Comics: Livin' On a Prayer
by Dee. 3/23/2024
Hi there, fellow comics enthusiasts!Last month, there was an interesting variety of comics released. I've come up with three comics from DC, Marvel and an independent publisher to represent them: Penguin from DC Comics, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver from Marvel Comics and Blasfamous from DSTLRY.
Penguin (DC Comics): [Spoiler alert for all Batman fans who haven't read Batman (2016) issue #125]: If you care about Gotham's greatest villains, you'll know that the Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, to be precise) was murdered. Now, the Executor (yes, that's really the name they went with) has recruited Catwoman to track down Penguin's next of kin. Then, as always seems to happen, these Cobblepot heirs start getting killed.
I am a big fan of Chip Zdarsky's writing (Sex Criminals, Howard the Duck, Stillwater), and he gives a plausible reason for Catwoman to be (forgive the pun) invested in this wild goose chase. Belén Ortega is an absolute gem as an artist, playing with light reflected off Catwoman's suit and the shadows in the murder scenes of the Cobblepot sucessors. The artistic team flexes their wings (sorry so many puns), creating an excellent series. Penguin has had 8 issues so far, and the plot gets better the further you dive into the story. The tension in the story is palpable, and there's plenty of violence to go around.
Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver (Marvel Comics): We're currently two issues into this series, and I've gotta say, I'm quite impressed. Magneto, the twins' recently deceased father, leaves a note that Wanda (Scarlet Witch) knows will destroy Pietro (Quicksilver) if he learns of its existence. Wanda takes matters into her own hands and incinerates the letter before he gets a chance to take a peek. This drives a wedge between the siblings, and the argument seems a bit maudlin. But the kicker is that it's understandable, given all the random dramatic stuff that these two have gone through.
The pacing is a little clunky in the first issue, but there's a huge amount of emotional baggage that these superheroes are juggling. If you aren't familiar with either the MCU's versions of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, or the comic book version of them, this comic may require a little more back issue reading, or a wiki to get the Cliff's Notes version.
Blasfamous (DSTLRY): This month we get Mirka Andolfo's (Sweet Paprika, Unnatural, Harley Quinn) newest work, a horror-comedy about celebrities gaining divine powers through their pop music. Witty, beautiful and fascinating, this comic has it all. It reminds me a bit of Wicked and the Divine by Kieron Gillen, which is also excellently executed. Mirka's doing it all for this series: writing, drawing, you name it.
The colors are gorgeous, the characters are lush and larger-than-life, and I really enjoy this wholeheartedly.
Since this is my last review, I figure I should say, "So long, and thanks for all the comics".
Signing off,
Dee