Hey folks, summer is jumping into full swing. It’s getting hot(ter), the days are getting long, and school/college is on the back burner for a bit. Like a lot of comic readers and collectors, I’m busy through out most of the year. I’m a full time student, part time employee, volunteer a lot, and a sometimes podcaster. I also read a lot of comics as they come out weekly so I can stay current on the happenings of my favorite comic characters. Also like a lot of readers and collectors, I pick up Trade paper backs, graphic novels, and comic runs through out the year that I don’t have time to get to immediately. These usually go in short boxes in my office until…well…now. Summer is the season for binge reading, and so I thought I would have some fun with it and write up brief thoughts about what I’m reading so anyone who is interested can follow along. This is the second of these types of posts, be sure to go check out the first. Maybe you’ll see something you want to read and pick it up. If so, let me know, there is nothing that would make me happier. You can always contact me or the rest of the Southern Fried Geekery Podcast crew on our Facebook page, or “@” us on Twitter and Instagram: @sfgpodcast. So lets get into it…
Quantum Teens Are Go: This is a 2017-18 series published by Black Mask Studios, written by Magdalene Visaggio, drawn by Eryk Donovan, Colored by Claudia Aguirre, with letters by Zakk Saam. Natalie and Sumesh, the focal characters of the story, have A LOT going on. They’re definitely not your average high school students. The teens are scientists and adventures determined to unlock the secrets of quantum mechanics and become time travelers–and they’re close. Real close. Natalie is a smart-ass trans girl who demands respect and unapologetically claims her space among her peers and her family. Sumesh is a workaholic living in an adopted family who is obsessed with finishing the work of his genius chrono-scientist parents, while refusing to accept that they are gone. Together, the pair fight their way through angry murder-bots, time displaced future soldiers bent on destroying them, and fucking rude-ass high school kids as they amass the materials needed to build a working time machine, while simultaneously losing and finding themselves. There is, again, a lot of content packed into this story which can make the information flow feel a little cramped. I love the art in this book. Donovan’s designs and lines aren’t “pretty,” and for the tone of the book they don’t need to be. His display of anatomy, especially trans anatomy, is cohesive and purposefully awkward and a bit abrasive, just like the characters themselves. His tech designs have a blend of nostalgic sci-fi and imaginative future tech. There is a lot of room for improvement, especially with backgrounds and motion sequences (some panels feel a little “stiff”), but all in all, he services the story well. I also want to praise Aguirre’s colors. In addition to having a fun palate, Aguirre has a good eye for lighting and how shades of colors shift with the intensity of light. All in all, a fun albeit disjointed read. Bonus points for giving us characters we don’t often see in mainstream comics or literature. 
StormWatch-Post Human Division: I’m a big fan of the WildStorm imprint that Jim Lee created in the early ’90s, and that’s where this 2007 series hails from. Issues 1-11 are written by Christos Gage and drawn by Doug Mahnke (1-4, 6-7), Andy Smith (8-11), and a an appearance by Matt Smith on issue 5. The Post Human Division (PHD) is another series that asks the question: What is the human response to a world with hyper-powered people, and who holds these super-human beings responsible? It’s not a particularly new or inventive concept, and before anyone gets all “Well, actually Alan Moore…” on me, it wasn’t an inventive concept when he did it either, he just did it the best and in the most creative way imaginable because he is a master of the craft, but I digress. In PHD, Jackson King is tasked with building a team of human and de-powered individuals after StormWatch unceremoniously gets their collective asses kicked
by a group of deadly supervillains who flipped the script on them, in conjunction with a line wide reboot. The first few issues are a break down of how these characters are connected to that event, how they fit into the larger WildStorm universe as a whole, and what roles they will play on the team. Its a good series–big, fun, dumb, and packed with action–but if you don’t know the ins and outs of the larger universe, you may be a little lost. The history of some of these characters, such as Jackson King, Fahrenheit, and the Monstrosity, feeds a lot into the plot of this ongoing series. The art is fine, very much what you should expect to see from this line, very much a house style that came out of the Image revoloution. Very dark, hyper-masculine, exaggerated anatomies. Loads of texture, scratchy and decomposing backgrounds, big explosions, lots of smoke. All in all, this story isn’t memorable, but it was a lot of fun to revisit this time in comics, and the StormWatch world, but probably not something you need to put a lot of effort into finding as WildC.A.T.S. and The Authority will probably leave you with a better feel for this style of comics.
Titans*YoungJustice-Graduation Day: This is a 3-issue crossover series that DC pubished in July of 2003, written by Judd Winick, drawn by Ale Garza, inked by Trevor Scott, colored by Jeromy Cox. This crossover surprised me in how much I enjoyed reading it. Growing up, and through my early adult life, I was a Marvel kid. DC, 
especially pre-New 52 DC, is a big blind spot for me, especially outside of the more mainstream characters. The Titans and Young Justice are characters that I don’t have a lot of history with, so I was hesitant to jump into a crossover book that was obviously marketed to established fans. It turned out not to be a big deal, but I do want to say that this book doesn’t go out of its way to service “new readers.” It asks that you bring some knowledge with you, or overlook what you don’t know. In a nutshell, here’s the story: A portal jumping, time hopping, semi-sentient automaton appears in the world. It (or she, as its visibly gendered) is extremely powerful, yet heavily damaged and immediately begins “scanning” for cybernetic lifeforms. Meanwhile, the Titans and Young Justice find themselves being offered “sponsorship” by a major corporation who wants a tax write off. The automaton locates Cyborgs location and portals to him, surprising the two teams, and attempts to force an interface with Cyborg. With out explanation or context, you can see how this might be a problem. They attack, the automaton kicks all kinds of ass, and portals out–moving on to the next location of cybernetic lifeforms she has scanned. The two teams join forces to track down and subdue the malfunctioning automaton, but not before she awakens an even more powerful force…a cybernetic Superman…leading to more destruction, and the deaths of two fairly prominent characters of the DC universe at the time. Kind of a heart breaker, especially considering that the portal hopping automaton actually had good intentions, but was so damaged that its erratic behavior didn’t let it convey its purpose. I enjoyed Garza’s art. It was whimsical and energetic cartooning that has a very “young” feel, which fits these two teams. It’s not overly detailed, but every line is placed with a specific intent. Its a very clean look. Imagine throwing George Perez in a blender with Darwyn Cooke, you can see influences of both, along with animation influences. Issue one started kind of rocky, again this is probably due to my lack of history with these characters, but it quickly roped me in to the feeling and emotions of what these characters represent. You can feel the weight of what is at stake, even through the light-hearted tone. I’m sad you don’t see a few of these characters in current continuity.
I hope you enjoyed this, hope it made you want to go read some backissues you might have missed. If you enjoyed this, let me know, again by reaching out to the podcast I’m a part of, which I would also encourage you to listen too. I’ll be back later with some more Southern Fried Summer Reading, see you in the back issues!
Jurgens continues his buddy cop, space romp through time as Clark and Booster continue to attempt to separate fact from fiction in what unfolded during The Oz Effect storyline. The story is equal parts action, comedy, and heart. Jurgens has a strong grasp over the identity and the nuance’s inherent in not only the two main protagonist, but in the peripheral characters such as Lois and Jon as well, who also are involved in their own adventure to rescue Lane’s father, a U.S. General who has been captured and is set to be executed by enemies of the states while on an unsanctioned black ops mission. As someone who isn’t historically a Superman fan, this book has really sunk its teeth into me and made me fall in love with the individuals and the story being told. 5/5 recommend.
councilofcaleb 