Axiom’s Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

By Sam Christopher

A pretty light week for a change. There were a couple mini series that ended the last couple weeks I haven’t mentioned because I’ll be doing a full review of them shortly. As to this week…

First, Jen Van Meter and Cully Hamner team up to give us the first issue of Black Lightning: Year One. Jefferson Pierce was a track star from the south side of Metropolis who used his athletic prowess to get an education. He comes back to his old neighborhood as a principal to rebuild the woeful high school, only to find that his old stomping grounds are riddled with gangs and corruption and violence. I know, it does sound like the film “Lean on Me”, doesn’t it? Except that Easy Reader couldn’t shoot electricity from his fingertips. Pretty good first ish, if a trifle formulaic. The artwork actually reminds me in some way of the original Black Lightning series. Why have DC and Marvel never teamed BL and Luke Cage, anyway? Seems like a natural to me, considering how completely different they are. Especially if they’re written as each was back in the ‘70s. Just a thought.

I haven’t read Witchblade or The Darkness in years but Broken Trinity: Angelus #1 looked interesting so I picked it up, having no prior knowledge of the character really. The Angelus is apparently the Universe’s opposing reaction to The Darkness, and it has chosen a mentally unstable host named Celestine. After a major battle with Witchblade and The Darkness, Celestine has renounced The Angelus and is trying to live out a quiet, normal life. Guess what happens with that? Not a bad story, really, made me want to buy the next ish. Written by Ron Marz and drawn by Brian Stelfreeze.

Other comics:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #21- Television series scribe Jane Espenson and comics series artist Georges Jeanty team to bring us a typically funny tale starring Harmony and her bff “Queen Puffles of Pomerania”. Also features the slaying of a Slayer. I can’t remember—has a vamp ever sired a Slayer in the Buffy-verse? I know they’ve killed Slayers on occasion, but…

Dead of Night: Werewolf by Night #1- Not sure I like the new origin, and I have to wonder why Jack would marry a girl without telling her about his “affliction”. And the art: I understand that the way they’re drawing the wolf these days is more realistic, making him more canine, but for me part of the charm of the old stories was that Werewolf by Night was more like a superhero than a werewolf. I don’t know, we’ll see, I guess.

Haunted Tank #2- More whining and bickering from Jamal, although sometimes JEB does seem to be needling the guy on purpose. I don’t think that’s the way it’s supposed to read, though.

Marvel Zombies 3 #4- I don’t mind a mini leading into another series but it is kind of annoying when you get the feeling the entire point of the story was just to get us to another. By far the worst of the MZ series thus far.

The Walking Dead #57- Pretty unsettling, even worse in some ways than when Lori was killed, although that was a much more permanent and drastic change to the series. Looks like next issue will give us the lowdown on Abraham.

Kull #3- The coming of Brule, and the unveiling of the conspiracy of “The Serpent That Speaks”.

Xena: Warrior Princess and Army of Darkness: What… Again?! #3- Penultimate chapter in which the mystery of Solan’s father deepens—although we’d already know who the guy is if everyone would stop clearing their throats when he’s trying to tell us—and the mastermind behind the entire plot is revealed. Just don’t tell Xena.