This Week’s Comics (My Pull List for January 8, 2025) & Whimventuring West

My brothers all visited my father in December.  I decided instead of everyone descending upon him at once, I’d hold off my trip until after the holiday.  I figured I’d take some time to Whimventure a bit in the area, take in some sites… be a tourist.  Unfortunately, my father lives in Southern California.  Fortunately far enough away to not be near the fires currently burning, but it looks like my Whimventuring is on hold.  I’ll most likely spend my time taking time with my dad.  This is something I am very used to.  Many of the places I wanted to visit are closed or unavailable for various reasons.   My old LCS closed last year, my favorite bookshop has moved and won’t reopen until after I’ve returned home.  The friends I hoped to meet up with… I’m not going to bother them- I know they have their hands full.  With so much destruction my needs are minor compared to the loss so many people have suffered.

Then there’s visiting my dad.  My relationship with my family has been rocky since I left for college.  I was actually thrown out of the family when I married “that girl” the same girl I’ve been happily married to for coming up on 35 years.  While things are better now- This always makes visits a bit stressful. 

Picking up comics on Wednesday, and working Thursday has made my comic reviews something I’m doing on the road.  I’ve got a few hours of flight time to read and, if needed, time to write the remainder of this post.

This Week’s Comics:

Absolute Batman #4 - criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot… I shall become a bat.  Or something like that from Detective Comics and the origin of The Batman… Absolute Batman has already turned a lot of the Batman mythos on its head so why not this too.  How does Bruce Wayne come up with the bat as his symbol.  We’ve found that some things seem to be fated in the Absolute DC universe.  In Superman, Lois & Clark both find peace in writing even though they are not reporters.  In Bruce’s case the bat still resonates with him.  Not crashing through the window as he sits in a smoking jacket in the library of stately Wayne Manor, but still it’s there along with his drive for justice.  If I haven’t said it, I do like that Joe Chill has been brought back as the petty criminal catalyst for Bruce. Having the Joker tied into his origin just seemed too neat and tidy.

Batman and Robin #17 - when we last left the dynamic duo Batman was searching for the “Gravedigger’s Poppy” and asking the Scarecrow about it when things went south.  Robin was still wrestling with being a brat and trying to change all that.  Now Batman is not at 100% and Robin is taking control of things.  Unfortunately for him, Detective Lautrec isn’t stupid and starts putting puzzle pieces together.

Where Monsters Lie Cul-De-Sac #3 - Last time we left our cold blooded urban legend serial killers - Connor Hayes saved the babysitter- now he has to save himself from the consequences. Will he be able to triumph over Zel, Beastlord, Vilmos, The Holiday Killer, the Coven and Marmot? How? He’s gonna need a little help.

Survival Street The Radical Left #4 -  with the cancellation of Sesame Street maybe this story is going to end being more truth than fiction.  This issue starts with Herbert returning home in hopes of a revolution.  Kicking the humans out and declaring independence from the U.S.  a brief history lesson which sadly looks more like foreshadowing (Greenland? Canada?) After everything there is a final call for sanity and common sense.

Star Trek Defiant #22 - It looks like it’s time for the crew of the Defiant to help Miles O’Brien’s guilt over being an awesome engineer and the ramifications of one of his creations.  While Worf and Alexander come to grips with their failings through a Klingon Ritual… because the Klingons have rituals for pretty much everything.

Prodigy Slaves of Mars  #5 - the final issue?  Will Edison & Elijah be able to save the Earth from… their father? Then again this could be another prolific warning against putting too much faith in artificial intelligence.

Nemesis Rogues’ Gallery #5 - One of the worse parts about some of the comics I read is the mirror they hold up to the world.  In this case while Nemesis isn’t even what could be called an “anti-hero” he does some things that many people wish they could and in some cases have done.  In a world in which a CEO of a heartless heath insurance company can get murdered just walking down the sidewalk… Nemesis just takes it to the next level and instead of trying to send a message, he’s just in it for himself.  As we end this arc (I’m assuming this issue ends this arc) he has taken out an island filled with the rich and powerful where anything goes.  Then again we can only guess what really went on with Epstein and his bros.

Dungeons & Dimwits #4 & #5 - it’s funny when you think the people at your LCS know you and then you discover, they might not know you as well as you thought.  One of the guys who works there asked me on Wednesday if I played Dungeons & Dragons… I answered, first sarcastically, then realized I needed to be honest… you see when the store had a D&D game pre-COVID I was a regular in it. so this series was recommended.  They had issues 4 & 5 so I bought them.

Steven Covey I believe said “Begin with the end in mind.” So starting with issue 4 and 5 I’m doing that but I have no idea what’s going on.  Here’s what I can guess- this is a comic dealing with a group of gamers who have become their characters.  I recall reading a series called “The Guardians of the Flame” when I was in high school that had a similar premise.  The comic series “Die” also carried this idea.  Guardians took it seriously, Die took it dark and it looks like Dungeons & Dimwits takes it in a more comedic way. Hence a more “cartoony” style which I don’t have any problem with.

I came up with this idea since our heroes are trying to find a magical wish stone that will return them “home.” Sacrifices must be made and by the end of issue 4 one character has dropped to zero to hit points and a discussion ensues as to if they return will this person be dead - and who is going to explain it to their mother. The whole bit about wording the wish in the right way so it doesn’t backfire… I have asked if they might be able to hunt down the missing issues because I’d like to see how this all developed, and I am a completist of sorts.

Quested Season 2 #6 - so a whole lot of backstabbing and betrayal.  Basically, everything goes south with Lothar taking up the lead.  But first he had to escape the prison of the Mirrorbraun with a little help from his friends. Oh, and cursed tomes should be organized by author & not title… or should they?

New Champions #1 - I missed something somewhere, a key issue/arc.  The New Champions are young heroes.  Moon Squire. Liberty. Cadet Marvel, and Hellrune.  Who, I guess, this time around were gathered together and kidnapped by HYDRA?!? After being saved and their families learning their secret now fight crime before curfew.  Hellrune is in foster care and in search of her lost family. She calls for help after she ends up fighting zombie Asgardian trolls?  Her call gets more than she bargained for… Fantasma, Spider-Boy, and a bunch of currently unnamed young heroes…silly multiverse.

Amazing Spider-Man #65 - next up Spider-Man goes up against the truth?  OK painful stuff dealing with Phil Coulsen in his current incarnation.