Doing this list has made me upset at the number ten because you have a week like this where I feel I have nearly 15 books deserving of making it. When I read The Amazing Spider-Man #16.HU, Conan the Barbarian #4, and Black Hammer ’45 #1 I was sure all of them were going to make the list but they ended up in the honorable mention section. A reminder that this list is solely based on my opinion so may differ from other reviews you find on the site.
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Stephanie Hans
Publisher: Image
Description: “FANTASY HEARTBREAKER,” Part Four – Our heroes reach the civilization of Glass Town and do what heroes have always done upon reaching civilization. As in, go to the pub. As it’s DIE, you can guess people don’t exactly get happy drunk.
Why it Made the List: I enjoyed the first three issues of Die, however, something was holding me back from loving it. Despite the intriguing concept and impressive art, there was something missing on the character front. That hollowness began to fill in this issue as things slowed down to focus more on who exactly these characters are. One moment that will stick until the series ends is when one character discusses dealing with the death of his daughter. It was moving, poignant, and the emotional high point of the series by far. If we can get more moments like that and more issues like this you will begin to see this on this top 10 list a lot more.
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Â Liam Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Description: “Blackstar at Zenith!”“ Hal Jordan has abandoned the Green Lantern Corps to join the Blackstars! But to do so, he“ll need to convince their leader, Countess Belzebeth, and pass an initiation test. Which means he must survive a series of trials on the vampire planet Vorr, whose entire population wants to feast upon him! It“s cosmic goth at its bloodiest”¦with a cliffhanger that“s even bloodier!
Why it Made the List: With Grant Morrison and Liam Sharpe“s current run on The Green Lantern being a glorified police procedure in a far off galaxy it makes sense that we are now entering the undercover portion of the narrative. Here Hal Jordan had a herculean like tasks as if he is going through the Labours of the Blackstars. Morrison is great giving Sharpe room to do his thing and he rewards his generosity with some truly ingenious designs and page layouts. If you love weird, and I do, this will give you your fill.Â
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Publisher: Image Comics
Description: NEW STORY ARC! THE COUNTDOWN TO THE SERIES FINALE STARTS HERE! After surviving adventures in their past, present, and future, the Paper Girls of 1988 embark on one last journey-a five-part epic that will conclude with a double-sized 30th issue in July!
Why it Made the List: We are coming closer and closer to the end of Paper Girls, which stings even more knowing Saga is on hiatus. For now, we can just enjoy that it is back. Trying to explain everything this is going on in Paper Girls is downright impossible, yet it is still the epitome of a joyous adventure. Time travel is a tricky business and what Brian K. Vaughan decided to just go for it and lean into the complexity. This issue is setting the stage for the finale by putting the characters in place for their finale emotional journey.
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Wes Craig
Publisher: Image Comics
Description: “NEVER GO BACK,”“ Part Two (of Five) Get ready for the wildest night in Tokyo as Saya gets one chance to escape the clutches of her psycho Yakuza brother Kenji. Hollywood News: Also now a SyFy TV series airing in 2019.
Why it Made the List: (Full Review) Deadly Class has been one of my favorite series since its debut and thirty-seven issues in Rick Remender and Wes Craig are not slowing down. This issue focuses on redemption and asks if it can actually exist in the world of Deadly Class. Most of the latter half of the issue is a massive chase sequence and not surprisingly Wes Craig makes it work. So much energy and urgency with each panel. Craig has a lot of strengths as an artist and one of his best is rendering movement. ”˜Never Go Back“ is a fitting title for this arc thus far as we are seeing sometimes good deeds do not go unpunished.
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jorge Jimenez
Publisher: DC Comics
Description: THE SIXTH DIMENSION, CHAPTER 1 At last, the Justice League has the map to the Sixth Dimension in hand ”” and with it, they have the key to saving the Multiverse from utter destruction! Â But things aren“t as simple as they seem, because they still need to get to the doorway ”” and to do that, they“ll have to go through the only being in all of existence who can get them there: Mr. Mxyzptlk!
Why it Made the List: (Full Review) One thing I would advise with this issue is watching Scott Snyder’s YouTube video where he discusses the craft of this issue and how sometimes things may change within an issue based on the art. You can see why as Jorge Jimenez“s art is doing a lot of special things in this issue. One of my favorite pages of the week was early on as Superman was flying through the air to meet the rest of the Justice League. It had such a strong spirit and inventive page composition. At times Snyder“s Justice League can be overwhelming with the number of ideas he is packing in but when you get an issue like this everything begins to click together.
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Kyle Hotz
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: Betty Ross is going through a lot. She“s having a family crisis. Her employers won“t pick up the phone. And at her door is the husband she thought was dead. But Bruce Banner hasn“t come alone. He“s brought the IMMORTAL HULK.
Why it Made the List: The Immortal Hulk is easily the most critically praised of all of Marvel comics today and it is easy to see why. Knowing Joe Bennett wasn“t on this issue was somewhat concerning as one of the biggest factors to this series success was the consistent look of the book. Kyle Hotz“s style fits in well especially when it comes to the more emotional aspects of this issue. He draws a single image of Betty in the rain during her father“s funeral that says so much about the emotional torture she has been through. After the recent trip to hell, this appears to be a very different type of fo journey. One that will further explore one of the most important relationships in all of comics history.
Writer: Bryan Hill
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: His family is dead. The few friends he“s made are dead. And his lover”¦is about to be. There is nothing left of the boy named N“Jadaka. Now there is only the vengeance to come. Bryan Hill and Juan Ferreyra bring Erik Killmonger to the edge ”“ and he“s not coming back.
Why it Made the List: What a gem of a series this turn out to be. Sometimes the MCU films can have a positive impact on comics. Killmonger is a character that has had a long history but has never been greatly utilized. The film changed that by making him into a much more nuanced and well-formed character. Bryan Hill and Juan Ferreyra took what was done and added even more context. Hill“s scripts have been great but what has really made this series is the work of Juan Ferreyra. His style has a more real-life look to it which immediately gave this book its own unique tone. More like a hardnosed crime drama that the origin of a comic book supervillain. His page concepts have been inventive especially when it comes to showcasing action. Once this series is collected it will be a go-to gift to those looking for a series they need to check out.
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Jorge Fornés
Publisher: DC Comics
Description: The “Knightmares”“ storyline continues! Something””or someone””is forcing Batman to live through some of his darkest fears, amplifying the Dark Knight“s anxieties and reimagining some of his worst traumas. Now that Batman has become aware of the nature of these delusions, he must find a way to break through and find out the source of this disruption. So who does he turn to for answers? Why, the Question, of course! But is Vic Sage just another figment of the Caped Crusaders imagination?
Why it Made the List: (Full Review) The ”˜Knightmares“ storyline has not been clicking with me a great deal, but this issue help change that. For one it simplified the idea and made it more focused and less overtly obscure. In a way, this did a better job exploring the relationship between Batman and Catwoman than issue number fifty did. I became a fan of Jorge Fornés with his work on Hot Lunch Special and it was clear he was destined to be a star. This is the type of issue that can make that happen. As someone who feels Batman: Year One is the greatest Batman story ever told anytime you homage David Mazzucchelli“s art this effectively I am going to be a fan. Easily the best issue of Batman since ”˜Cold Days“.
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Mirko Colak
Publisher: Dynamite
Description: THE SHE-DEVIL WITH A SWORD IS QUEEN OF HYRKANIA! LONG MAY SHE REIGN! Dragan The Magnificent marches his massive Zamoran army to do battle with Sonja’s puny Hyrkanian forces. Any other monarch would retreat in cowardly fear. But Sonja will rely on the lessons she learned at THE COURT OF THE KHITAI, and empty her nephew Kryon’s BROTHERS OF MISFORTUNE? The epic ongoing continues
Why it Made the List: Red Sonja was never a character I cared a great deal about. So I am unsure how well this series fits into the lore of the character. The only reason I started reading this series is that it is written by Mark Russell who has proven to be one of the best writers on comics today. You can certainly see Russell“s sense of humor with the character of Dragan, but what is surprising is how well he writes a character like Red Sonja. She has that commanding presence and her ability to outmaneuver her opponents makes her more than a skillful warrior in a skimpy costume. Mirko Colak art is also strong and vital to this book’s success. You have to also credit editorial at Dynamite because they keep putting on intriguing creators that may not seem like the obvious choice. That has lead to them producing a lot of the best books of the year thus far.
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Â Gary Frank
Publisher: DC Comics
Description: The critically acclaimed series by master storytellers Geoff Johns and Gary Frank reaches its most shocking chapter yet when the DC Universe collides with its greatest threat: Dr. Manhattan. But nothing is hidden from Manhattan, and the secrets of the past, present and future will rock the very foundation of the DC Universe.
Why it Made the List: (Full Review) As often is the case picking my number one was really a challenge this week. Ultimately though while I sat back and thought about what was the best put together issue I read I had to go with Doomsday Clock #9. There is no questioning the level of craft that has gone into each and every issue of Doomsday Clock. As issue nine shows this is a series of some of today“s best creators doing some of their best work. For those hoping to see the pacing pick up this issue accomplishes that feat and with only three issues left the final act is beginning to take shape. You get the sense major ramifications lie ahead for all of DC comics. Hopefully, those answers make it all worth it. So far there is no reason not to trust what this creative team is doing.
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- A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.
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