I just picked up the first issue of Boomuda Triangle (I was so hyped for this that I’m writing this in my car outside the comic book store) and the short and sweet answer is: I liked it a lot and am really looking forward to where it goes).
Having the same writer as the Spelldon/Valentine Pride stories was a great idea.
I do with the same artist would have also returned, but I really liked the art in this issue.
EXCEPT: it’s already been mentioned that while this artist is very talented, their paneling was good, they have a good sense of anatomy, Spelldon’s face and hair is made to look less black. His curl pattern is lessened and his nose is very straight. He still has full lips though and he was NOT done as dirty as Clawd and to a lesser extent Clawdeen in the Pride comic (which seemed to have not been noticed by many people when those comics came out) and several other comics (if I was home now, I would look up examples).
I don’t know if this is a note from Mattel or not. That could be an unfortunate case if it was. It could be his new face mold (which would suck and not be surprising…), and the artist was prompted to draw Spelldon this way (they seem to be able to draw black characters in some of their other art)??
Synopsis (here be spoilers):
Valentine and Spelldon are on summer break, Valentine is working at the pet store again, while Spelldon’s mom Circe got him an internship with the Cartographer (a powerful witch that lives in the Boomuda Triangle that tries to keep all the time lines and worlds straight).
Spelldon is hoping to learn to how to think on his feet more (he’s shown to be a great student, but very reliant on book-knowledge spells, which causes him to freeze up when he’s trying to break Valentine’s fall, which causes him to sprain his wrist).
Valentine is worried he’ll move on without him (he’s gotten a bit clingy now that he’s found love) and sneaks along with him.
They argue when Valentine appears and due to Valentine grabbing a few items that the Cartographer had told him not to touch, they end up ripping up The Atlas and taking a pocket watch that always points the way home (The Wind Rose) causing them to get sucked apart through time.
Spelldon wakes up to find another version of himself.
The good:
I already mentioned the writing (Spelldon and Valentine are adorable in this) and for most part the artwork (the hands look NORMAL, the characters show emotion well, anatomy looks good, the clothing has weight, the backgrounds are lovely, the coloring is good, the lighting is nice, the animals are drawn well) are all standouts.
The cover options were great too (and it looks like the Next issues will also be cool).
We get to see more from Spelldon’s point of view, I love that we are fleshing him out more.
I also like Valentine’s new outfit.
We get to see bat Valentine.
And Valentine tells Spelldon he loves him.
We see a chimera or manticore (a backgrounder) in Monster High (I believe for the first time for either of those).
The airplane’s design (with the bat wings and bird feet) look very fun.
Easter Eggs/Callbacks:
Valentine is working at the pet store again and some references to the first time he worked at the pet store (the flying monkeys).
There is also a gremlin’s reference on the wall.
Spelldon gets to interact with his sister (I wish she had a more lax outfit here, but their interaction is great, we get to learn a bit more about how Casta was in school, not a grade-a student and she can “totally handle 20 spells).
They even mention how his mom Circe is not a fan of talking to mansters.
Whisp shows up again, and Heath and Howleen are seen in the background of a café eating together (I want to know what’s going on there).
The rug in the Cartographer’s room looks like it’s from Ancient Greece, so I wonder if that will call back to Circe somehow??
The Cartographer (who might be a vampire due to his exposed features or maybe Valentine due to him also loooking like him and the rose he wears being a Valentine motif) and Murk (a shadow creature front the edge of the unknown are all new characters) are new characters and Murk can shapeshift. Murk is also brought back in time with Spelldon.
Spelldon not only has a new shaved heart pattern in the back of his head, but
he seems to be wearing two jackets, and his earrings also lightly changes too.
He is still wearing a black rose bracelet from the first pride issue.
There is an interview with the writer of the comic in the back too, which is also cool to see.
Critiques:
From my quick read through, mostly just Spelldon’s nose and hair.
Valentine is really clingy here, but I do think it’s because Spelldon is the first person he’s actually truly loved and is afraid to let him go. I think this comic will deal with him learning to let go. We don’t want an Anakin/Padme situation here. Ha!
what were your thoughts? Have you read it yet?? Do you plan to? Let me know. I’m clearing my schedule tomorrow to do an actual break down of this, so hopefully that comes to fruition.
I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon.
Before I get to the reviews, I am once again asking you to call your representatives in the United States and say NO ON HR 7661! This is a federal book banning bill which would cut funding to any public school in the US which offered programing or books which "involves gender dysphoria or transgenderism" (direct quote from this shitty bill, which you can read in full here.) This would essentially ban every book I've ever published from all public schools in the country unless they were willing to risk their funding. Here's a very short and simple call script: "My name is [name] and I'm calling from [city, state, zip code]. I'm calling to ask [Congress person's name] to vote no on HR 7661. I oppose HR 7661 because it would restrict student's access to books and would specifically harm trans, nonbinary, and intersex students. Please stand against book bans!"
Reviews below the cut.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Set in a world inspired by precolonial Central America, this epic fantasy opens with an incredibly grabbing first chapter. Twelve year old Serapio's mother carves crow wings into her son's back, blinds him, and then jumps to her death in an elaborate ritual to seal some of the crow god's power into Serapio's body. She aims to make him a tool of vengeance against the Sun god, whose priests rule as one of the main powers in the holy city of Tova. The story also introduces a sailing captain, Xiala, who has the power to call on the sea's aid through her mother's mermaid lineage, Naranpa, a child of the slums who rises to power in the priest's tower, and Okoa, son of the crow clan matron. All four of their lives will end up colliding on the day of a solar eclipse which shifts all the balances of power. I had a good time with this novel, it's very fast paced, and I enjoyed being in the world it paints. My one complain is that the writing is fairly basic- some of the descriptions and emotional moments fell a bit flat for me. But also the book had such a cliffhanger but also satisfying ending that I did immediately pick up book two because I definitely want to know what happens!
Tamon’s B-Side vol 1 by Yuki Shiwasu translated by Amanda Haley
Utage is a huge fan of the jpop group F/ACE and is shocked when (within the first couple pages) her part time housekeeper job places her in the house of her bias, Tamon. Tamon is the sexy, confident visual of the group on stage, but it turns out when he is off stage he is a depressed little gremlin who struggles with self-esteem, self-care, and feelings of worthlessness. Utage determines to cheer lead for him use the power of her intense fan feelings to convince Tamon he is a worthy person on and off stage. There are moments of real fun and humor here but everything happens so abruptly and the melodramatic feelings are a little too much for me. Cute concept, probably won't keep on with this series.
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
This second book in the Between Earth and Sky series opens with a lot of promise but unfortunately I felt like the pacing and plot started to go off the rails in the final third. Things I really enjoyed: Naranpa returning to the Maw and reuniting with her bother and learning more about magic; the way the lead characters stories are all starting to get intertwined; Okoa struggling with whether his loyalty should lie with his sister or with Serapio; Xiala traveling with Iktan; and the general fast-moving, page-turning pace of the story. What lets it down for me is that while I think Roanhorse is very good at writing relationship and dialogue between two characters or small groups, she's weaker at writing convincing structures of power and authority, and how characters interface with authority. Many of the characters who are supposed to be the leaders and political powerhouses of this world feel one-note and thin, which makes their supposed influence hard to believe in. Serapio is a notable exception here; his increasingly complicated relationship to his own power and what his place is in Tova and the Crow Clan is a story line I'm still really interested in. But Naranpa's abdication at the end of the book was very frustrating, as was the tone of the leaders meeting in Hokaia. I'm still definitely going to read the next book, and I would still recommend this series, especially to readers coming from YA looking to read adult fantasy for the first time. But I need a breather of some other books before I pick up book three.
Ammonite by Nicola Griffith read by Gabra Zackman
Anthropologist Marghe Taishan has worked on multiple worlds, has traveled to and from Earth, but the stakes have never been higher than her new posting to the planet Jeep. Jeep was seeded with human colonists hundreds of years ago, but lost touch with Earth. A deadly virus swept through the human population, killing all of the men and many of the women. Somehow, a portion of the women colonists who survived gained the ability to reproduce (only daughters) and have build an agricultural society with Dark Ages level technology (bows and arrows, spears, small ships, horses, livestock, weaving, oral historians). A mining Company trying to explore the viability of resource extraction on Jeep set up an all-female encampment of personal five years ago, and now they have developed an experimental vaccine against Jeep's deadly and mysterious virus. Marghe has a six month supply of the vaccine and a mission to find out as much as she can of Jeep's culture, history, and secrets- all from women who may or may not be fully human any more. With limited supplies, Marghe sets out into the fields and forests as winter sets in, determined to find the landing site of the original jeep colony ship and anything else she can discover. I listened to this on audio and enjoyed it SO MUCH. It feels like a clear ode of Left Hand of Darkness and contains the grounded, lyrical nature writing and interpersonal conflicts I enjoyed so much from Griffith's Hild and Menewood. I highly recommend this, especially to fans of Le Guin; it made me want to work my way through all of Griffith's body of work!
Haikyu!! Vols 25-30 by Haruichi Furudate translated by Adrienne Beck
I read another 6 books of Haikyu! I remain very enchanted with this series and continue to devour it as fast as I can get my hands on it. Truly this is the sports manga of all time.
The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All vol 3 by Sumiko Arai translated by Ajani Oloye
Aya and Mitsuki hang out at school and at the CD shop, share a friend group and a long list of the same interests but they're still struggling to get on the same page with each other emotionally. Their friendship is fragile and complicated by unexpressed romantic feelings in a way that feels SO authentically high school. I hope they find the time and words to tell each other what they feel, because life is coming at them fast and if a music career is just around the corner for Mitsuki then their opportunity to be ordinary high school girlfriends could slip away. This comic is SO well drawn but I'm feeling the pacing constraints of a series initially published on social media a bit more in this book than in the first two. I hope in book 4 we might get some longer and slower chapters, but regardless, I will definitely keep reading and I am rooting for these queer teens so hard!
So Lucky written and read by Nicola Griffith
Mara Tagarelli is a fighter and activist, both in her personal and professional lives. An out lesbian since her teen years, Mara now heads a multimillion AIDS foundation in Georgia, using her sharp wit and long non-profit experience to source donations, build programs, balance budgets. She's also a committed martial artist, softball player, kayaker. Until life hits her with a double-fist punch to the solar plexus: her partner of 14 years leaves her, and in the same month, Mara is diagnosed with MS. It develops rapidly and soon she's no longer able to hold down her job, make it to the dojo, or out onto the water. She turns to the internet and uses her skill set to start a new fully online organization of disabled folks fundraising for needs and partnering with local organizations. But her illness and fear of her more vulnerable state haunt her like a specter. An upswing in violent crimes against disabled folks as well as the daily discrimination, lack of access, and being written off as failure by others crystalizes in a paralyzing rage which Mara struggles to point in any productive direction. I listened to this on audio, and it's read by the author, who was diagnosed with MS in her early 30s. This is a difficult read at times. It's hard to listen to Mara lash out at her nearest community and isolate herself, while also understanding the pressures that push her towards self-destructive actions. But I was also hooked all the way through, especially by the slight speculative elements, and wanting to know if, or how, Mara would find a new equilibrium, understand her own care needs, rebuild some of her relationships. If disabled queer rage sounds either cathartic or challenging, you should give this a try, it's a novella- about 5 hours on audio and 200 pages in print. Content warning for mentions of and anxiety around violent home invasion.
The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia read by Fajer Al-Kaisi
Firuz-e Jafari and their family had to flee violence and genocide their homeland, and resettled in the island state of Qilwa, where Sassanian refugees are viewed with suspicion and prejudice. Luckily, Firuz is able to find a job as a healer's assistant at a free clinic in the city run by Kofi, an elemental magic user and doctor who welcomes patients of all backgrounds and ethnicities. The job allows Firuz to move their mother and younger brother, also trans, into a better house and to take in a Sassanian refugee girl they encounter living on the street. But despite the stability Kofi offers Firuz, they don't feel they can trust their new mentor with their biggest secret: they have an affinity for blood magic, a feared and hated skill in Qilwa. But when a terrible new blood-related illness starts attacking the poorest residents of the city, they might have no choice but to reveal their magic. This is a fast moving medical fantasy in a Persian-infused fantasy world which is also trans, nonbinary and queer normative. Common introductions include a pronoun tacked onto a person's name and magic spells exist to help gender nonconforming folks to better align with their internal gender. I found it interesting how the author still chose to include gender dysphoria as one of the elements of this world, despite the trans-affirming healthcare spells. I struggled with some clunky prose moments, but overall had a great time with this on audio and would love to see more stories in this world!
I just finished the "A Funeral For A Friend" run, as part of my read through of the Death of Superman arc, and my GOD my heart is shattered. The writers really broke out the peakest storytelling with 3 parallel arcs, beautiful panel arrangements and an ending that's destroyed me emotionally. Poor Martha Kent doesn't deserve all this. PLEASE, GIVE HER GOOD THINGS!!!
I put this review up in another site, but since folks here on Tumblr seem to be realizing I have a lot of Thoughts about Lady Shiva, I figured I'd transplant it here. So here's how I feel about it. The short of it is that I think it's a strong start with a few small quibbles because I'm not sure how much of Shiva's writing is her being intentionally OOC and how much is Brombal trying to humanize her.
The long is here:
Now, one of Shiva's main issues as a character ever since they finally split her from the League of Assassins (God bless you Bryan Hill) is that, instead, writers have stapled her to Cass. Literally every major Shiva appearance since 2017 has involved Cass in some way. That is a problem not so much for Cass, who gets to have her own stories and series with and without the Batfam (although mostly with), but for Shiva, who doesn't get nearly as much exposure as her daughter. If there's a Shiva comic coming out, odds are it's gonna have something to do with Cass. Well, except for the other Shiva comic coming out this month that's gonna suck shit.
But at the same time, I don't think that means nobody should ever do another Shiva/Cass story, because I still feel like that's rich soil that nobody has had the time, space or desire to really commit to mining. Hill in Outsiders was writing a whole ensemble cast and couldn't linger too long on them. Writers like Grayson and Cloonan/Conrad both teased Shiva trying to reconcile with Cass but never took it anyhwere. A Shiva/Cass story can still be compelling and interesting as long as the writer is willing and able to Actually Write It.
So when literally the first panel of this new issue is Shiva addressing Cass and their relationship directly, I'm already perked up. Right from the get go, you can tell that Tate Brombal is absolutely here to tell a story about these two women and pretty much nothing else, and also that Tak Miyazawa and Mike Spicer are a killer art team. I adore how hard Tak's figures look without (usually) being stiff, thanks to some solid body language and expressions. And Spicer's colors have a cool kind of dark-but-vivid look. The last leg of the issue, with everything illuminated by fire, is especially cool.
Going back to the opening, it's curous how despite this being an issue #1, there's very little in the way of character introductions or set up. There's no slow burn here, no lengthy creeping intro like previous Shiva/Cass stories. And while I can't help but feel that it must be a little awkward for readers unfamiliar with them or their current situation, I think it also accurately reflects one of my favorite parts of the comic, which is Cass' being just absolutely fucking DONE with her mom.
After years of hyper dramatic standoffs and tearful moments of cheap heartbreak, it's fun to see a Cass who has no time for her mother, who's not interested in what she's got going on, and who's confident enough in herself to even be a little shit about it. It's fun and refreshing and fits Cass very nicely.
That not-quite-breakneck but still fast pace keeps up when the Unburied show up after just a few pages of setup and you know, in a couple of interviews, Brombal mentioned being influenced by Daredevil. And this is the page that made me go "Ah, yeah, that tracks." 'cause brother, those are some MILLER-ass ninjas.
Why Shiva fears these guys or thinks Cass can't handle them is not yet explained, but her desperation to keep Cass around does lead to a small but very meaning-heavy moment: the first punch in this series is not thrown into the face of the new enemies, but it's Cass decking her mom in the face and Shiva loving it.
It's an excellent touch and a perfect mission statement about the series. I love it as much as I love the ensuing fight, full of cool moves in big and small panels, but the most fun thing to me is how it's choreographed as Cass fighting her mom almost as much as she's fighting the Unburied. And on top of being a great fight, it ends with a small nod to QUESTION #1 or the 'Tec '88 Annual, in case I was somehow not sold enough already.
And while I still love Cass being so willing to call Shiva out on her lies, it does bring up one of the small gripes I have with this issue: I don't like it when Shiva lies constantly. I think she's best when she's strong and confident enough to not need to lie, when she just lays everything out on the table the way this comic is almost doing. It's good for Cass, as it keeps showing her as someone who has grown to understand her mother, who sees Shiva for who she is and what she does. And it does set up a slightly heartwarming scene at the end.
Of course, that's personal preferrence, and I'm not gonna say this is a bad comic because it doesn't follow my own idea of what works best for Shiva, especially since it's clear that Brombal is writing her with a lot of intention here. But that leads to the other big-ish issue I have with this issue: it's a bit hard to tell, from this story alone, how much of these moments are Brombal building his own personal version of Shiva and how much of it is Shiva, in-universe, acting out of character for the sake of some hidden scheme. After all, Cass points out that twice in the issue Shiva backs down, first from a moral fight and then from an actual fight.
So it's possible that even the constant lying is Shiva playing a role in favor of a grander scheme which will be revealed in later issues. Which, fair enough, I'm willing to see where it goes. But that second moment of yielding does lead to what's maybe my biggest problem with BATGIRL #1, and it's the Unburied themselves.
There's nothing in that initial fight with the Unburied that suggests Shiva and Cass would've had trouble dealing with them. Hell, there's very little to suggest even one of them would've had trouble with them. Now, I'm not suggesting that this issue should've started with the titular character and her mom getting their asses handed to them. But it feels like there's just not enough to these new enemies yet to justify the escape. Ninjas show up, Cass and Shiva beat them without getting hit once, more Ninjas show up and Shiva self-defenestrates herself.
Again, entirely possible that Shiva has something up her sleeve here, and issue #2 did promise to show us the main villain behind them, but as it stands it leaves me with this weird mix of not quite intrigue, not quite disappointment. It's just odd. They could've had, I dunno, a bomb set in the building or some other reason for Shiva to exit the venue like that.
Speaking of odd things, however, I did NOT expect to be reading a comic that brings up Shiva's cult from Puckett/Scott's BATGIRL #25. It's an "Order of Shiva" now though, with chapters and temples and stuff. Which is a bit of a change, since back in #25 they came off more like a gang of fanboys than an order of servants or anything like that. And after being summarily disposed by Shiva in that same issue, they were never really explored again.
So this is Brombal not just bringing back a bit of old lore, but also shifting it slightly, turning it into a more organized group... and then summarily disposing of them one panel later.
Also, I don't know what it is but I *LOVE* this panel. Shiva's face, her "wut" pose, the O.O, it's just... beautiful.
Anyway, once they're in the temple for the last bit of the issue, I start to see a bit more of what Brombal's doing. Like Gail Simone and Bryan Hill, Brombal seems to want to soften Shiva up a little, to make it clear that deep inside, she does have at least a bit of a heart, or enough of it to feel sadness at the wasteful death of people she may feel like she owes something to. Compare it to BIRDS OF PREY #62 for example:
This one is not quite as dramatic or vulnerable, but it's clear that Brombal wants to write Shiva with a slightly more human heart. Which, again, I'm not opposed to but I don't think it's the best thing you can do with her. I prefer Shiva being more detached in regards to death, like the most she'll do is see it as a waste but she's not gonna get emotional about it, she's going to be way more matter-of-fact. Death happens and such. But I think that kind of aloofness often gets interpreted as monstrous disdain for life by writers trying to make Shiva into a villain, and if I had to choose between what Brombal's doing and what, well, what Tom King's probably gonna be doing in a few weeks, I'll take this anytime.
Anyway, I also didn't expect to see the apprentice from BATGIRL #26, having apparently gotten a promotion somewhere in the last 20 years. Good for him! Less good for him is the shitload of arrows he eats two pages later but oh well.
The last couple of pages lead to a nice moment of sheer badassery for both Shiva and Cass and one last showcase of Miyazawa and Spicer's glorious team effort. Those two work really well together and I'm excited to see more of them in future issues. And while we're at it, I gotta give props to Miyazawa for being one of maybe two artists to draw a visibly older Lady Shiva.
His version isn't just aged but hardened by that age, looking stern and determined without having to rely on gritted teeth or angry looks. And on top of all that, he still finds more than enough moments to give her the kind of cocky smiles that bring out the more playful side of Shiva that some stories tend to either gloss over or turn into outright sadism.
Man... I just love to see that momma smile.
Other than that, there's a couple of minor quibbles I have with the issue. There's a funny moment where Cass pulls a Batman on her own mother (who charmingly acknowledges Bruce's influence) but it's undercut by Cass poofing back into existence on the next page. And there's also the weird, almost surreal emptiness of the city around them. Even after a building explodes, there's literally nobody on the streets other than Shiva and Cass.
On one hand, it speaks to the intentions of this run. This is VERY much a two-woman show so far, with no room for much else. But it's still glaring enough to be distracting.
However, it's that intentionality that ultimately wins me over. Even with all my personal little issues with Shiva's characterization, it's obvious from the start that this is a writer who is genuinely trying to write her as a character, who is ready to engage with her and with her relation with Cass on a deeper level than just hero and villain, or good daughter and evil mom.
Brombal, Miyazawa & Spicer have put some meat on the grill, and although I don't think the biggest pieces are there yet... I'm ready to let them cook.
Finished reading Batman: The Dark Knight Returns for the first time (I know). Nothing I can say about this comic that hasn't been said with more intellectual oomph by smarter people elsewhere. Very good story with a lot of heroic, compelling, mythical beats, held back by Miller's deranged perspectives and bizarre attempts at satire holding the book back.
You'll have some truly incredible moments where you see how deranged Batman and the world around him is, and then there will be some stupid gag with swastika tits lady or the mutants speaking the single most psychotic attempts at 'teen street gang' you'll ever hear. And then there will be another phenomenal character beat.
I absolutely see how this comic wound up fundamentally transforming how its characters were written, in one direction or another - the famous quote about Fuji comes to mind - but I also hope people (especially the people at DC editorial) take care to remember that these are not the definitive versions of these characters, and that this shouldn't be used to guide their characterizations in mainline DC.
(I really liked how unhinged Batman was in this - the dark, mirthful laughs he gets in this reminded me of old-school depictions of the Shadow. So many great moments where you see how single-mindedly focused he is, how deranged he is. The relationship he develops with Carrie is *fascinating*. Just wish Superman didn't suck in this.)
9/10. Wish Frank Miller had gone for the brain dewormer a bit, but c'est la vie. Kind of something you have to read at some point as a comic fan. I've read far worse right-wing art, and this has loads of genuinely incredible moments.
