Comics of February 14, 2018

So a little more information about my new job. My shifts are continental, meaning I work 7-3 for two weeks, and then 3-11 for two weeks. This is my second week of 3-11.  It also takes almost an hour to drive there. I do intend to buy a house closer to work if I get past my probationary period, but until then, or until I find another job (I’m not even looking for one right now), that’s my situation. With that said, I prefer this over my last job in almost every way. I’m enjoying at least certain aspects of the work, and I certainly like that I’m getting paid a lot more than before. I also feel like I have more mental energy after coming home to at least enjoy the free time I have.

But after last week barely gave me enough time to get to work just from writing one review, I’ve decided to only write first impressions posts on weeks I’m working 3-11. On weeks I work 7-3, I’ll try to write one or two reviews in addition to my first impressions posts, but they’ll obviously be posted later. Maybe I’ll also write one review tomorrow or after work today, but we’ll see how I feel. Anyway, the comics I picked up this week include Star Wars: Poe Dameron 24, Cable 154, Supergirl 18, Detective Comics 974 and Action Comics 997. Here are my first impressions, and links to full reviews will be added when they’re posted.

Star Wars: Poe Dameron 24 is good. It seems to be finally wrapping up Poe’s search for Lor San Tekka, the explorer who gave him the map to Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens. It focuses more on Agent Terex than anyone else, who after being used and tortured by the First Order in a way, sets everyone up for a big fight, hoping to see them tear each other apart. Terex has been a fun character throughout this series. It’ll be interesting to see if he survives this story arc and if so, what will become of him. That said, as much as this series captures Poe’s charm quite well, taking more than 24 issues to get to The Force Awakens when we already know how it’s going to end feels a bit stretched. If you like The Force Awakens this series is still worth looking into. Just be ready to expect a bunch of shorter arcs slowly contributing to the main story.

Cable 154 is fun. It concludes the Newer Mutants story arc, where Cable recruits a number of younger mutants he needs to help solve a dangerous dispute within the Eternals. This story arc feels like a throwback to 90’s comics without relying too much on nostalgia, and using some of the teenaged X-Men from the early 2000’s. That’s part of what makes it enjoyable. This is worth checking out for Cable fans, or for those who just want a fun X-Men series that focuses almost entirely on action and story.

Supergirl 18 is great. It concludes one story arc where the DEO is sending various brainwashed supervillains against Supergirl, while she’s also dodging DEO’s agents. At the same time, it teases that the DEO conflict is about to get more dangerous, even if a lot of the agents clearly doubt their current direction. At the end, Supergirl also seems to find a better balance between her superhero and civilian life. It’s a nice way to close this intense story arc, while also hinting at something bigger. Supergirl fans will likely enjoy this series.

Detective Comics 974 is dramatically intense. It explores the aftermath of last issue’s shocker ending, where Batwoman killed Clayface as he was tearing through the city in his monstrous form. Her actions have threatened to tear the team into two, and it’s clearly taxing on everyone in the team on a personal level. There’s a break in the action here, and that feels completely necessary. It’ll be very interesting to see how this series, and its characters, move forward from here. This is a Batman team book, it’s been consistently great and you should be reading it.

Action Comics 997 is good. I’ve been feeling kind of meh over this story arc, but this issue gets pretty intense. In the middle of Superman’s time travelling journey with Booster Gold, they end up on New Krypton, a planet ruled by Zod, his wife and his son. Needless to say, Superman spends this entire issue in serious danger. Meanwhile, Lois Lane’s efforts to rescue her father don’t seem to be going too well at the end of the issue either, even with Superboy tagging along in the shadows. All in all, this issue is pretty good.