The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner & The First Fowler, S.D. Smith
These are more side stories in the Green Ember universe. (See here and here for earlier reviews.) Whitson Mariner is the second "Tale of Old Natalia"; it relates the story of a shipwreck and the betrayal that led to it. The First Fowler, meanwhile, takes place within the main Green Ember timeline, picking up Jo Shanks' story where The Last Archer left off.
Both books are beautiful little stories that are as deeply moral as the rest of the novels in this line, covering themes of loyalty, faith, and protection of the innocent. And in Whitson Mariner in particular, I was also struck by the profound respect the title character has for his wife. It's so rare to see traditional femininity treated with such honor!
Please look into this series if you haven't already; if you identify as "human wave" or "superversive," Smith is writing exactly what you're looking for!
Comics
Flash Forward, Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth
As you may have noticed, I don't read much DC. But because I've heard so many good things about this one, I decided to dip in -- and God, was I poleaxed!
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This miniseries is out-freakin'-standing. I know eff-all about Wally West beyond hearsay on the nets cursing Tom King, but I was still able to grasp this redemption arc -- and the well of genuine human emotion behind it. This is a testament to the high quality of Scott Lobdell's writing; if you can pull a complete newb in, catch her up, and make her cry over a character she didn't know five minutes ago, you're doing something very, very right.
The link above is for the trade, which is apparently coming out in a few months -- but if you simply can't wait and price for you is no object, the floppies are out now.
X-Men/Fantastic Four, Chip Zdarsky, Terry Dodson
Now back to my usual stomping grounds: Marvel. I violently despise the direction in which Marvel is taking most of its legacy characters -- as does everyone else I follow on YouTube. But there is one blessed gentleman in the Bullpen who seems to be listening to our complaints if panels like this...
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...are any indication. If you've found Jonathan Hickman's recent take on the X-Men frustrating and/or enraging, then Chip Zdarsky definitely has your back in this miniseries, which allows Sue Storm to say the things we've all been thinking about the supposed utopia of Krakoa.
Again, I've linked to the page for the trade, but issues #1 and #2 (of 4) are out now.
And thus concludeth today's set of capsule reviews!
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