 by Dan Didio, Dan Abnett, Keith Giffen, Dale Eaglesham, Scott Koblish, & Hi-Fi
• Wonder Woman #15 by Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp, & Laura Martin

Marvel

• Captain America: Steve Rogers #10 by Nick Spencer, Jesus Saiz, Ted Brandt, RD Stein, Kevin Libranda, & Rachelle Rosenberg
• Civil War II: The Oath #1 by Nick Spencer & Rod Reis, Phil Noto, Raffaele Ienco, Szymon Kudranski, & Dono Sánchez-Almara

Image

• Reborn #4 by Mark Millar, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, & FCO Plascencia
• Saga #42 by Fiona Staples & Brian K. Vaughan