Lucas Werneck

I don't know Leah Williams, but I constantly feel incredibly seen by her writing. In a way that feels rude. Like, come on, Williams, get out of my head and my feels!

That out of the way, let's get into reviewing this book. Is it perfect? No. I think editorial did the book and the creative team a massive disservice with the marketing, title and format of this story. It should've been what it is: an incredible X-Factor story arc.

But it's not. Except it is... when you get past the series title show more and the allusions to and baggage from Uncanny X-Men #200 it brings with it.

And it's really really excellent. From the mystery to the resolution(s) to the goals and especially ESPECIALLY the beautiful, heartbreaking, and so beautifully perfect narrations on loss and grieving.

I'm going to keep coming back to the knifing wind of grief from the end of issue 1 forever. It's such a perfect image for how the loss of a loved one affects us and how we learn to live through it.

And that on its own is enough for me to love this volume. But it's not the only wonderful, beautiful or heartbreaking thing about this story. Not by a long shot. show less

Power Rangers: Aftershock picks up following the events of Dean Israelite’s 2017. The comic, written by Ryan Parrott with art by Lucas Werneck and Robert Carey, focuses on the Rangers dealing with Putties that have been temporarily reanimated by the remains of Goldar after their defeat of Rita Repulsa. They try to contain the damage as their city remains in ruins from Rita’s attack with makeshift refugee centers struggling to keep up. A shadowy group comes to town posing as relief show more workers in order to investigate the remains of the alien attack and two teenagers who’ve suffered as much as the Rangers in their personal lives suddenly gain power through the Goldar dust and want revenge on the town that forsook them.
Parrott’s story is entertaining and faithful to the versions of the characters as they appeared on film. Jason continues to struggle in his position as leader while he and Kimberly develop their fledgling flirtationship. The storyline involving the other teenagers is particularly interesting as it offers a counterpoint to the Rangers, who, if not for the coins choosing them, could easily have gone down the same path. Like many comics continuations of film stories, Parrott avoids exploring too much (including the Tommy Oliver tease at the film’s end) because a later movie could easily undo his story. Instead, he wisely tells a story that feels like an episode of a television show spun off from the film. Fans of the movie who worry it may not get a sequel will find some recompense in this volume.
Included in this volume are the prologue and first chapter of Boom! Studios Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comics series written by Kyle Higgins with art by Hendry Prasetya. These chapters begin to explore the fallout after the television show’s Tommy Oliver left Rita Repulsa's influence and joined the Power Rangers, focusing on how such a change would affect the relationships of the original five Rangers as well as how Tommy would cope with still being the new kid in town. It’s a good story and the comics are fun to read, though here it primarily serves to add length and promote a different title in Boom!’s Power Rangers line. show less

If you want a story about the Scarlet Witch, this delivers, but for a book called THE TRIAL OF MAGNETO, Magneto barely appears in it.

Read this in one sitting. 4⭐️ for art but 5⭐️ for writing.