Pantheon36's Profile

This is a surprisingly strong issue. Three short stories that both movie the larger Valiant universe story forward and are each really satisfying (and pretty creepy) tales. Vertigo-esque is probably overused qualifier in horror comics reviews, but those are the vibes I got from this one. The art in each is well fitted to the story. Overall, it is among the best of what Alien Books has offered so far in it's Valiant publications. I wasn't sure about what would come of this book, but it was really good. Very pleasantly surprised.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man 8 is a fantastic study in comic book pacing. Catching a breather after the Carnage crossover, the story takes some time to reconnect with the Miles Morales part of the title. The slow build up of a slice of our hero's personal life and introduction of the next threat explodes with a fantastic two-page spread that models how to do two-page spreads right. It kicks off a swirling set of pages that brings everything to a breathless conclusion. Really excellent comics!

I'm really enjoying how so many elements of this series (and Sword before it) is coming together. The broad and unpredictable potential of what's possible in the Mars-Arrako saga has been why this has been to me the most interesting of the current x-books. These recent issues are really paying off that potential well. They have also been a great showcase all the things that make Storm such a cool character.

I came to this book based on the strength of Elena Casagrande's art and I'm glad I did. This issue clearly takes stylistic inspiration from the movie, but it's not a rehash. If this series fulfills the promise of this first issue it should be something special. This is one of the strongest first issues I've read in a while. Hill and Casagrande use the movies as a tonal springboard and as a means of subverting expectations, while also building on the flawed character Balde has always been in the comics. The art is innovative and propulsive. The story is tight and surprising. Great comics come when the story/art whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That's the case here. Here's hoping after 25 years they've found a way to realize Blade's movie potential on the page.