X-Book Power Rankings, Hadestown, and Review Round-Up
X-Books Power Rankings
Picking up where we left off with the November 1996 Power Rankings (on sale in November '96, cover dated January 1997).
2. Deadpool #1
There's really only two books that come anywhere close to good this month, and that's the "Iceman deals with his dad getting beat up" issue of Uncanny X-Men, which combines the return of Joe Mad on pencils with another Lobdell Quiet Issue, and the launch of the Deadpool ongoing, which does all the right things a #1 issue needs to do paired with lush Ed McGuiness art.
These two books both have something to recommend: Larry Hama channeling his earlier run with an issue that features, amongst other things, cybernetic ninja actors wearing Kaiju costumes, and Alan Davis art, respectively.
6. Cable #39
Now we're in the large swath of "sure, whatever" books that is the mean for the X-books at this point in time. Good art makes up for some terrible scripting in Excalibur #105, keeping it out of the lowest echelon.
11. X-Force #62
12. X-Factor #130
Wrapping up Hama's Dirt Nap plotline counts for enough to make the Venom miniseries the best of the worst books this month, with X-Factor saved from being the worst of the bunch for thoroughly botching the resolution to the "Creed as President" subplot by the utterly inane Marvel Fanfare story, which commits the cardinal sin of playing a Mojo story entirely straight.
Hadestown
As mentioned last week, me and Doctor Bitz and our respective wives saw Hadestown this week. The 2019 winner of the Best Musical Tony, it's a retelling of the story of Orpheus of Eurydice, set against a vaguely 1930s Art Deco New Orleans backdrop, with the underworld of Hades (the titular Hadestown) positioned as a factory where the dead toil to build a wall in exchange for the security and sustenance provided by Hades. To varying degrees of success, it is both metaphorical (the aforementioned Hadestown) and literal (Hermes serves as narrator, Orpheus is introduced as the son of a Muse, the Fates play a key role) in its presentation of the myths it is adapting, with a lively, jazzy score provided by an onstage band.
For the most part, the show is a success, with most of the issues I have with its narrative inherited from the myth its adapting (Orpheus is a bit of a drip, and there's still no good narrative reason for him to turn back and look for Eurydice as they're getting out of Hades(town)). The songs are enjoyable, though there's really only two or three bangers, and it's saying some interesting things with class via its metaphors (the first act concludes with a song called "Why We Build The Wall", and sadly, the thinly-veiled points its making are as relevant today as when the show won its Tonys). In the production we saw, the lighting design was particularly impressive, utilizing a lot of backlight and uplight, which is tricky to pull off. Given how rarely (due to time and expense) we get to see big-budget Broadway shows these days, I don't know that I'd run out to see it again when it eventually returns to the Twin Cities, but I am eager to revisit it via the soundtrack album.
Review Roundup
Last week, I reviewed Phoenix #7, is somehow both an improvement and a step back for the series, and Rogue: The Savage Land #1, which doesn't seem to know what it wants to be.
Also, as part of a Valentines Day feature, I took a look at Mr. and Mrs. X, and how it made like Rogue & Gambit as a romantic couple for the first time since my angsty teen days.
And in this week's "Snap into Marvel", I dug into Sam's history as Captain America and the way his Marvel Snap card could have spoken more to what Sam brings to the role.
What Else?
What I'm Watching
I will be seeing Captain America: Brave New World tonight, but in the meantime, I dug into that time when Sam Wilson was kind of, sort of, maybe a mutant, a piece that garnered some comments from Kurt Busiek on Bluesky I got to integrate into the article, which was fun.
On Sunday, we took the kids to see Dogman, which was a hit with its target audience (my and 10 and 3 1/2 year old) and perfectly fine kids movie fare for the adults. Pete Davidson steals the show as Petey, and while the movie mashes up plot points from a few different novels, it still hangs onto the core of what makes those books so fun.
My wife and I closed out our weekend of content with Anora, as we continue to try and catch at least the most relevant Best Picture noms ahead of the Oscars. It really is as good as I've heard, with Mikey Madison carrying the movie and deserving of all the noms and wins she's racked up. It sounds like it's the clear front runner after the Emilia Perez flame out, but we've still got at least a few more to go.
What I'm Reading
Couple of great SNL-related pieces in the runup to the show's big 50th anniversary celebration this weekend (I've got the special cued up on my DVR). First is this piece from Vulture, which looks at the legacy of Lorne Michaels and potential succession plans.
Meanwhile, Rolling Stone did a rundown of great SNL commercials, and I spent some time Friday night on my iPad with that article revisiting some old favorites ("Oops I Crapped My Pants" remains an all-timer for me), which was a blast.
What I'm Listening To
It's Presidents Day, and since the History Channel airs so little actual historical content these days, I scratched my history buff itch with the first Bryan vs. McKinley episode of Wicked Game, and the James Monroe episode of Totalus Rankium, two of my favorite presidential history podcasts through which I'm currently working my way.
— — —
'Til next week, Excelsior!
Uncanny #340 was definitely one of the few highlights of the very pedestrian all-Lobdell era between Onslaught and OZT.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteAnora was moving and surprisingly funny. I’m upset, however, by the number of interviewers who thought Mikey Madison was a talented newcomer and not only failed the homework but missed out on Pamela Adlon’s Better Things because it’s a real standout from the recently concluded era of Peak TV.
// there's still no good narrative reason for him to turn back and look //
So many tragic stories in Greco-Roman legend revolve around, or end with, “You just couldn’t help yourself…” — Pandora opening the box, of course; Icarus flying too close to the sun — which makes a certain amount of sense for the ones that feel most like parables. I’ve always hated this about Orpheus and Eurydice, though, even if giving in to his doubt or curiosity is a very human thing, because he was so freaking close. Psyche looking at Eros/Cupid is more relatable due to the setup of him potentially being a monstrous creature, rules set down over a long stretch when they were already sleeping together, and her sisters egging her on in what I anachronistically think of as a Grimm or even Disney sort of way.
// Rolling Stone did a rundown of great SNL commercials, //
The reminder is appreciated because it got bookmarked and forgotten by me amidst the various anniversary stuff. I enjoyed most of the main special itself but would say my favorite of all the official celebrations is the Ladies and Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music doc, whose nearly seven-minute-long opening montage I’ve gone back and watched several times.