Current music:	Brian Eno, duh!
Entry tags:	char: human torch/johnny storm, char: nova/frankie raye, creator: kathryn immonen, creator: tonci zonjic

Marvel's Ladies Year, as previously discussed, is turning out seriously hit and miss. We've had a couple of posts for Heralds (and we know that stubbleupdate wasn't keen), but I don't think it's had enough love yet!

The book was a five-issue mini (written by Kathryn Immonen, this part pencilled by Tonji Zonjic) featuring Monica Rambeau, Valkyrie, Emma Frost, Agent Brand, She-Hulk, Hellcat, Sue Storm kind of, and a new character (who I'll be introducing later) teenaged waitress (redheaded! Hey Marvel!) Frances. It also brings back Frankie Raye: Nova, Herald of Galactus. Frankie's been dead, and she's a bit messed up and only partially present - a tiny fragment of her has been hidden in Frances since she was fourteen, and now the fragment has gotten out and found its way to ex-boyfriend Johnny Storm. Dreamscape possession time! In my opinion, this whole seven-page sequence from issue three is rad, but only three pages are included here.






"No air.
How can we keep on like this when there's no air?
I've missed the smell of rain. Like the thought of missing you."



Auhhh it's so AWESOME AND WEIRD AND SPOOKY! I really think this is great. It's so desolate in that fifties-sixties oppressive open plan futurism by-the-rules way. Johnny's burning nothing, Frankie's ironing nothing.. and burning it. The SYMBOLISM, man! Or rather, the symbolism, woman. This is such archetypal western "every-female" dismantled-dreams stuff that it's almost, but not quite, ridiculous. It's unabashed! I dig it!

Oh and, glass house = glass ceiling? y/n?




I love how Hank Venture Johnny looks here. I also love how plain and impossible the argument is. How many times have you been called "crazy" when you're actually just "angry"? We've seen this argument play out on s_d and ns_d more than once. Powerless mental/emotional anguish leads to lashing out; people who don't get it say what the hell.. things escalate. Zonjic's art is just grand for the scene too, they both look so perfectly pinched and worn behind/in front of the polished and put together. And the colouring! The colouring is great! I think this is Nathan Fairbairn (what a neat surname, by the way).

They argue some more, and fire fills the pool and air.

Frankie lists the men who have disappointed and betrayed her - "I never meant to let you down", says Johnny..




Great, right? I don't know if or when Heralds will be coming out in trade, but, cross your fingers or look out backissues, huh?