This Week's Comics: January 20, 2022

I didn't make it to The Great Escape last week, but I was jonesing for Detective Comics #1048 so bad that I slid into The Destination for a fix...and they didn't have it. So now I'm two issues behind. Which will hopefully be corrected this Friday / tomorrow. 

But I did check out the holdings on hoopla just to tide me over. And I was surprised to see that Boom!Studios had just started a new Buffy the Vampire series. 

Now, normally this wouldn't be any cause for celebration on my part. I've never been a big Buffy fan. I saw the movie (meh),  saw a few of the shows (meh), read a few of the comic books (meh).  I bought one of the novels, but only because it was written by Arthur Byron Cover. And I never did get around to reading it. I did spend a little more effort on Angel. In fact, Joe and I watched a lot of those shows together, and I even bought the boxed set...but never got around to watching any of the discs. And I read at least thirty of the comic books.

But this Buffy comic book caught my eye because there was a big twist: it's entitled Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer, and it features a much older Buffy...wrinkly and white-haired, so I'm guessing she's at least in her sixties...who is (1) living in a post-apocalyptic kind of world where humans and vampires have worked out a non-aggression treaty, (2) the last vampire hunter standing, and (3) inexplicably now immortal. 

Well. They had me at "older." 

So I checked out issue 1.

The art wasn't my cup of tea. It's that angular, kind of ugly style that seems to be popular amongst...well, I don't know who, but I see a lot of it. But the story...by Casey Gilly...was a pleasing scent in my nostrils. Even though I had no idea who Casey Gilly was.  But in the 21st Century, that doesn't usually last long unless you want it to. So I poked around. Among other things, I found this interview...

...in which she reveals, among other things, that she is 41 years old.  More significantly, she reveals that a Boom! Studios editor came to her with the idea that they wanted to hear a Buffy pitch which included the ideas of (1) an Apocalypse and (2) Willow's daughter is a Slayer.  So there's that.

Here's a panel which I liked:

And which I thought kind of summed up a lot of things about the series. For instance, Buffy is no longer the Pretty Girl. She's also no longer bouncy and full of hope and optimism. And she's definitely become more "selfish" (for lack of a better word). All of which makes me think that maybe an older woman really was the best pick to write this book. Because a younger woman might be able to imagine how age tempers the mind and mood as well as the body, but imagination can't take you into the flesh.

So I checked Issue #2 out from hoopla. It was more of the same, and by that I mean GOOD. Also, this issue was released January 12, 2022.  I don't understand how hoopla is getting books as they hit the stands.

As a matter of fact, a couple of days later  (yesterday, the 22nd) I made it to The Great Escape, and Issue #2 was still on the stands. For $4.99. So once again, thank you, hoopla. That's another $10 you saved me.

Whilst at The Great Escape, I also picked up 

Detective Comics #1049 (the only copy of #1048 to be had was an alternate cover which went for $13, and I didn't have it in me to go that far), Fantastic Four #39, Icon and Rocket #5 (finally! the previous issue came out in NoVEMber!), and Usagi Yojimbo #25. 

I was glad to see that I hadn't missed any issues of Fantastic Four, as I had feared. This was an interesting story, too. The FF have to go to court (with She-Hulk as their lawyer, of course) to defend themselves against The Wizard, who is suing them for custody of his "son" (a clone, actually). Interesting, too, is that there is not a single punch thrown in this issue. In fact, the only "fight" is when Sue slaps Johnny for being a bitch, and the only other violence is when The Wizard breaks a window. There are also a few guest cameos, the most notable one being Prince Namor. This is definitely a different kind of Fantastic Four story, and I enjoyed it. And the art was not bad, which nowadays is as good as it gets in many cases. Except for the cover, that is. I got a variant which pictured Sue glowing red and with devil horns, attacking Reed. Nothing like that happened in this story. But you know...COMic books. Looks like next issue starts some big War thing, so probably back to the usual bullshit, but I think I'll give it a try just to see what Mr. Dan Slott is up to.

Next Week's Comics:

Well, Detective Comics #1050...and yes, I did finally put it on my Holds List. Not being able to find #1048 cured me of thinking, "It's Detective, of course there will be plenty of copies." 

Saga #55! Yep, Saga has returned. After a VERY long hiatus. I had the sense to put this on my Holds List, too. 

Action Comics #1039 Also Sir Now Appearing On My Holds List.