Phonogram: The Singles Club #2 (of 7) — Writer: Kieron Gillen; Art: Jamie McKelvie, Emma Vieceli and Daniel Heard A twenty-something guy goes to a club and hears a song that reminds him of a former girlfriend. That’s all that happens, but boy, is it well done — haunting, even, and that’s the point. Gillen, who’s starting to get some mainstream US work (he did the Namor story in the Dark Reign: The Cabal anthology this week), isn’t afraid to trust his readers’ intelligence, and his quiet “music is magic” theme resonates with anyone who’s ever had a song transport … Continue reading →

War Machine #5 — Writer: Greg Pak;  Artist: Leonardo Manco Nova #24 — Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning;  Artist: Andrea DeVito If you want to feel old, consider that the current generation of younger comics creators grew up in the ’90s, and were influenced by books of that era. James Rhodes, the title character in War Machine, now looks exactly like Deathlok, and from the dark, Simon Biselyesque art to the grim government-conspiracy storylines, this has the sensibility of titles like that and, say, Ghost Rider.  Nova comes more out of the shinier, continuity-heavy early-’90s cosmic romps like Quasar; … Continue reading →

Detective #853 — Writer: Neil Gaiman;  Pencils: Andy Kubert;  Inks: Scott Williams This two-parter’s been controversial with reviewers — some have liked it quite a bit; others have found it flat and disappointing — and I suspect the divide is… not age, exactly, but family status. If you’re a parent, its picture-book reference toward the end (I’ve got that thing memorized, too, having read it to my own kids a million times) and snake-swallowing-its-own-tale conclusion are just right; that would be Bruce Wayne’s reward (other than “you get to be Batman”): a few years of childhood happiness, followed by a … Continue reading →