Comics of January 9, 2019

I don’t have much of an update, save for the fact that I’m starting to intensify my search for a house and that it’s probably going to be eating up a lot of my free time for the next while. I do plan on starting my MCU blogathon this coming weekend though. I was initially thinking of doing it in chronological order, but I’ve decided to just look at the Marvel movies in order of release.

Anyway, the comics I picked up this week include X-23 8, Uncanny X-Men 9, Thor 9, Star Wars 59 and Red Sonja25. I considered picking up Captain Marvel and Avengers as well, and I’ll probably get them another time, but with so much reading to catch up on, I decided to leave them for now. Here are my first impressions, and if I find the time for a review, it’ll be added below in a link.

X-23 8 review

Uncanny X-Men 9 is intense. Most of the issue is a big battle between the X-Men and X-Man (possessing Legion’s body and along with it, all of his powers). The result is kind of terrifying. There are a couple pages dedicated to a story that feels like it should have been concluded a while ago, especially since it’s still not concluded here. The final page is a fairly big teaser. Even though anyone paying attention to the solicitations pretty much knows how it’s going to end, it’s still hard not to get at least a bit excited for the next issue. Also unlike the previous issue, there’s actually a sense of progress in this issue’s fight scene. Uncanny X-Men started off slow and too vague, but it’s been improving consistently with each issue. I’d say this is now worth recommending to X-Men fans.

Also since I’ve been reviewing Uncanny X-Men almost exclusively for a while, I won’t  be reviewing it this week even if I get to a full review. But I should say, special props goes to colourist Rachelle Rosenberg. This is a weekly series, and not only has she been keeping up so far, but her colouring is consistently fantastic.

Thor 9 is good. This issue mostly focuses on Roz Solomon, Thor’s one time SHIELD agent girlfriend. It basically lets us know what she’s been up to lately, while finally focusing the series back on the War of the Realms story arc that’s been building up for so long. There’s not much else to say without spoiling the story. Those who have been enjoying Thor for a while will likely enjoy this, and it’s worth checking out if you’re interested in the upcoming War of the Realms event.

Star Wars 59 is great. Luke, Leia and Han have been on an isolated planet for a couple issues now, stranded but for the most part, in good hands. Unfortunately, the Stormtrooper Commandos we’ve met before have managed to track them down. This issue starts off with some great character drama for all three characters, as well as a few of the planet’s permanent inhabitants, but when the commandos arrive, things get tense in more ways than one. I was a bit iffy on this story arc at first, but it’s turned out very well. Star Wars fans will likely enjoy this.

Red Sonja 25 is fun. It’s a one-off story where Sonja discovers a group of traveling musicians under attack by a group of bandits. She manages to save only one of them, and agrees to escort him to his final performance, delaying her own trip home. It’s a good way to end Amy Chu’s run, and it’s been an overall entertaining one. I would really only recommend this to people who have been reading Chu’s run though, because there is a new #1 coming out soon.