Recently,
I’ve been on a reading jag involving comic books. I don’t know why, but I’ve been on a comic
book binge like never before—and, honestly, I couldn’t be happier. I love comic books and graphic novels. I read them when I was younger, but I fell out
of step with them during high school and college. I rediscovered them thanks to a local
establishment (Mountain Empire Comics, in case you were curious) and a very
special series named Spider-Gwen. The rest, as they say, is history.
Here’s
a glimpse at some of the comics I’ve been reading up on:
Lumberjanes
is a delightful adventure series featuring five very talented young women: Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley. At Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul
Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types, these friends spend their
summer solving mysteries, exploring secret caves, fighting three-eyed foxes
and, in general, uncovering the mysterious creatures lurking in the woods
around camp. The first volume, Beware the Kitten Holy, is a hilarious
debut for the series that captures all the humor and vitality of these
characters possess while simultaneously creating a story that’s both fun and
compelling. Yes, it does border on
absurd, but I enjoyed every minute.
In
particular, I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Jo is highly intelligent, specializing in
mathematics and puzzles, and she’s absolutely fearless; April is dramatic and
witty, and she has more than a few surprises up her sleeves; Molly is an
incredible archer (which does come in handy during their various
misadventures), and she has an unexpected companion I was more than happy to
meet in later issues; Mal is cautious, but she’s incredibly detail-oriented and
highly skilled at crafting plans, even on the fly; and Ripley, while naïve and
childish, is a ball of energy willing to take on any task—even if it means
riding like a rodeo cowboy on the back of a raptor. They’re great characters to meet, and I
enjoyed following them as they took on the supernatural creatures around camp
and discovered how far they’re willing to go to preserve their friendship.
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The
new Thor, which features a masked
heroine taking the place of the god of thunder, is pretty fantastic. Starting with Thor: Goddess of Thunder,
the series explores the political and social relationships between the
different realms of Asgard and Midgard—and, of course, features a kick-butt
heroine wielding Mjolnir. It picks up
where Original Sin left off and,
while it doesn’t go into a lot of detail about previous events, it manages to
give readers enough detail that they can continue unimpeded. Although some of the Norse mythology woven
into the story can get a bit complex, it’s a decent place to start the series
and it’s a great stepping stone into the world of Asgard.
On
the whole, I enjoyed reading about the new Thor. She’s much the same as her predecessor: serious, snappish, slightly egotistical;
however, she has a better sense of humor, which I found I appreciated, and she
has a closer connection to the human world.
Moreover, I loved listening to her internal narration. Although her voice is modified by the magic
of Mjolnir, readers have the opportunity to hear her own unique, internal voice
that’s more easily accessible and relatable.
She speaks as a human being would, a quality that helps to mark her
apart as a hero and a god but also a mortal.
She’s something special, something vastly different from the other gods
and goddesses of Asgard—and I’m intrigued to see where her story will lead.
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I
actually liked reading the new Archie series; in fact, I enjoyed it a lot more
than I expected. I’ve never been a big
fan of Archie, rather I have always been and will always be an ardent admirer
of superheroes—like Batman, Spider-Gwen, Ms. Marvel, Superman, Daredevil, and
Squirrel Girl. However, I was pleasantly
surprised by The New Riverdale and I
was pleased to know Archie was in the hands of Mark Waid. This latest incarnation of Archie is both
humorous and fun, paying homage to the original series while creating a brand
new world with intricate relationships and infinite new complexities. It’s actually pretty great, and I enjoyed my
time spent in Riverdale.
I
also enjoyed reading Afterlife with
Archie, a spinoff series that features Riverdale in a post-apocalyptic,
zombie-infested world. Riverdale is
ground zero thanks to a well-intentioned spell by Sabrina, and Archie’s life
will never be the same. Not only does
the volume offer an intriguing blend of horror and reality, it gives you a new
perspective on the characters everyone knows and loves. Seriously, you’ll never look at Jughead the
same way again. It’s absolutely
gut-wrenching to see the gradual collapse of Riverdale and it tore at my heart
to see the safe, calm serenity of Archie’s world turned upside- down, but it
was so good. The story is solid and
stands on its own, which I appreciated since I have zero experience with Archie
and his friends.
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For
centuries, the residents of Fabletown have lived in secrecy, living below the
radar after the Adversary chased them from their mythical kingdoms. Snow White, along with King Cole, keep
Fabletown running smoothly—until Rose Red, Snow’s sister, winds up dead. Between Fabletown and the Farm, Snow will be
kept on her toes and, along with Bigby (who is otherwise known as the Big Bad
Wolf), she’ll have to solve a heinous murder…and hope she can keep the peace in
the process. Or she might just die
trying. Altogether, Fables is a fascinating series full of all the characters, fairy
tales, myths and legends that everyone knows and loves.
Sometimes
fun, sometimes explicit, Fables offers
a new twist on old favorites and creates a unique world with quirky character
and strange villains, all mixed together with a dash of political
intrigue. It was always interesting to
watch their lives unfold, to see how their relationships would further develop,
since everyone literally knows or knows of everyone else. All the denizens of Fabletown have a history
with one another: Everyone fears Bigby,
because he was once the Big Bad Wolf who gobbled up unsuspecting travelers in
the forests, and yet he’s Fabletown’s enforcer; Bluebeard is a homicidal maniac
who has managed to ingratiate himself into the political and social scenes of
Fabletown; Snow White is sister to flighty Rose Read, first wife to a
promiscuous Prince Charming, and right hand to King Cole, mayor of Fabletown;
Little Boy Blue is an assistant to Snow, helping to keep Fabletown running
smoothly; Jack (of “Jack and the Beanstalk” fame) is a con-artist and computer hacker
with a less-than-stellar record. And
that’s just the tip of the ice berg!
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Batwoman begins with a
little prequel called Elegy, which
details Batwoman’s origin story and her most recent tang with the dark side of
Gotham; however, I picked it up with the first volume, Hydrology. In Hydrology, Batwoman is confronted by a
sinister spirit known as La Llorona, or the “Weeping Woman,” which haunts the
barrio, kidnapping children, murdering parents, and sowing fear and discord
among the survivors. But there’s
something darker going on in the background, a mysterious force under the
control of Medusa that’s set to unleash the Mother of All Monsters—and turn
Gotham into ground zero for the end of the world.
I
fell in love with Batwoman. Admittedly, it took me some time to sink into
the story and, moreover, get used to the confusing art direction, but, overall,
I’ve enjoyed reading about Kate Kane and her surprisingly gifted “family” of
superheroes. Filled with beautiful art
and complex character stories, which wind through the DC Universe with abandon,
Batwoman is a singularly incredible
series that struck just the right notes—all at once macabre, beautiful, and
compelling. Although I took to liking
some of the later volumes more (see: This Blood is Thick and Webs), I thoroughly enjoyed reading all
the Batwoman comics available at my
library.
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