A Sense of Doubt blog post #3281 - Weekly Comics for December 2023 - Comic Book Sunday for 2402.11

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3281- - Weekly Comics for December 2023 - Comic Book Sunday for 2402.11

When I started these posts, I was living in Kalamazoo, and so they were "WEEKLY" comics as I was fetching my comics weekly from Fanfare.

Since moving to PDX, and now that I no longer drive to Portland to teach twice a week, I am not typically stopping at I LIKE COMICS (where I get a few comics) here in Vancouver weekly, and I only
get my shipments monthly from Michigan. So, really, these posts should be renamed "monthly" comics. But I am still copying and pasting the lists Fanfare sends weekly, and then putting together to ordered list below of my planned reading schedule.

Also, the new Titans comic set up a conspiracy and a secret (or not so secret) society that runs through it's first story arc (so far at about seven issues and not done). One of its members -- no spoilers; I won't say which one -- is infected and controlled by an evil mastermind, and it's a smart and engaging storyline.

Commentary and mini-reviews follow.

COMICS ARRIVED - 2401.08

READING LIST


Fantastic Four #014 [Legacy #707]
Daredevil #004 [Legacy #666]
World's Finest: Teen Titans #006
Titans #006
Hawkgirl #006 of 6
World's Finest #022
Justice Society of America #008
Birds of Prey #004
Captain America #004 [Legacy #754]
Ghost Rider #021 [Legacy #264]
The Amazing Spider-Man #039 [Legacy #933]
The Amazing Spider-Man #040 [Legacy #934]
Green Lantern #006
Spider-Boy #002
Sensational She-Hulk #003 [Legacy #181]
Green Arrow #007
Geiger: Ground Zero #002
Titans: Beast World #002
Titans: Beast World #003
Superman #009 [Legacy #852]
Avengers #008 [Legacy #774]
The Invincible Iron Man #013 [Legacy #663]
The Immortal Thor #005 [Legacy #766]
Black Panther #007 [Legacy #219]
Batman #140 [Legacy #905]
Shazam #006
Batman and Robin #004
Uncanny Avengers #005
Avengers Inc #004
GODS #003
Action Comics #1060
Incredible Hulk #007 [Legacy #788]
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #013 [Legacy #295]
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #014 [Legacy #296]

SPECIAL PURCHASE

Something is Killing the Children TPB vol. 06

With the reading order, I do tend to stick with it and rarely make changes.

One reason I keep track of the reading order is to see how some titles make a jump. One such title in this month is Ghost Rider, which breaks into the top ten at tenth. It would have been higher in a month without Justice Society of America (JSA) -- as we have had many of those -- or one in which I was not so captivated by the JSA cover. Likewise, the Hawkgirl mini has ended, and so that title will not be in the top ten next month either. Same is true for the World's Finest: Teen Titans mini, which also ended this month.

I have been very taken with the Ghost Rider title lately as I love the character of Talia Warroad. The last issue was so good that this issue jumps from the bottom to the near the top of the stack. I did not know it was the last issue before a reboot when I ranked it. I found out about that before I read it, but the jump was on the strength of the story not the end of a run.

The first issue in the list is the Fantastic Four that routinely sits high on the stack if not at number one. Despite my fandom writing for Titans and love of the Legion of Superheroes as well as various superheroes, such as Daredevil and Green Lantern, Fantastic Four is so deeply rooted in my childhood along with the allure of the family concept, it's my favorite comic book of all time and favorite group. The Fantastic Four cartoon TV show played on TV when I started reading comics at the age of four, and so it assumed the mantle of my greatest love.

I have been loving this new storyline and new creative team. Shunting the Baxter Building and the children a year into the future was a smart move to fracture the team and then have them re-unite with a renewed bond. The storylines have also been clever and filled with an Americana, tour of the country flavor.

This issue was supposed to culminate with the return of the Baxter Building, and yet nothing happened. No return. Cliff-hanger!

I don't like Johnny's mustache at all, but then I am not a facial hair guy and especially dislike mustaches. So, I admit to my bias.

Likely that issue #15, Legacy #708, will hit the top of my stack next month.

The recent Daredevil run has impressed me so far even though we're only four issues into it. The "death" of Daredevil who sacrificed himself at the end of the previous saga known as Volume 7, written by Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Marco Checchetto. Known as the Red Fist saga as Matt Murdock and Elektra make a home for freed super-villains at the new stronghold of the Fist, a group dedicated to opposing the Hand and its leader the Beast, which has possessed Frank Castle, the Punisher.

Matt saves everyone from Hell but then returns with no memory of who he is and believing he is Father Matt, a priest running a children's shelter in Hell's Kitchen.

Thankfully, the new creative team of writer Saladin Ahmed and 

artist Germán Peralta abandoned the amnesia storyline almost immediately. Daredevil needs to be Daredevil after all.

Weird Science reviewer gives the comic a 7.5, which is lower than I would rate it. After all, Daredevil #3 was ninth in my November 2023 list. For it to jump from ninth to second shows that I am really loving it.

As my comments above indicate, the Titans run a close second to my beloved Fantastic Four. Even more so, the Titans I first loved were the original Teen Titans of the 1960s and 1970s before the 1980s reboot. 

The recent mini-series by writer Mark Waid and artist Emanuela Lupacchino has been at or near the top of my stack for the six months its been coming out. Pure nostalgia and adoration for DC's hot franchise given the success of the live action show and the cartoons.

Reviews:

https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/dc-comics/worlds-finest-teen-titans-(2023)

I hope there are more comics in this series as it has been absolutely fantastic. This comic is FUN, as comics should be, yet there's a strong focus on the characters.

LOVE IT!!

As I have written elsewhere on the blog, recently, comic creators have long known that part of the success of comics and what keeps readers reading is a sense of the soap opera, a melodrama driven by the characters and their interrelationships. Both the World's Finest: Teen Titans mini and the regular 

Titans title have devoted narrative attention to those relationships as the greater high-stakes plot-lines develop around the characters.

The relationships between characters are the number one thing that keeps me coming back to comics. So, to see loving attention given to the close friendships of Donna-Kory, Donna-Dick, Gar-Vic, and even the newly bloomed romantic relationship between the re-conceived Raven (Rachel) and Beast Boy (Garfield) spinning out of the TV show and the excellent YA graphic novels by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo, which I adore.

That's four of the top five.

TOP FIVE THIS MONTH

Fantastic Four #014 [Legacy #707]
Daredevil #004 [Legacy #666]
World's Finest: Teen Titans #006
Titans #006
Hawkgirl #006 of 6

My number five is the Hawkgirl (can we say, "Hawkwoman" now?), which has been at the top of my stack for the last six months because I love characters with wings, especially women characters with wings.

Also. I have always loved the Hawks in the DC universe, near the top of my fave DC superheroes.

Because of all of DC's reboots (officially three), the current Hawkgirl [sic] Kendra Saunders was in great need of some definition and character development outside of the very little she received during the run of Justice League comics before the group disbanded.

With smart writing by Jadzia Axelrod and gorgeous art by Amancay Nahuelpan and colors by Alex Guimaries and Carrie Strachan, this comic was an early read each month and a subscription pick despite my policy  of few to NO mini-series. PREVIEW ISSUE ONE.

Issue One Review.

The story focused on an adversary that Kendra had encountered as a child -- Vulpecula, which is the name of a constellation  -- and there's Mycelium, LBGTQ characters, and a re-envisioning of the nth Metal suit, wings, and weapons in Hawkgirl's arsenal.

Showing Kendra out of her hero guise to make her more human and give her an identity other than her Hawk one was a smart move, and I hope DC invests in more projects for the character in which we can see her have a more well-rounded life. The ending let's us see Kendra in her new community of friends, including a new alien hero named Taylor Barzelay, also known as  Galaxy when super-heroin', who meets and makes as a partner Katherin "Kat" Silverberg. 

Via COMIC BOOK ROUNDUP, the series consistently scored ratings in the mid-sevens out of ten except for issue four that averaged a 5.5/10 for some bizarre reason, possibly because it had a fill-in artist and not the brilliant Amancay Nahuelpan.

Like Jaymee Remolde of THE COMIC BOOK SPOT, I also hope to see more of this character. 

LOVED IT!

THE SECOND FIVE +2

World's Finest #022
Justice Society of America #008
Birds of Prey #004
Captain America #004 [Legacy #754]
Ghost Rider #021 [Legacy #264]
The Amazing Spider-Man #039 [Legacy #933]
The Amazing Spider-Man #040 [Legacy #934]

The next FIVE PLUS TWO MORE starts off with World's Finest by Mark Waid and Dan Mora that has been near the top of my stack since its debut almost two years ago.

Though it slipped for a while deep down the stack; for instance, twelfth in May 2023 and Tenth in September 2023. It topped my stack when it debuted in March 2022, and stayed in the top five for months.

It moved back into a top ten slot, here number six, with Waid returning to his Kingdom Come world for a sort of sequel with his revision of an old Superman costume/concept in Boy Thunder: David's costume as "Boy Thunder" resembles the costume worn by Nova, an alternate version of Superman from the Silver Age story, as he will become MAGOG.

Issue #23 averaged an 8.9 rating on COMIC BOOK ROUND UP and featured several 10/10 reviews, such as this one by Jeffrey Lyles.

The series had dipped a bit in the same period that it dropped in my stack, but the popular Kingdom Come storyline has scored 8.7 - 9.1 since its introduction.

I admit a strong bias for the placement of these comics with strong cover art, especially those featuring bad-ass women.

The reboot of the Justice Society of America has been high on my reading list since its debut.

I love the creative team of Geoff Johns and Mikel Janin. I adored Janin's run on Nightwing and hoped he would do more work and soon and all the time because his art is GORGEOUS in shouting all-caps!!

I am also very much a fan of the Batman-Catwoman marriage and the character of their daughter, Helena Wayne, the original Huntress. And if we can't have the main earth feature a married Batman, then maybe having Earth Two back in the storyline and Helena Wayne on Earth One calling Batman "Dad."

 

I am surprised that some of the issues via COMIC BOOK ROUNDUP have scored below eight. Though I did feel that there was a dip with Janin not on art in issue seven, and the book cannot maintain a monthly scheduled (is Janin slow? Is that why he doesn't work that much?), I am surprised to see sub-eight averages in the reviews because I feel the comic is excellent. Not always 10/10 but high eights to low nines. And I am more than okay waiting for Janin's gorgeous art. Take your time!

Issue #8 averaged only 7.8 from critics and 8.1 from readers, which I find surprising. There was only one 10/10 from Kendra Smart on Dark Knight News.

Ruby Sokov featured in this issue may become one of my newest and most favorite DC characters and maybe characters overall. SO BADASS.  The new Red Lantern? Looks like. 

AND 

-- SPOILER ALERT -- the reveal of the time travelling Ferro Boy from the Legion of Superheroes warms my heart and will vault the next issue even higher because I LOVE THE LEGION!! I did not receive a JSA issue on January, so I need another month before I can affirm moving it up.

Great Alan Scott stuff in this issue.

HIGH MARKS!

And so, Birds of Prey #4 (review = 10/10). This series topped my stack when it debuted in September, dropped to fourth in October behind Titans #004, World's Finest: Teen Titans #004, and Hawkgirl #004 of 6 descended farther in November -- seventh -- and now charts at eighth, another drop.

Now, that's not because I don't like it. I love it.

I have been a Kelly Thompson fan for a while. Loved her Captain Marvel, her Black Widow series, and  I love her original series of Black Cloak. 

I also fantasize about becoming friends with her as she lives in Portland. But then, I would love to be friends with the entire community of comic creators in Portland, but I am sure so would lots of fans.

I love the new Birds of Prey team and Leonardo Romero's art is gorgeous, which I know is the word I use a lot for art.

BIRDS OF PREY COMIC BOOK ROUNDUP  

I am not a huge Harley Quinn fan but when handled well, she's interesting. I know she's a fan favorite, so whatever. I much prefer Batgirl, Barda, Black Canary (obviously), and Zealot, who is probably my favorite character in the book. Meridian also makes an appearance in this issue as well as Sin in combat as the whole operation is to rescue her (Sin). 

Invading Themiscyra is a big enough storyline but then a major face-off of Wonder Woman and Big Barda is epic. Not surprised that Diana won because, well, you know, WONDER Woman. But then, the really big bad is introduced at the end of this comic, and it's a serious problem for the Birds and all of the island. Great stuff!!

Need to repeat this as it was way up there: 

THE SECOND FIVE +2

World's Finest #022
Justice Society of America #008
Birds of Prey #004
Captain America #004 [Legacy #754]
Ghost Rider #021 [Legacy #264]
The Amazing Spider-Man #039 [Legacy #933]
The Amazing Spider-Man #040 [Legacy #934]

I have been placing Captain America high in the order since JMS returned to Marvel and took the helm of this book. I love the idea of developing Steve Rogers' back story as a young man after his mother passed away until he became Captain America.

The rise of fascism, especially Nazis, in America in the 1930s is a fascinating historical period and also very relevant today with another rise of fascism in vogue.

I am enjoying this book a lot, though not enough for it to break the top five since it debuted. The first issue in September made just fifth in my reading order.

CAPTAIN AMERICA SERIES at COMIC BOOK ROUNDUP

Critics are not loving it, which I find odd. Then again, many hardcore fans may dislike JMS for his run on Spider-Man. 7.1 overall seems low.

I have been loving the Ghost Rider series, and I am sad to see it end.
GHOST RIDER - Comic Book Round Up


I love the character of Talia Warroad.


Overall, an 8.2 from critics and a 7.8 from readers.


It's odd to me that this book is scoring higher than Captain America. As much as I love this book, Cap is sitting higher in the stack each month. In fact, this book had fallen near the bottom of the stack and was becoming back logged until I caught up on it and them moved it higher.


I am pissed that I cannot figure out the text wrap all of the time with these visuals.


I did not know this was the last issue when I gave it a high rating.

Only one review. A 10/10 from Chase Magnet at comicbook.com.

GHOST RIDER #21

After two years on the shelves at your local comic shop, the latest Ghost Rider run has drawn to a close. Though it will soon be revived with new numbering, this current iteration draws to an ideal close and it sets the Spirit of Vengeance an entirely new path after tying the lingering plot threads into a nice celebratory knot. At the very least, Percy and Smith can applaud themselves on a job well done on introducing Talia Warroad, one of the best, most complex new characters introduced to the Marvel stable of heroes in recent memory. -- Adam Barnhardt

Rating: 5 out of 5

The Amazing Spider-Man COMIC BOOK ROUND UP

Zeb Wells' run on The Amazing Spider-Man has been really great. I was hooked from the start with the mystery of why MJ was married with kids and everyone was pissed at Peter, even Aunt May.

Then the comic fell in my stack, but I like the Gang War storyline, so it moved back up into the top ten, sort of.

I love that Romita Jr is back to drawing it all.

One of the strengths of Spider-Man stories are much like that of others like Superman: large casts: a community with many interactions and relationships.

A storyline like Gang War relies on that huge ensemble cast.

Love it!

AND THE REST

Green Lantern #006
Spider-Boy #002
Sensational She-Hulk #003 [Legacy #181]
Green Arrow #007
Geiger: Ground Zero #002
Titans: Beast World #002
Titans: Beast World #003
Superman #009 [Legacy #852]
Avengers #008 [Legacy #774]
The Invincible Iron Man #013 [Legacy #663]
The Immortal Thor #005 [Legacy #766]
Black Panther #007 [Legacy #219]
Batman #140 [Legacy #905]
Shazam #006
Batman and Robin #004
Uncanny Avengers #005
Avengers Inc #004
GODS #003
Action Comics #1060
Incredible Hulk #007 [Legacy #788]
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #013 [Legacy #295]
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #014 [Legacy #296]

SPECIAL PURCHASE

Something is Killing the Children TPB vol. 06

Green Lantern has moved up from the bottom of the stack in recent months because of its storyline with Sinestro. The lure of “what will happen next” – if strong enough – always gives a title a boost. Meanwhile, Green Arrow has dropped as that story has resolved.

The new Spider-Boy has dropped from its debut high in the stack: It was number one last month when the first issue dropped. I like it very much but not enough for to crack the top ten in this month with all the titles I have described above. I love the retcon of using alternate universes to give Spider-Man a kid sidekick and then play out the conflict that ensues as Peter does not recall a kid sidekick and does not want a kid sidekick.

Sensational She-Hulk has plummeted. It was a very highly rated comic for a long time because I ADORE Rainbow Rowell. I do love it still but not to read ahead of all those other comics.

Though I like the comic, Geiger: Ground Zero would languish near the bottom of the stack, but this second issue gets a higher rank because of how much I liked the first issue. 

Not thrilled about Beast World after the first issue, but it fares better in January as issues four-six make the top ten. 

Superman had been a top ten book for a while with the new creative team, but it fell after Jamal Campbell left the book. I had not noticed that this issue featured Bruno Redondo from Nightwing, and so it ranks much higher next month (January comics are already here because it took me too long to write this entry). I LOVE the cliff-hanger to this issue of Superman. One of my favorite sequences in Avengers is the jaunt back to the Old West for Hawkeye working with the Two-Gun Kid and the Rawhide Kid. Great stuff. So, to see Superman have a similar time trip: love it. 

I am on the fence on whether I love this current Avengers reboot. I weary of reboots. Also, I feel like too many world-ending threats are not good for the book. I get that they save the world a lot, but all the time? 

Iron Man has been fun with Tony losing his company, his armor, using up all his money to buy all his weapons and hide them, then join the Hellfire Club, and marry Emma Frost to help take down Orchis. Great stuff and has been higher in past months. 

The Immortal Thor jumped from the bottom of the stack on the strength of the storyline. It had been down with Incredible Hulk as I am not feeling it with either book. But curiosity of what happens next gave Thor a boost and will do the same for Hulk next month. 

The rest are good books, but not everything can get high in the stack. Ultimately, I have to make choices. I had dropped Miles Morales: Spider-Man and then I added it back. I may drop it again if it does not improve. 

I am lukewarm on all these books, even though I love Dan Mora who is drawing Shazam with Mark Waid writing. I like Eve Ewing a lot, and Black Panther is interesting, but I can wait to read it. Same for the rest of these books. Is Uncanny Avengers over? I was not thrilled with the revelation of the identity of Captain Krakoa. To do that and not have it related to the X-Men was a huge misstep, IMHO.

And my special purchase. I love Something is Killing the Children, but I decided to switch to buying it in trades rather than single issues to try to reduce my monthly spending. I could see a lot of these books in the lower end of the stack get cut. I did drop Detective Comics a few months ago mainly because of too many issues per month that I was not reading. 

I may make more major cuts unless I can increase my income. 

That’s it for this entry. A really long one, but I like doing these from time to time. 

Not everyone out there who might read my blog will like this entry but some will. Really, like most of the blog, it’s just for me. 

Thanks for tuning in, if you did, and HUGE thanks if you read this whole thing!

COVER GALLERY

WEEKLY COMIC EMAIL LISTS

Happy New Comic Day!

 

The following comics will be ready for pickup on December, 6th.

 

If you have any questions please call us at 269-349-8866 or reply to this email. Thanks!

The following subscription(s) have arrived for you:

Qty	Price	Description
1	$5.99	Amazing Spider-Man #39
1	$3.99	Avengers #8
1	$4.99	Batman #140 Cvr A Jorge Jimenez
1	$3.99	Birds of Prey #4 Cvr A Leonardo Romero
1	$4.99	Daredevil #4
1	$3.99	Fantastic Four #14
1	$3.99	Invincible Iron Man #13
1	$3.99	Shazam #6 Cvr A Dan Mora
Total:	$35.92

Fanfare
4308 S. Westnedge Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008

269-349-8866
comicpull@fanfareland.com 

Happy New Comic Day!

 

The following comics will be ready for pickup on December, 13th.

 

If you have any questions please call us at 269-349-8866 or reply to this email. Thanks!

The following subscription(s) have arrived for you:

Qty	Price	Description
1	$4.99	Action Comics #1060 #1060 Cvr A Steve Beach (Titans Beast Wo
1	$4.99	Batman and Robin #4 Cvr A Simone Di Meo
1	$4.99	Captain America #4
1	$4.99	Green Lantern #6 #6 Cvr A Xermanico
1	$4.99	Immortal Thor #5
1	$3.99	Miles Morales Spider-Man #13
1	$4.99	Titans Beast World #2 (of 6) Cvr A Ivan Reis & Danny Miki
1	$3.99	Worlds Finest Teen Titans #6 (of 6) #6 (of 6) Cvr A Chris Sa
Total:	$37.92

Fanfare
4308 S. Westnedge Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008

269-349-8866
comicpull@fanfareland.com 

Happy New Comic Day!

 

The following comics will be ready for pickup on December, 20th.

 

If you have any questions please call us at 269-349-8866 or reply to this email. Thanks!

The following subscription(s) have arrived for you:

Qty	Price	Description
1	$4.99	Amazing Spider-Man #40
1	$3.99	Batman Superman Worlds Finest #22 #22 Cvr A Dan Mora
1	$3.99	Geiger Gr ound Zero #2 (of 2) Cvr A Frank (Mr)
1	$4.99	Gods #3
1	$3.99	Hawkgirl #6 (of 6) #6 (of 6) Cvr A Amancay Nahuelpan
1	$3.99	Incredible Hulk #7
1	$4.99	Spider-Boy #2
1	$4.99	Superman #9 #9 Cvr A Jamal Campbell
1	$3.99	Uncanny Avengers #5 (of 5)
Total:	$39.91

Fanfare
4308 S. Westnedge Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008

269-349-8866
comicpull@fanfareland.com 



I LIKE COMICS - 2312.22

Punisher #002

Guardians of the Galaxy #009 [Legacy #189]
Daredevil: Gang War #001
Doctor Strange #010 [Legacy #436]
Catwoman #60
Nightwing #109
Wonder Woman #004 [Legacy #804]
X-Men #029
Moonknight #029
Moonknight #030
Flash #003 [Legacy #803]

Happy New Comic Day!

 

The following comics will be ready for pickup on December, 27th.

 

If you have any questions please call us at 269-349-8866 or reply to this email. Thanks!

The following subscription(s) have arrived for you:

Qty	Price	Description
1	$3.99	Avengers Inc #4
1	$3.99	Black Panther #7
1	$4.99	Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Gang War #1 - REMOVED
1	$4.99	Ghost Rider #21
1	$3.99	Green Arrow #7 (of 12) Cvr A Sean Izaakse
1	$3.99	Justice Society of America #8 (of 12) Cvr A Mikel Janin
1	$3.99	Miles Morales Spider-Man #14
1	$4.99	Previews #424 January 2024
1	$3.99	Sensational She-Hulk #3
1	$3.99	Titans #6 Cvr A Clayton Henry
1	$4.99	Titans Beast World #3 (of 6) Cvr A Ivan Reis & Danny Miki
Total:	$47.89

< br>Fanfare
4308 S. Westnedge Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008

269-349-8866
comicpull@fanfareland.com 

Happy New Comic Day!

 

The following comics will be ready for pickup on January, 31st.

 

If you have any questions please call us at 269-349-8866 or reply to this email. Thanks!

The following subscription(s) have arrived for you:

Qty	Price	Description
1	$3.99	Avengers Inc #5
1	$3.99	Incredible Hulk #8
1	$4.99	Previews #425 February 2024
1	$4.99	Spider-Boy #3
1	$5.99	Titans Beast World #6 (of 6) Cvr A Ivan Reis
Total:	$23.95

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2402.11 - 10:10

- Days ago = 3145 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.