Wow, what a week of comics. One of the best weeks of the year thus far even if it is a fifth Wednesday. It“s a great time to be a comic reader! A reminder that this list is based solely on my opinion so may differ from other reviews on the site. Now let“s get to the countdown”¦
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Matias Bergara
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Description: The story of Hum and the Nag comes to a close.
Why it Made the List: The artwork of Matias Bergara and colorist Michael Doig makes complete and utter devastation look breathtakingly beautiful. In large part, it is due to the color choice that elicits such a provocative sense of place even amongst utter chaos. This issue marks the end of the Coda series that once again shows the magic Simon Spurrier can create with the fantasy genre. With twelve issues of build up this massive battle was a moment well earned and one that lived up to those expectations. Considering how well this world has been built up over time there is still an opportunity to return in some fashion, but for those who love the fantasy genre and missed this series, this will be a great read once it hits trade shortly.
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Corin Howell
Publisher: Aftershock Comics
Description: A surprise, shocking dive into Chip’s past. During WW2, a small group of soldiers, pursued by Nazis, wanders into a dilapidated French hotel, and one man’s life is changed forever. Tim Seeley (BRLLIANT TRASH, Hack/Slash, Grayson) and Corin Howell (Ghostbusters, Bat-Mite) bring you a contemporary and horrifying tale of vampirism in the heart of America – one that’ll make you jump right out of your boots.
Why it Made the List: This issue of Dark Red took a step back to give us the history of Chip and who he was before he became a vampire. An origin story that allowed Chip to become a much more rounded character who is much more than he has seemed thus far. He is someone capable of a level of self-sacrifice most aren“t, and most importantly we see what drives him to be the vampire he is today. The ties to WW2 are clearly there to be more than just a cool way to play with history. Showing that many of the wounds that were endured during that time are not fully healed and are seemingly being reopened.Â
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Joe Bennett
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: Shadow Base has declared total war on Bruce Banner ”” and one by one, death is touching everyone he ever knew..except for one. The one monster who never dies ”” who returns, again and again, to hate and destroy. But it“s not the IMMORTAL HULK.
Why it Made the List: Al Ewing and Joe Bennett are reaching deep into the mythos and lore of Hulk and pulling out something new and exciting. Taking ideas from a few years ago and those from past generations and mixing them up into a twisted combination. Joe Bennett is doing the artwork of his career and with this issue, the way he crafts Hulk newest foe gives the entire series this John Carpenter type of feeling. The body horror elements feel inspired by the work of Rob Bottin and other special effects artists that would break the rules of human anatomy in ways that mess with the mind.
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Michael del Mundo
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: WAR OF THE REALMS TIE-IN! Weeks ago, All-Father Odin sent his brother Cul ”” the Serpent, the God of Fear, Thor“s backstabbing uncle ”” into the depths of Malekith“s home realm, Svartalfheim. There lies the Black Bifrost, Malekith“s own corrupted Rainbow Bridge. Cul“s mission is to gather intelligence on the Bifrost, and if he can, destroy it. But will Cul redeem himself at last? Or has the All-Father made another critical mistake in this War of the Realms?
Why it Made the List: (Full Review) Last week Jason Aaron used Avengers to tell a compelling story centered on Gorilla Man and this week he does the same thing but with the character of Cul, Odin“s dysfunctional older brother. Once again Aaron dives in deep to the character of Cul providing insight and major development. As someone who has never cared deeply about the character, I was stunned how much I was caring about him by the end of this issue.
Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Jasen Smith
Publisher: Action Lab Comics
Description: The trial of Spencer and Locke starts now! After turning the city upside-down to stop Roach Riley, our hard-boiled heroes suddenly find themselves on the wrong side of the law, but what happens when Roach crashes their hearing with a sixty-ton tank?
Why it Made the List: (Full Review) If you ever enjoy reading the classic funnies there is so much to enjoy with this series. At first, I was a bit concerned with the concept of telling a more adult and darker version of Calvin and Hobbs seems a bit much, but it works because it is never in 0n the joke and treats everything with an element of seriousness. Not that this issue is void of humor but never the winking at the camera type. At the end of the day, it is a well-constructed crime story with a unique framework.
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Publisher: DC Comics
Description: Bruce Wayne wakes up in Arkham Asylum. Young. Sane. And…he was never Batman. So begins this sprawling tale of the Dark Knight as he embarks on a quest through a devastated DC landscape featuring a massive cast of familiar faces from the DC Universe. As he tries to piece together the mystery of his past, he must unravel the cause of this terrible future and track down the unspeakable force that destroyed the world as he knew it”¦
Why it Made the List: (Full Review) Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 is on its way to being Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo“s Magnum Opus on the character of Batman. One where their history allows them to create an unexpected future that can deeply explore the fundamentals of who Batman is and how he got that way. It may take a few more steps than necessary to get there but once the story begins to take shape you get the sense you reading the early beginnings of something special.
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Publisher: Vault Comics
Description: It comes down to this: Billy, Dust, and Molly are in deep s**t-deeper than normal, though. They’ve got one shot to discover the location of the Creator, but an army of killer robots and old rich dudes stand in their way. It all leads to a shocking conclusion involving the return of a giant red god-thingy. Ya know the one.
Why it Made the List: What I find remarkable with each issue of Wasted Space is how it does not take itself too serious yet at the right time it can turn things up to another level to convey a really somber moment. That happens within this issue as Billy is forced to come to terms with who he is as a person. If you ever want to experience how tone can be properly maneuvered in the hands of master story tellers this is the series to read.
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
Publisher: Â Dynamite
Description: All that exists, and all that ever will exists rests on the confrontation between two men who are the same man. Peter Cannon versus Peter Cannon, for the future of the canon. Who wins? Who loses? Peter Cannon. Evidently.
Why it Made the List: This marks the end of this miniseries and as it closes it appears to be a call to arms to the comic industry challenging everyone to move the medium forward beyond the same tactics made infamous by Alan Moore and company with Watchmen. Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard took what could have been a throwaway miniseries and made something remarkably original despite much of the framework being first established within other properties. If this is not in major contention for multiple Eisners next year it will be a major oversight for the industry.
Writer/Artist: Ed Piskor
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Description: The series that has critics and fans raving returns for its final installment! The ruination of the X-Men revisited! Re-live the now-classic storylines like Mutant Massacre and The Fall of the Mutants. With appearances by Longshot, Cable, and The Marauders! Created soup to nuts by comic book superstar Ed Piskor in the Mighty Marvel Manner!
Why it Made the List: Speaking of awards, Ed Piskor deserves a major one for convincing Marvel to let him do this X-Men: Grand Design series. As an X-Men fan, I love that we will have a series that tries to fit X-Men continuity into one complete story. An impossible task that somehow he is accomplishing. That alone is impressive but the craft of what Ed Piskor is doing is second to none. Piskor is a one-man team doing it all including story, art, lettering, and coloring. With that amount of control, he is able to envision page concepts a team would not be able to envision. If you are an X-Men fan this series is a must read.
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
Publisher: DC Comics
Description: This stunning issue of the critically acclaimed hit maxiseries reveals the secrets behind Dr. Manhattan and his connection to the DC Universe.
Why it Made the List: (Full Review) With the last few issues of Doomsday Clock I have been thinking, ”˜This is the issue we have been waiting for“. So at risk of sound redundant again this was the issue I had been waiting for since the series was announced. One that used the viewpoint of The Watchmen universe to reexamine the history of DC both within the universe and out. Taking the idealism of Superman and having is deconstructed by the nihilism of a character like Doctor Manhattan. Using the framework of a classic Hollywood star“s rise and fall as the centerpiece for this exercise. I know many where against the idea of Doomsday Clock before it began but on a sheer craft standpoint, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are doing some career work. What this eventually lead to is still not fully clear, but as an isolated story, it is an impressive piece of work.
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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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