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Comics: This is a Tribute

by Dee. 11/30/2018
Dear Readers, 

This month we lost a great creator, Stan Lee. He was the origin of many beloved Marvel heroes, from the 1940's until his passing. From Daredevil to Spider-Man, to the X-Men and many others, Lee was prolific and a great collaborator. His articles have been often cited, especially a poignant one about religious tolerance and compassion. Many actors and comic creators have come forward to talk about Lee's impact on their personal and professional lives. Even DC Comics has made a tribute to Stan Lee, which shows that he was greatly respected by all for his pivotal work at Marvel Comics. He will be greatly missed. 

In his honor, we look at a variety of three comics, Uncanny X-Men (2018), Justice League Dark and Wonder Woman: The Witching Hour and Leviathan.

Uncanny X-Men (2018) (Marvel Comics): Headed up by Kitty Pryde and Jean Grey, this team of mutants is a collection of some of the greatest characters including Beast, Nightcrawler, Storm, Jubilee and more. As has been shown in X-Men Red, Jean Grey has been recruiting heroes to her side for the betterment of mutant- and humankind. Kitty Pryde goes missing early in the issue, and the mysterious villain behind it all has not yet shown its face. 

The humor in this script is right on, with the patter coming at a quick pace. The story seems to be using classic story lines and elements from the original material, as a Senator is spreading hate speech and the promise of a vaccine against becoming a mutant. 

All in all, this is a good start to the newest installment of Uncanny X-Men, and it will be interesting to see how the story develops over time. 

Justice League Dark and Wonder Woman: The Witching Hour (DC Comics): Technically, this came out on Halloween, but I really wanted to review this comic. Without a passing familiarity of the Justice League Dark's lineup, many readers will be lost within this story. Since we have to cover the many different perspectives of the characters, it feels a little rushed. I would suggest reading Justice League Dark (2018) #1-3, Wonder Woman and Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour #1, Wonder Woman #56, Justice League Dark #4, and  Wonder Woman #57 before reading this conclusion to the story arc. 

The panel structure is very interesting and makes for good storytelling graphically. The artwork is quite good, as the change between three different artists is hardly noticeable. The story moves along at a good pace, not getting bogged down in huge speech bubbles. There is some exposition of our main villain's origin story, but it supplements and adds dimension to her character. This is also an opportunity to see Wonder Woman's more sinister and violent potential as a super-powered individual.   

Leviathan (Image Comics): Already in its third issue, this comic has an excellent creative team that have really found something special: writer John  Layman (Chew) and artist Nick Pitarra (The Manhattan Projects), along with colorist Michael Garland (The Manhattan Projects). I enjoyed both of those series, and specifically the Manhattan Projects for the detailed artistic storytelling and some metaphysical aspects of the comic. 

While our hero Ryan Deluca is out on a beer run, Goth Jimmy and his buddies summon a giant kaiju, Leviathan (for lolz, of course). It quickly goes sour as the Leviathan wreaks havoc throughout the neighborhood, scattering humans and debris. The situation gets worse as the military decides to show the nation their power by wiping out the dinosaurs (which they had driven underground in the first place).  

The colors are bright and intense, the Leviathan being a fire-breathing dinosaur in reds and yellow tones. The characters and backgrounds are highly detailed, so the world feels fully realized. When all is said and done, this is a very entertaining read. 

Excelsior, 
Dee
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