My Week in Comics: January 6, 2023

Happy New Year, and happy new comics week! I decided to pick up some new comics to read to see if it's safe to dip back in again. What have I got myself into this week? Read on!

Don't let the mundane title fool you. Boom Studios' Mosely #1 looks to pack quite a punch in the future. For now, it's just the story of Marvin Mosely, who was tapped to participate in an experiment teaching artificial intelligence all there is to know about the human race. Flash forward years later and Mosely is now a down-on-his-luck janitor with palpable contempt for technology, especially now that AI taken over society and pretty much ascended to godhood. It's like The Matrix, only the machines won.

Writer Rob Guillory doesn't yet make it clear why Marvin here hates tech, and the issue doesn't sell the idea of futuristic dystopia well enough aside from some robot muggers. Mosely then comes across as unbearably trite for no reason (and pretty much feels like writing for the inevitable trade) that it feels like a chore to wait for the next issue for more context. Artist Sam Lotfi and colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu do a bang-up job of crafting a high-tech yet very lived-in world for Mosely to mope around in, but that's pretty much as far as my attention for this book goes.

The one time it gets interesting is when a mysterious force grants him a powerful hammer to use against his tech overlords (how better to beat machines than by smashing them to smithereens?), and for a moment I wanted to know just where he's gonna put down the hammer next. Just for a moment. I've long said that a comic book's first issue needs to give it all it's got to hook you in. Mosely #1 surely piques the interest, but only slightly.  This gets a 3 out of 5.

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Speaking of first issues that hook you in, Marvel's Scarlet Witch #1 feels fresh and exciting (at least, to me). Here, Wanda Maximoff has set up shop in New York as a dealer of curios and tinctures, with Darcy Lewis (of MCU fame, debuting in the 616 comics universe) as her receptionist. Between selling random baubles to New Yorkers and dealing with her sarcastic employee, she takes in clients who need her help, Sherlock-style, as she continues her journey of redemption.

First off, this book is gorgeous, Sara Pichelli does some very pretty pencils, while Elisabetta D'Amico's inks and Matthew Wilson's colors give the book a warm, inviting feel. Writer Steve Orlando doesn't gloss over Wanda's problematic past, but he doesn't dwell on it too much either. Scarlet Witch #1 is focused on the here and now, and seeing Wanda use her powers in superheroic (albeit a tad vicious, once you read it) ways is a fun time for a $5 comic.

Oh my god, comic books are 5 bucks now.

Still, Scarlet Witch #1 is a meaty comic book, one that casts a spell on you to make you buy the next issue. This gets a 4 out of 5.

It's not much, but man Scarlet Witch #1's art is worth the cover price alone! What did you think of this week's comics? Let's talk about it! Anyway, thanks for reading!