Prophet: Strikefile 1 (September 2014)

Prophet: Strikefile #1 Prophet: Strikefile, after the entire relaunched series, explains a lot of what's been going on in the comic. The writers of Prophet always let in little details about the universe, without ever doing full exposition. Strikefile simultaneously has that full exposition, but writers Simon Roy and Brandon Graham still tell it in a reserved manner. They still rely on the art to subtly infer, for example.

The issue has a lot of different artists, most of them regular artists from the series, so they know how to compose an informative Prophet page.

Roy's opening history of the universe–with Grim Wilkins on art–is so dense, the subsequent pages covering various Prophet people, places and things is all gravy.

In their exposition, Roy and Graham maintain a somewhat playful attitude; it's like they know Strikefile is extraneous but they still want to have fun with it.

And, while entirely superfluous, it succeeds.

B+

CREDITS

Writers, Simon Roy and Brandon Graham; artists, Roy, Grim Wilkins, Graham, Sandra Lanz,Matt Sheehan, Malachi Ward, Bayard Baudoin, Onta, Giannis Milonogiannis, Joseph Bergin III, Ron Ackins and Tom Parkinson-Morgan; colorists, Sheehan, Ward and Amy Clare; letterer, Ed Brisson; publisher, Image Comics.

Prophet 43 (March 2014)

Prophet #43 The difference between a divine Prophet and an excellent one? The divine one has less story. The issue opens with the tree-man on Old John’s team. Bayard Baudoin does the art for his story. It’s very stylized, very lyrical. In just a few pages, Baudoin is able to define how the tree-man sees the universe and his place in it.

Except the issue isn’t just his story. It starts with him, moves to the space battle–including another fun flashback to Youngblood. Even though Graham and Roy use such flashbacks more often now, they’re still surprising. For a moment Prophet all of a sudden becomes a comic about comics, a wild imagining of what could be. Then the moment passes–organically–and the story continues. It’s a very nice move the writers make.

The third part involves the slaves (from many issues ago); it’s setup. Good, but obviously setup.

B+

CREDITS

Writers, Brandon Graham and Simon Roy; artists, Bayard Baudoin, Giannis Milonogiannis, Roy, Matt Sheean and Malachi Ward; colorists, Joseph Bergin III, Baudoin, Sheean and Ward; letterer, Ed Brisson. Pieces; writer and artist, Daniel Warren Johnson; colorist, Doug Garbark. Publisher, Image Comics.

Prophet 38 (August 2013)

280189 20130815010038 large What an issue. With Roy and Milonogiannis splitting the art–basically between Old John and New John–it’s a visual feast to be sure. It’s also exceptionally confusing.

The Old John stuff is simpler. It’s a tie-in with Supreme, which most Prophet readers can’t be familiar with, right? But Graham runs with it.

He doesn’t give enough time to the sidekicks though, especially not with the middle issue changeover to New John. And New John doesn’t really do anything–he gets a new arm–before Graham moves on to some planetoid.

At that point, the issue becomes completely incomprehensible. I think a planet gets broken up to free a planet-sized Prophet from a gravity well. Or something.

The backup, from Kate Craig, is cute. It’s a little too cute, with a white koala bear looking guy on a distant planet playing with the weird indigenous lizards. It’s fine.

CREDITS

Prophet; writers, Brandon Graham and Simon Roy; artists, Bayard Baudoin, Giannis Milonogiannis and Simon Roy; colorist, Joseph Bergin III, Jessica Pollard and Roy; letterer, Ed Brisson. Catch and Release; writer, artist, colorist and letterer, Kate Craig. Publisher, Image Comics.