Comics of April 25, 2018

The first issue of The Hunt For Wolverine released today, and … I’m not reading it. I might pick up the trade if I hear that it’s good. For now, I don’t feel like reading an entire min-series, along with a couple other mini tie-ins, just to get the story of Logan’s return. And I’m falling behind on reading in general, so I don’t want to pick up too many comics at least until I find the time to catch up.

The comics I did pick up this week include Star Wars: Doctor Aphra 19, All-New Wolverine 34, The Mighty Thor 706, Witchblade 5 and Detective Comics 979. Here are my first impressions, and a link to a full comic review will be added when it’s posted.

All-New Wolverine 34 review

Doctor Aphra 19 is fun, but really confusing. Even after having read this story arc up to this point, there’s so much going on that it’s kind of hard to follow. At least I found it that way on my first reading, but perhaps a second reading may help clear a few things up. As much as I’ve enjoyed this series so far, I’m not sure whether to recommend this story arc or not. I’m also not sure if I’ll continue to read this story or stick to the other Star Wars comics I’m already reading.

Mighty Thor 706 is great. This issue didn’t go how I expected before opening it up, but you’ll figure out where it’s going pretty quick. To avoid spoilers, this is a fairly dramatic issue in the aftermath of Jane Foster’s death in the previous issue, while also giving this series a sense of direction going forward. Thor fans will likely enjoy this, especially since the series seems to be putting its focus back on Odinson.

Witchblade 5 is good. Alex Underwood is starting to learn how to utilize the Witchblade artifact, even if she still has a lot of learning to do. Beyond that, this issue mostly delves a bit deeper into the story that’s going on. In some ways this is starting to feel a bit like the original series, at least in its early years, but how the Witchblade itself differs in its functionality is still vague. This is still at least worth a look for fans of the original series, and for those interested in an urban fantasy comic series about ancient artifacts of power.

Detective Comics 979 is great. This is the kind of issue where the less I say about the plot, the better. Let’s just say that the already divided Batman team is facing off against their most dangerous threat yet. A threat that isn’t who they think it is, at least not yet. But this threat is both dangerous, and personal enough, that those who left the team are willing to work with them again. Highly recommended for anyone who’s a fan of the Batman franchise.