By Joe C.
My name is Joe and I’m picking up the GeekingAlly Weekly Pull where TAG left off. These are big shoes to fill, but Wednesday is the best day of the week and that can’t continue to go unnoticed! With that being said, it looks to be a good week for comics!
Flash No. 6 hits this week, the start of the second arc for the new series. Has it been groundbreaking or revolutionary up until now? No. Has it been one of the best-looking books of the reboot? Yes. Like Batwoman I’d be happy to pick it up just to look at the art. Fortunately for all of us, while nothing exactly new, the story has at least been entertaining. I’ve been especially impressed with the way Francis Manapul depicts the Speed Force. It’s hard to show a brain working at light speed, but he manages to pull it off with some inventive panel and page layouts. Admittedly I haven’t read a Flash book with any regularity in years, so it’s nice to get to know Barry Allen again, and with the gorgeous art, it’s well worth the $2.99.
Did you know the ‘90s are retro cool? Does that make you feel old? (Hint: it should.) Unfortunately, no amount of ‘90s
retro nostalgia can make Rob Liefeld cool again. Sorry, it’s just not gonna happen. We’ve been there, Rob, and I’m sorry but…it’s over. It’s not you, it’s me. I’ve changed. So imagine my surprise when I picked up Prophet No. 21. This is technically the first issue, but I read that Image is keeping the numbering where the old series left off. This seems unnecessarily confusing since nothing else is the same. I vaguely remember the original series, but when I think back on it, all I can remember are huge shoulder pads and improbable anatomy. This new series couldn’t be more different. The art is the opposite of Liefeld’s hyper-detailed, impossible proportions. It’s not exactly primitive, but the characters and scenery are ugly and feel slightly dirty. I kind of want to take a shower after I read it. The story, at least the little bit that’s been explained, is hard sci-fi, with futuristic weapons, alien societies, and living spaceships. There’s also a pretty gross human/alien sex scene. Don’t let the Liefeld association scare you off—this is one of the more original, interesting books to come out lately. A word of warning: It’s definitely got a weird feel to it. Not as weird as that Omega the Unknown reboot that Marvel put out a while back, but close. Prophet No. 21 sold out before release, but No. 22 drops this week, so it’s not too late to jump on.
What do Valkyrie, Black Widow, Ant Man, Giant Man, Beast, Hawkeye, and Captain Britain all have in common? They’re all (surprisingly) featured in the new arc of Secret Avengers. Did you see that line up? Ant Man AND Giant Man? Captain Britain?! I’m a total sucker for seemingly random teams, so this had my name all over it. Put Rick Remender on writing and Gabriel Hardman on art? Gravy. The new arc technically started with the last issue, but you can still probably get your hands on a copy. Number 23 drops this week, and I would highly suggest jumping on while the jumping’s good. Secret Avengers has been one of the most consistently enjoyable of the 10,000 Avengers-related books that come out each month, and this new arc looks to keep that momentum going. If anyone can follow Ed Brubaker, Scott Snyder, and Warren Ellis, Remender’s the guy for the job.
