New Comics 9/14/22
A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance, Do A Powerbomb!, Ten Thousand Black Feathers
A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance #11, Rick Remender, André Lima Araújo, Image
Revenge is sweet. The final issue of A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance is immensely satisfying. It’s also sad because this fantastic story has now come to an end.
When Sonny died in the previous issue, I was unsure where else they would take the story. This issue takes place 10 years after that event. It seems that Mr. Andrews, the kingpin who not only killed Sonny, but also ran a sex trafficking ring, among many more bad things, has finally gotten his day in court. He’s rich and doesn’t have a problem telling anyone to fuck off, but now he’s going to prison. Unfortunately, the prison he does go to is more like an elite country club, where he can basically do anything he wants. He can eat what he wants, swim in an olympic size pool, snort blow, and have sex with anyone he chooses.
All is going fine, until he gets a visit in his room from a correctional officer, who spray paints the security camera and reaches into his bag for something. All throughout, Andrews continues cursing the man and threatening to kill his family. What he slowly realizes is that he’s finally going to pay for what he’s done. He sees a noose coming out of the bag, and the man hanging it up on the ceiling. Andrews pisses and shits himself in fear and asks the man what he wants. Ultimately his fate ends up being, hanging from a noose, like the dirtbag he is. I won’t spoil the rest of who the C.O. is and what he wants from this. But needless to say, it’s unspeakably satisfying to see Mr. Andrews, years later, die like a coward.
This final issue is excellent and gives the reader a sense of relief from the danger and mayhem present in the rest of this story. Rick Remender and André Lima Araújo are at their best working together in this context. So much so, that it’s hard to imagine what they’ll do going forward that will top this. However, this story will exist on for future readers to discover.
Do A Powerbomb! #4, Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer, Image
I love Do A Powerbomb! and each issue gets better and better. The relationship between Lua and Cobrasun continues to grow as they work to bring Lua’s mother back to life. It adds an extra layer as a reader, knowing the true nature of their familial ties, of which Lua is still in the dark about. It should make that realization for Lua all the more epic, as we read on until the end of the series.
In this issue, Sun and Steel face off against The Knights of Ryne, who are fighting to bring back a warrior from their planet. The Knights get off to a fast start, pounding on Lua mercilessly, but she can’t be kept down for long. This issue also focuses on Cobrasun and Lua starting to work better together as a team, as opposed to just individual wrestlers. They demonstrate this perfectly in this come-from-behind victory.
There is a twist towards the end, where it’s revealed that Uncle Blood is part of the team, Puropack. Puropack have a vicious battle with Fyso, where all the rules of the ring are broken. It’s a terrible moment, but I won’t reveal what happens here. Needless to say, Sun and Steel prepare for their next match against Fyso by taking it up a notch.
This series is Daniel Warren Johnson’s love letter to wrestling, but that plays as a backdrop to the real emotional weight of Lua and Cobrasun’s relationship and all the tragedy that they’ve both experienced. These are characters that have been carefully developed to find a common bond with each other. I’m not a fan of wrestling, but the human stories here are what bring me back, each issue.
Ten Thousand Black Feathers #1, Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart, Image
This is the first issue of the new series, Ten Thousand Black Feathers, set in the world of the Bone Orchard Mythos, created by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino. If you’re familiar with their work together, then the mood of this book will not be unfamiliar. If you’re not, then go back and read Gideon Falls as a starting point.
The story centers around childhood friends, Jackie and Trish. We begin this issue in one of Trish’s nightmares, where she and Jackie are together as kids, but there is a sinister dialog going on over that happy memory. Something terrible has happened, and Jackie is talking to Trish about it, when the scenery changes from bright color, to sinister darkness, like a memory that Trish can’t face.
Over and over, throughout the issue, we read about and see black feathers falling and the sound they make. The title obviously references this, but in this issue we don’t really have any idea what their significance will be.
I love the stark contrast between the look of the colorful past versus the stark present. We see how Jackie and Trish meet and become fast friends over their love of fantasy novels. These were happier times. Then we get a look at the black future, where Trish is knocking on the door of a house, and Terri, Jackie’s mom, answers. This future is almost unrecognizable from the past. Being back in Jackie’s house brings on new waking nightmares for Trish. It’s also unclear how much is reality versus a shared nightmare. All we can do is wonder, how did Jackie die? What kind of hell has Trish arrived in?
It’s a compelling start to the story, but really loves us with more questions than answers. I really loved this first issue, and it sets us up for, hopefully, much more of this story to come. Everything that Lemire and Sorrentino create together is special, so I recommend you pick this story up from the start.