Comics of the Week

Morning Glories #9 went back and covered what happened to Jun during the events of the first issues when he snuck out of the dorm on his own, and uses this to give us his back story. There are twists throughout, and while none of them are necessarily shocking, the overall story is very well told. Nick Spencer has demonstrated that he knows when to drop pieces of the puzzle and use them to reveal character and depth. Joe Esima's art is masterful. The pages really do come alive. I would love to see this series in an animated version, using Esima's art. There really wasn't one moment in the book I could single out, as the whole issue was just very well put together. I highly recommend getting on board with this series from issue 1.

Detective Comics #876 starts a new story arc with a mystery. A killer whale carcass is found in the lobby of a bank one morning and Commisioner Gordon calls in Dick Grayson (not Batman) to help with the investigation. The story, I'm sure, will progress beautifully in the hands of Snyder as we continue to learn about Gordon's son and Dick's past. There are no complaints about the writing here. But this issue is about the art. Jock is a master. There's really no other way to say it. Turning a page to find this image made me stop and just stare for a bit.

My return to Marvel continues with FF#2. It turns out Hickman isn't all about high concept (Pax Romana, S.H.I.E.L.D.). Here, he demonstrates his ability to play with characters. It's a high compliment that I've never read Fantastic Four or really cared too much about them, but reading this series, it all still rings true. The chemistry of these characters is very clear, and makes me want to see more of their interactions, both negative and positive. Here, Doom has been brought in by one of Reed's children. The mission is to cure Doom, who apparently had suffered a great reduction in his brain (I believe this happened during the Fall of the Hulks storyline). Hickman and Epting manage to put you in the room for every moment, no matter how subtle. I don't know how they manage it, but I can hear the pauses in this exchange, even though there are no wordless panels in it.