I recently took a trip to Philadelphia1. Alaska runs a round trip that leaves Seattle at (roughly) 10am and 10pm, and leaves Philly at (roughly) 7am and 7pm. The time changes make it work.
Mix in a dash of 11am hotel checkout and an aversion to waking up before 5am, and this adds up to me having spent about 17 hours in airports and planes over the past week.
I chose to read comics.
DC
I have never been a big DC guy, aside from their animated shows. Most of the “classic” runs have fallen flat for me. But, with Marvel and DC having a crossover event right now, I found myself in possession of a 30-day free trial of their comic reading app. As far as comic-reading apps go, it’s pretty good! I’d give it a 4/5, with room for improvement on hanging downloads and navigation, but overall it *just works, and being able to download a trade or omnibus is a huge improvement over Marvel’s equivalent product.*
Animal Man (Grant Morrison 1988 #1-14)
I’ve heard great things about this legendary run, and they were all true. I struggled to follow a couple early issues, but this book is fast, fun, and unique. 4.5/5
Static Shock (Scott McDaniel, 2011 New 52 #1-8)
There’s some great quips and quick science in these issues, but they really don’t hold up. The New 52 was supposed to be a relaunch and a starting point, and this run introduces nothing and starts in the middle of the action. And not in a fun, in media res kind of way, but in a confusing “Who are these people and why has your sister been cloned?” kind of way. 2.5/5
Absolute Batman (Scott Snyder 2025 #1-13)
I love a fresh take on a classic as much as anyone (I’m always recommending both Ultimate Spider-Man runs to people), but this just isn’t my cup of tea. Alfred gets a wonderful new origin, and I love the take on classic villains, but that’s all the praise I can give. It’s edgy, shlocky, and hyper-violent in a way that reminds me unpleasantly of comics from the 90s. Batman “doesn’t kill people” but will punch off their jaws or stab them indiscriminately with back-spikes. 2/5
Absolute Wonder Woman (Kelly Thompson 2025, 1-12)
Holy cow! This is what a reimagining should be! I was nervous in the first issue, which starts with a plague of weird enemies and a fight scene, but I should have trusted Thompson. This is the best comic run I’ve read in ages. I was tearing up multiple times. It’s what if Wonder Woman was a battle-witch with deep, deep ties to Greek lore? I’m not a Wonder Woman fan, and this is absolutely worth your time. 5/5
Absolute Martian Manhunter (Deniz Camp, 2025 1-6)
The first two issues are incredibly vibrant and fun. The art is a treat, and this is an ENTIRELY new spin on a character I really don’t know much about. I felt like it petered out a little bit by the end of this arc, but boy howdy does it start strong. 4/5
Image
There was a time when I was always willing to grab an Image trade or first issue, sight unseen. I’ve been disappointed a few too many times, but I still love the imprint.
The Knives: A Criminal Book (Ed Brubaker, 2025)
This was my first exposure to Criminal, and I didn’t realize until the end that it was part of a larger (series? Universe?). I loves it. Just pure Noir with believable characters and fun arcs told with a delightfully toothsome use of flashbacks. One of the most fun comics I’ve read in ages. 5/5
Dark Horse
Dark Horse is, for me, the opposite of Image. It’s not a strike against a comic to be published here, but the hit rate for me is much lower. That said, I’m a big Mignola fan, and the Buffy tie-ins (Fray especially) are usually great.
Blacksad
I could not find a great reading order here. I started with Blacksad, which appeared to be the beginning, collecting three plus-sized issues. The first issue is an incredible noir romp (5/5), while the later two fell off a bit for me. Also almost every woman looks the same, some kind of deer/cat/human hybrid? It’s weird! Why are they all this specific non-creature drawn in a sexy way? Is it commentary on women in the genre? Is it intentional??
I followed it up with They All Fall Down (part 1), which ended on a cliffhanger that absolutely did not land for me! Apparently, it’s not the follow-up. 4/5, will keep reading.
Unaffiliated
I’ve got a whole slew of indie comics on my tablet, and manged to toss back two of them from Zuperhero Comics. Bootleg Spider-Man is a mature take on what Spider-Man could be. It had some fun jokes, but didn’t land terribly well for me. 3/5.
Steel Streets ended way too soon! I just read the first issue, and was expecting a sort of Ninja Turtles pastiche, but it seems to be more Robocop. Which is hard, since Robocop is already so much. I would read another, but more out of a desire for closure than a compelling story. 4/5
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for Pax Unplugged. I came home with a handful of lovely games and also Covid. Managed to dodge the latter for five years, but here we are. ↩