The Pull List: 29 August 2018

Still running terribly behind: here are the comics I read from 29 August, starting with Isola #5. Rook and Olwyn have reached the limit of their escape, with nowhere left to go. Hovering between life and death, Olwyn has a vision of her departed brother.

The art in Isola is astounding. It looks like a weird, glossy cross between a quality anime and a Walt Disney feature. Five issues in, and at the conclusion of the first 'chapter' (a trade paperback is out), and the quality hasn't faltered or slipped. This is one of the most attractively illustrated American comics of the year.

The story is evocative and driven by a strong action-oriented momentum. Background detail is being drip-fed to the reader one issue at a time. That cannot last forever, of course. Future arcs (issue 6 is due in January) are going to need to bed down some background context if Isola is going to continue being entertaining. This fifth issue does not quit nail the landing either, and could have done with a firmer footing: either a stronger conclusion or a stronger cliffhanger. Fletcher and Kerschl wind up somewhere in between.

These past five issues have been superb, but something needs tightening up soon if it's going to continue being such a high-quality work. Fingers crossed we get something in 2019. (4/5)

Isola #5. Image. Written by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl. Art and colours by Karl Kerschl and Msassyk.

Under the cut: reviews of Batgirl, Daredevil, Ms Marvel, and Star Wars: Poe Dameron.

The Angriest: November 2018 in review

I spent November in Singapore on vacation and in Taipei serving on the Fipresci Prize Jury at the Taiwan Golden Horse Film Festival, and that didn't leave too much room for writing. Hopefully I can find time to speed up the schedule before the end of the year. With only one piece published this past month on The Angriest, the most popular post was a foregone conclusion. Over at FictionMachine it was a bit more competitive, but the review of The Meg won through - everyone loves reading about bad movies.

Overall in November I wrote two short essays on Japanese silent film, seven film reviews, and short reviews of eight comics books. A list of all posts is included below.

The Pull List: 22 August 2018

These reviews, thanks to work pressures and international travel, are ridiculously far behind. There may come a time when I cut my losses on 2018 comic book reviews, but until then we shall continue plugging along. Here are titles read from 22 August, starting with the new miniseries Batman: Kings of Fear, from Scott Peterson and Kelley Jones.

There have been so many Batman comic books published over the decades that it really can get difficult for writers to find new angles and story ideas. Kings of Fear certainly doesn't kick off in the freshest of fashions: Batman recaptures a runaway Joker, and then has to enter Arkham Asylum to defeat him again. It's standard stuff for the character, although it does dangle some intriguing criticism of Batman's methods at one point that could lead somewhere if writer Scott Peterson is bold enough to extend it fully.

Visually there are some inventive panels and pages, but ultimately how much one likes it will come down to how much one enjoys the art of Kelley Jones. A noted Batman artist of past years, Jones has a distinctive and exaggerated style to which I've never quite warmed. Your taste may vary. (3/5)

Batman: Kings of Fear #1. DC Comics. Written by Scott Peterson. Art by Kelley Jones. Colours by Michelle Madsen.

Under the cut: reviews of Action Comics, Daredevil, Detective Comics, Justice League Dark, Star Wars: Darth Vader, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, and The Terrifics.

The Angriest: October 2018 in review

I spent the whole of October on long-service leave (it's an Australian thing) and mostly overseas, so there wasn't too much blogging going on around the net. A review of the 2000 Sega Dreamcast game Samba de Amigo did, however, get a huge number of hits on The Angriest. Over at FictionMachine, the most-read new review was of the Australian fantasy film Harmony.

In total October saw the publication of three new and festival film reviews, one older film review, one videogame reviews, and short reviews of 10 comic books. A full index is included below.

The Pull List: 15 August 2018

One day soon, when The Wicked + the Divine has concluded, I am going to go back and re-read the entire series from issue #1. It is such an exceptionally developed and presented work that it just begs for additional scrutiny, and time to really appreciate what an excellent work of narrative art it is. The story is complex and has gradually unfolded in the most effective of ways. The artwork is among the best being published today.

In the 38th issue, a lot of questions are raised. Someone dead may be alive. Someone may be giving up godhood. Someone else has gone missing from, well, pretty much everywhere. Things are clearly nearing the ultimate climax, and it's all getting rather intense.

Every time I praise this series I find myself compelled to start with Jamie McKelvie's artwork. Simply put, there's no one in the industry who captures emotions on face than he does. He accentuates the emotion of Gillen's scripts immeasurably. He makes the characters seem real. I don't know how many more issues we've got to go, but he's making every one of them an absolute treasure. (4/5)

The Wicked + the Divine #38. Image. Written by Kieron Gillen. Art by Jamie McKelvie. Colours by Matthew Wilson.

Under the cut: reviews of Aquaman, Batman, Batwoman, Beneath the Dark Crystal, Doctor Strange, Justice League, Ninja-K, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Wars: Poe Dameron, Usagi Yojimbo, and The Wild Storm.

Dreamcast 20 #15: Samba de Amigo

2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the Dreamcast, Sega's final - and in my opinion the finest - home videogame console. Despite a range of excellent games, it simply failed to compete against Sony's PlayStation 2. To celebrate, The Angriest counts down its 20 best games.

As I noted in an earlier review of Sega Bass Fishing 2, the Dreamcast was a console big on peripherals, with multiple titles making use of their own dedicated controllers. Samba de Amigo is another one. A charming rhythm action game, it's core appeal came in its own special extras: a pair of maracas.

Seriously, who doesn't want to play a smiling monkey shaking a pair of maracas in time with the music?

The Pull List: 8 August 2018, Part 2

Rice and Mac break all manner of laws pursuing their alien suspect, and enter the spaceport for the first time. Some period later, their encounter is discussed on the news, and some difficult questions are asked.

There is a superb slow build to Port of Earth, as each issue pushes the core narrative forward to the next surprise and then comments on and illuminates the action via the framing device of a television interview. This drip-fed world building makes this an addictive read, as well as a smart and political slice of science fiction.

I am particularly liking Andrea Mutti's artwork, which has a semi-realistic, rather scratchy style that enhances the drama nicely. This is a very dramatic, straight-faced work, without much room for comedy in Zack Kaplan's scripts. It's been progressively getting better too; it's worth getting the first two trade paperbacks to catch up. (4/5)

Port of Earth #8. Image. Written by Zack Kaplan. Art by Andrea Mutti. Colours by Vladimir Popov.

Under the cut: reviews of Catwoman, Daredevil, Detective Comics, Doctor Who, Hawkman, Invader Zim, Mech Cadet Yu, Oblivion Song, and Spider-Man.

The Angriest: September 2018 in review

Reviews of comic books, including Giant Days and The Immortal Hulk, proved the most popular new post at The Angriest last month. Over at FictionMachine it was a retrospective review of Spider-Man 2 that proved the greatest new attraction.

It was a slow month in September due to work and health commitments. That said, it was very much a month for quality over quantity: online publications included an interview with Star Trek's Gates McFadden and a full-length essay on Japanese classic Humanity and Paper Balloons, plus reviews of four new theatrical and festival releases, three older films, the first episode of The Crown, and short reviews of 19 comic books. All the links are below the cut: