In a bid to broaden the number of comics we cover at ComicsXF, we give you, the reader, these mini reviews of some recent releases.
Bug Wars #1
W: Jason Aaron | A: Mahmud Asrar | C: Matthew Wilson | L: Becca Carey | P: Image
It’s war in rural Alabama, as Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar’s fantasy epic dives straight into the middle of an age-old bloody and brutal civil war between the Beetle Clans and the Empire of the Ants. That’s far from being the only war, though. The reader is also introduced to the dysfunctional Slaymaker family as they return to their childhood home and source of creepy-crawly themed trauma. The central conflict involves insect-obsessed loner Slade, who desperately tries to protect his personal bug stash from his incredibly violent and extremely emo elder brother Sydney. Syd wants to kill all bugs, it would seem, for eating their late (bug scientist) father from the inside out, which … is fair.
Running the two stories in parallel creates an interesting meld of high fantasy and more down-to-earth horror storytelling conventions, creating an eeriness that pervades both. I found the in media res beginning to the issue a little challenging, though. The intention of immersing the reader in this ongoing war was presumably to emphasize its eternal nature, but the amount of Myte lore dumped in one go was a little overwhelming. The family home setting worked better, although I couldn’t suspend my disbelief hard enough to buy Slade being portrayed as a victim despite forcing his brother to encounter an extremely traumatic experience on a daily basis. Plenty of groundwork for a second issue return done, but more needed for me to really dig into this series in the long term.
— Jake Murray
The Lucky Devils #2
W: Charles Soule | A: Ryan Browne | C: Ryan Browne & Kevin Knipstein | L: Christopher Crank | P: Image
Have you ever wanted to know how Hell’s corporate structure is designed? Have you pondered the details of lesser demons’ job descriptions? Well, look no further than The Lucky Devils, the new limited series from Charles Soule and Ryan Browne, the duo behind the hit series Eight Billion Genies.
The Lucky Devils follows two down-on-their-luck humans whose good natures are holding them back from pursuing love, success and happiness. Meandering along in their lives, it’s not until two ambitious lowly demons, Collar and Rake, offer them a Faustian bargain that they begin to navigate their way up the corporate ladder, climbing over the rivals for a taste of power and influence.
This series is a riot. The scenes in Hell have the chaotic comedic energy of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, including the demons’ dialogue. The parallels between the seven-circle (soon to be eight) management structure of Hell and corporate settings in our world are sharp and astute, and all characters, whether human or demon, feel real and relatable. The fact that Soule and Browne are able to extrapolate such an uncannily apt fictional world from a concept as silly as monetizing the concept of a “devil on your shoulder” is a testament to a creative team working in perfect harmony.
— Jake Murray
The Seasons #1
W: Rick Remender | A: Paul Azaceta | C: Matheus Lopes | L: Rus Wooton | P: Image
Oh yay, the circus is in town! Ermm, don’t you know that in The Seasons that means death? And not just the end of your corporeal form, but the decimation of your mind and soul, too. So go on, smile and wave that bright, colorful procession into town. I dare you.
That’s practically the gist of Autumn’s letter to one of her three sisters, Spring (yes, the other two are called Summer and Winter). Remender and Azaceta are after a Miyazaki-style “creepy cute” tone and style in this issue, and although they use the archetypal symbol of a clown to achieve this effect, they pull it off. Azaceta’s sense of place is wonderful. The setting has the charm of a quintessentially quaint Western European town, which his pencils combined with Lopes’ muted pastel coloring imbue with a historical stoicism. You get the sense that it’s been that way for a long time, which will surely heighten the horror when it begins to undergo its morbid transformation.
I debated the efficacy of dedicating 15-20 pages of a first issue to a girl chasing an envelope through the streets, but it works in introducing the reader to the cast of characters in the series, Kiki’s Delivery Service-style. It is overkill, though, and Remender’s peppy dialogue for Spring can only carry the momentum so far. That said, a strong start overall.
— Jake Murray
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28
W: Cody Ziglar | A: Daniele Di Nicuolo | C: Bryan Valenza | L: Cory Petit | P: Marvel
Back in Miles Morales #27, T’Challa’s friend N’yobi gave him and Miles a special key while asking if Miles was a herald of Anansi. For those not familiar, Anansi is an African trickster god of stories and symbolized by spiders. I’ve seen Anansi appear in two other comic books, Milestone Comics’ Static and the indie horror comic Is’nana the Werespider. As a result, I was only partly surprised that Anansi would appear in an issue of Miles Morales.
Occurring while Miles and T’Challa commune with the panther god Bast to cure Miles’ vampirism, Anansi is slick and smooth talking as I expected him to be thanks Cody Ziglar’s flair for character writing and Cory Petit’s red speech bubbles and font. He also looks great thanks to Daniele Di Nicuolo’s fantastic design and Bryan Valenza’s vibrant colors. Anansi claims Miles as his herald and then puts him to the test to earn Bast’s favor. Miles must defeat T’challa in combat to give Anansi “a good story,” and the tension and excitement are palpable as the issue ends.
— Latonya “Penn” Pennington
Buy Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28 here.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29
W: Cody Ziglar | A: Daniele Di Nicuolo | C: Bryan Valenza | L: Cory Petit | P: Marvel
Picking up right where the previous issue left off, Bast reveals that Miles’ bargain with Anansi has resulted in Black Panther being possessed by the Varnae again and becoming a vampire. This presents an even greater challenge to Miles by enhancing T’Challa’s abilities further and letting Miles see his own vampirism in a new light.
Things get even more interesting once Miles realizes he can’t physically hurt T’Challa. Anansi tells Miles, “This is a contest of souls!” and uses his magic to make Miles face his past in the form of villains Carnage, Raneem and the Assessor.
From this point on, Petit’s lettering, Di Nicuolo’s art and Valenza’s colors synergize with Ziglar’s writing to deliver an epic, magical series of pages. Miles confronts his fear once and for all and learns the lesson Anansi was trying to teach him. This not only concludes the “Webs of Wakanda” arc but teases possibilities for Anansi’s role in Miles’ life. Miles might not be a vampire anymore, but he’s been touched by a god, and his story has begun anew.
— Latonya “Penn” Pennington
Buy Miles Morales: Spider-Man #29 here.
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Latonya Pennington is a freelance contributor whose comics criticism can be found at Women Write About Comics, Comic Book Herald, Newsarama and Shelfdust, among others.
Jake Murray spends far too much time wondering if the New Mutants are OK. When he's not doing that, he can be found talking and writing about comics with anyone who will listen.
