Comic Book Reviews (Week July 28, 2021): SWORD Issue 7, Harley Quinn Issue 5 & More!

Welcome to my comic book reviews for this week (July 28, 2021). I will be covering SWORD Issue 7, Harley Quinn Issue 5, Something Is Killing The Children Issue 18, and more!

Let’s talk about Harley Quinn Issue 5 by writer Stephanie Phillips. With Harley getting to meet Hugo Strange, I was waiting for both characters to psychoanalyze each other- and that’s exactly what they did. I laughed at Harley’s opinions about Hugo wanting to wear Batman’s suit to feel important. I mean, similar to Harley, I also think there might be a sexual element involved. In a sense, all of the villains obsessed with Batman also having a crush on him would make a lot of sense. We all know Joker’s basically in love with Batman already.

Even though Harley’s able to save Kevin and the rest of Hugo’s prisoners, it’s clear that things are far from over. Hugo’s part of something bigger and I hope Harley’s ready for what’s to come next.

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: Pick it up!

Made in Korea Issue 3

From writer Jeremy Holt, Made in Korea Issue 3 amped up the tension by a lot. You could tell from the previous issue that the two boys Jesse befriended were bad news. The latest issue showed the boys continue to train Jesse. With their plans involving damaging the school and the students, I hope Jesse comes to her senses soon. It would be interesting to see if her programming will allow her to hurt an actual human being when the time comes.

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: Pick it up!

The Department of Truth Issue 11

Hmmm. While I’m still going to continue reading The Department of Truth series by writers James Tynion IV, I can see why certain readers are complaining about the story having too much exposition. The current issue featured letters from a man hunting Bigfoot. You have to go through a lot of text without there being any visuals depicting the events being mentioned. If a comic book has a whole lot of text in it, I can understand why certain readers would like their money back. They didn’t pay to read an essay.

As for the portion of the comic book that had visuals, I liked how Hawk handled the Bigfoot hunting man. The Department of Truth is known to kill people for the greater good. But there are moments where certain agents do show kindness. I think it was important for Cole to see Hawk in such a light. 

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: Up to you.

Something Is Killing The Children Issue 18

From writer James Tynion IV, Something is Killing the Children Issue 18 showed young Erica preparing for her test to be accepted into the Order of St. George. Even though we know young Erica survived and become an adult in the present, I was still worried about her having to face a dangerous supernatural being to prove her worth. That kid’s been through a lot!

As for Gary Slaughterhouse, a new character introduced in this issue, I like him already. He’s very open with Erica when answering her questions. I hope to see more of him.

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: PICK IT UP!

Phantom on the Scan Issue 4

Writer Cullen Bunn decided to spend more time sharing the dread being experienced by the three psychics we have been following. They want to know how they got their powers in the first place, but they also know said answers weren’t going to prevent their heads from exploding sooner or later.

I have been enjoying the despair-filled tone of this story. You would think being a psychic would be fun. But, apparently, it wasn’t for our main leads. Listening to private thoughts brought them nothing but pain and suffering. With Matthew, Jessica, and Aston having no other option but to turn to where it all began for them, let’s see how things end.

Artist Mark Torres continues to do a spectacular job with all of the body horror (telekinesis can be very gross if used a certain way) and keeping the visual palette dreary. 

Does it have obvious queer characters? No.

Recommendation: Pick it up.

SWORD Issue 7

Even though I decided back in October of 2020 that I won’t be reading any X-Men books until the X-Office begins to treat Ororo Munroe right, writer Al Ewing got me to pick up SWORD Issue 7. And from the looks of things, I will continue reading this particular comic book series. As for the rest of the X-Men books? The jury’s still out on them.

SWORD Issue 7 did two things. It connected to the epilogue of the Hulkling and Wiccan-centric Empyre event and showed Storm growing into her role as the Voice of Sol (she’s basically the Queen of the solar system at this point).

A tie-in to the current ‘The Last Annhilation‘ event, SWORD Issue 7 opened with Hulkling asking Captain Glory for help against the endless hordes of Mindless Ones being sent by Dormammu. While an intergalactic battle was occurring, we had Storm and Doom sitting down for dinner. And if you assumed the dinner between Storm and Doom wasn’t going to be a battle as well… think again!

I loved the shade Doom tried to throw at Storm only for her to counter it tenfold and show him he can’t win against her. You could tell Doom being respectful toward Ororo was him working some kind of an angle. He offered Planet Arakko help with the Mysterium in return for a favor. And we all know the last thing you want is to be indebted to Doom.

Storm’s stance in front of Doom made sense. There was no way Plant Arakko would reach out to Doom for help with the Mysterium. The mutants can figure out how to handle the cosmic substance themselves. Or so I hope. In my opinion, Doom did imply that Dormammu’s attack was linked to the mutants hoarding Mysterium and shifting the cosmic balance of things.

The big reveal in SWORD Issue 7 involved Abigail Brand and her decision to rescue Hulkling from the battlefield. Of course, Abigail’s worried about what might happen if word got out of her political move. Storm and the Quiet Council would make her face certain consequences. Even though Storm’s the Voice of Sol and Regent of Planet Arakko, Abigail seems to have her own plans about how things should be run. I’m ready for Storm vs Abigail.

Does it have obvious queer characters? Yes.

Recommendation: Pick it up!

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Make sure to read Jessica’s review of Robin issue 4 and I Am Not Starfire.

Which comic books did you read this week? What are your thoughts about SWORD Issue 7?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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