Aquaman finds that his title of King of the Ocean might not exactly be true, the FF head to the moon, and Harada tries to control the Psiots which include a cartoon loving kid in this BasementRejects “This Week in Comics”.
It was a very short pull list this week. I’m ok with that because there is a local convention coming up on Sunday so it is nice to have a light week…but in this light week, all three books were solid and fun.
Aquaman and FF continue to be musts for the readers of DC and Marvel, and if you have held up off on the Valiant Universe, Harbinger #17 might not be the best jump-on, but you do need to jump on to a fun comic series.
For full reviews of Aquaman (5) #24, FF (2) #13, and Harbinger (2) #17 continue reading…and if you want to see how the previous issue of each of these titles fared last month, just click on the embedded link to check out more reviews.
Aquaman (5) #24
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Paul Pelletier
Date: December 2013
Title: “Secret of the Seven Seas” Death of a King Part 6
Aquaman (5) #24
Aquaman finds his world has been destroyed once again and six months after the battle of Atlantis he learns that he and Vulko have only escaped by hiding in Antarctica. Travelling to the Tomb of Atlan, Arthur is about to discover the dark secret of Atlantis and how his ancestors led to its fall.
Aquaman is back after the ho-hum Villains Month (of which Aquaman stories were a bit better since Johns plotted them for the writers including the previous issue Aquaman #23.2—Ocean Master) and the Death of a King storyline continues.
The penultimate issue of the series has the big (official) reveal that has been hinted to throughout the Death of a King storyline. Aquaman’s ancestor Orin actually caused the fall of Atlantis because he didn’t like Atlan’s rule and his decision to allow the mixing of Atlanteans and other races.
Though many have always been down on Aquaman, and he’s been the butt of many jokes, I always like him (even in Super Friends days). I do hope that the new costume design that is present on the cover of this issue isn’t in the plans for the future…stick with the orange and green armor…every time anyone changes it, it doesn’t go well (plus, Aquaman looks a little too much like Namor here).
Aquaman is definitely one of the best results of the New 52 relaunch of the DC Universe. You can be down on the stories and issues, but you can’t be down on this series which continues to deliver each month. Many scoffed when they heard Johns intended to turn Aquaman into a major player in the DC Universe, but I think he’s shown he can at least be a well written character in a solid stand-alone comic.
FF (2) #13
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Writer: Matt Fraction/Lee Allred
Artist: Michael Allred
Date: December 2013
Title: “Moloid See, Moloid Do”
FF (2) #13
The Fantastic Four and Future Foundation have been killed…at least Dr. Doom and his agents of time believe so. In reality the FF, have escaped to the moon where Scott is trying to deal with Alex’s betrayal and searching for a means to save the Powers. The FF are no longer on the run and now it is time to go on the offensive.
Written by Matt Fraction and Lee Allred and illustrated by Michael Allred, FF (2) #13 continues to evolve the FF and (hopefully) continue the series in a new direction for many issues to come.
Following the fun FF (2) #12, FF continues to be one of my favorite Marvel books. With the revelation that Matt Fraction is leaving the book, FF now is basically crediting Fraction with the story concept, but Lee Allred is actually writing the book now. With both Allreds working on this title I hope that the series can maintain the balanced level of weird, fun, and action (something that is missing from many major comics now).
I continue to love Allred’s art. I know without people like Jack Kirby, artists like Allred probably wouldn’t exist since I recognize a lot of Kirby’s style in Allred’s style…but in saying that, I’d pick Allred any day above Kirby. I know this is comic book heresy, but I just love how he captures the fun and in a world of super inked and overdrawn superhero comics, he’s such a nice throwback (plus, I still contend Kirby had face issues…Orion ugly looked the same as Orion not ugly).
In addition to great art and great storytelling, FF has some of the best and likeable characters around. It has kids being kids, adults being kids, and villains being over-the-top villains…just what you’d want from a comic book…plus, they keep picking interesting appearances like the Fantastic Four’s old foe the Red Ghost and his Super Apes (plus Uatu’s “hot date” Ulana).
FF is a must and I can’t recommend it enough. Even if you’ve never been on the FF (or Fantastic Four) boat, there is something for everyone. While you are at it, go back and pick up X-Force and X-Statix to see where Allred can go with a superhero comic when he’s given the chance.
Harbinger (2) #17
Publisher: Valiant Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Clayton Henry
Date: October 2013
Title: —
Harbinger (2) #17 Mario Kart 8-Bit Variant
The Renegades did not win the battle of Los Angeles and are currently being held in a simulated world by Harada and his men. As Harada pushes himself to his limits to try to reach the Psiots, Monica Jim (aka Animalia) is unknowingly fighting back against her controller…and might hold the key to escape.
Written by Joshua Dysart and illustrated by Clayton Henry, Harbinger (2) #17 is part of Valiant’s second 8-Bit month and has a Mario Kart homage with the characters of Harbinger as drivers. Normally, Valiant’s variant covers are the same price as their regular covers, but for some reason my store had this as higher priced (I hope that it isn’t a “for good” type thing).
Following Harbinger (2) #16, the story may or may not be part three of Perfect Day which began in Harbinger (2) #15. There is no story title and thus far Perfect Day has dealt with the story within the Renegades’ simulated world. This issue primarily tells what is occurring outside the “Perfect World” and there is no title on the issue.
This issue focuses primarily on one of the unexplored Psiot kids from Project Rising Spirits named Monica Jim who manifests cartoon animals and transformer herself as well. If they are going to keep these kids around from the Harbinger War, they need more issues like this to give them personalities…but also they have to do it while sticking to the script (which is done decently here). In addition to Monica, you get a bit more insight on Harada and how his powers work as well.
Harbinger goes through phases for me…I was a bit down on Harbinger Wars which was a bit messy, but here the Perfect Day storyline is better and more focused. I still highly recommend checking out the Valiant line if you haven’t read any of them, but can’t recommend jumping in the middle with an issue like this.
Preceded By:
This Week in Comics—October 16, 2013
https://basementrejects.com/latest-news/this-week-in-comics-october-16-2013/
Followed By:
This Week in Comics—October 30, 2013
https://basementrejects.com/latest-news/this-week-in-comics-october-30-2013/
