Top 10 Comics for the Week of 1/23/2019

I first want to apologize for this list coming out much later than the others. I caught a nasty stomach bug last week that made comic book reading pretty much impossible. Luckily I can now eat solid food again and read comics. A win-win. With that out of the way let“s get to the countdown:

10. Go-Bots #3

Writer/Artist: Tom Scioli

Publisher: IDW

Description: Welcome to Gobotron. Leader-1 and the Go-Bots have built a planet of their own. Astronauts Lee Spencer, Charlotte Scott and Venyamin Alexander pay Gobotron a visit and find themselves victims of the strange and deadly politics of a Gobotocracy. If they can escape Zod the Go-Bot monster, they’ll have to face the judgment of the Rock Lords. Is there a place for people in a post-human society? From the creative mind that brought you IDW’s Transformers vs. G.I. Joe! Visionary creator, Tom Scioli, unleashes his imagination on the bizarre, absurd, and wonderful world of Go-Bots!

Why it Made the List: Tom Scioli is rewriting the rules of what you can do with the format of a comic book. Starting with the fact he has shown it is possible to make something great out of the Go-Bots. It appears IDW has given Scioli the room to tell the story he wants and he is taking full advantage. It is one of the few times when the phrase anything is possible actually fully applies. From planet size robots to imaginative ways to kill humans its odd in the best ways. Scioli“s old school style ties it all together in an impressive package.

9. Guardians of the Galaxy #1

Writer: Donny Cates

Artist: Geoff Shaw

Publisher: Marvel

Description: The universe is on fire. Hundreds of worlds are at war. Never has there been such hatred and division across the cosmos. And in spite of all this, Thanos of Titan is still dead”¦or is he? Now, more than ever, the cosmos need the Guardians of the Galaxy”¦but in the aftermath of the Infinity Wars, who is left to answer the call? Featuring every cosmic superhero in the known universe by the THANOS WINS creative team of Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw!

Why it Made the List: I became aware of Donny Cates when he teamed up with Geoff Shaw on the series God Country. In that instant, I became a major fan of their work. Like many, I was impressed with their work on Thanos and now they are back with Guardians of the Galaxy. The purpose of this issue was mainly to setup for who these new Guardians will be, however in true Donny Cates fashion it was massively big storytelling. It is a strong tone setter of an issue that has the right balance of cosmic action and narrative setup.

8. Monstress #19

Writer: Marjorie Liu

Artist: Sana Takeda

Publisher: Image Comics

Description: Five-time Eisner Award winner for 2018 As Maika and Corvin search for Kippa through a warped and lethal land, Kippa herself will face her own terrible monsters”¦

Why it Made the List: Â It is odd to say for a series that has won five Eisners, but Montress remains an overlooked book with many fans. When the best series of today are mentioned Monstress does not get the recognition it deserves with fans. As has been the case since the beginning Sana Takeda“s art is gorgeous and pure. Each page has such intricate detail you can get lost just in her character designs. This is a series with a lot of moving pieces and with this being the first installment since July it can be a challenge to remember exactly where we are in the story. At times when you have those massive breaks between issues the first issue back can try to do too much just furthering confusion. This however kept a consistent balance including a solid cliffhanger of an ending that makes you glad the next issue is only a month away.

7. Naomi #1

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker

Artist: Jamal Campbell

Publisher: DC Comics

Description: When a fight between Superman and Mongul crashes into a small Northwestern town, Naomi (last name?) begins a quest to uncover the last time a super-powered person visited her home””and how that might tie into her own origins and adoption. Follow Naomi“s journey on a quest that will take her to the heart of the DC Universe and unfold a universe of ideas and stories that have never been seen before.

Why it Made the List: Two series into this Wonder Comics line and there is a lot of promise with this imprint. The big two have not done enough to appeal to a new audience especially in the young adult area. Naomi hits that spot well without being overtly directed to a specific group. There is a level of wonderment within these books that reminds you that it okay for comics to be primarily focused on producing joy. David Walker and Brian Michael Bendis have quite different styles when it comes to comic creation, and because of that, they produced something that was unique to both of them.Â

6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1

Writer:Â Jordie Bellaire

Artist:Â Dan Mora

Publisher: Boom! studiosÂ

Description: Go back to the beginning as the critically acclaimed pop culture phenomenon Buffy The Vampire Slayer is reimagined under the guidance of series creator Joss Whedon. This is the Buffy Summers you know, who wants what every average teenager wants: friends at her new school, decent grades, and to escape her imposed destiny as the next in a long line of vampire slayers tasked with defeating the forces of evil.

Why it Made the List: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1 functions in a similar way that Ultimate Spider-Man did when it first launched. It took a known property and slightly modernized it to appeal to both old and new fans. As someone who has a very limited knowledge of Buffy I was able to follow without issue, but I could also tell that the voices of all the characters were exact. Also the art was perfect. You can tell the faces are based on the actual actors without being relying too heavily on photo referencing. Fans of Buffy should know that their franchise is in good hand.

5. Livewire #2

Writer: Vita Ayala

Artist: Raul Allen

Publisher: Valiant

Description: Â When the super-powered psiot codenamed Livewire plunged the entire country into a nationwide power outage, she made more than a few enemies – and now she’s about to meet them face to face! But these mysterious foes aren’t simply interested in bringing her to justice…no, they have other far more nefarious plans for the most wanted woman in the world…

Why it Made the List: Â One of Valiant“s greatest abilities is finding ways to breakout characters. Previously they did it with Faith and now it is Livewire has taken center stage since Harbinger Wars 2. Two issues into her own series and Vita Ayala is taking a lot of chances with this series by taking away a defining factor of her character. It is a bold choice that immediately raises the stakes and opens the doors for a multitude of story possibilities.

4. Avengers #13

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Andrea Sorrentino

Publisher: Marvel

Description: FEATURING THE IRON FIST OF 1,000,000 BC! ANDREA SORRENTINO JOINS SERIES WRITER JASON AARON another flashback tale of the Prehistoric Earth“s Mightiest Heroes. Meet the primordial woman who was the first to harness the power of the heart of the dragon Shou-Lao, becoming the very first Iron Fist.

Why it Made the List: Â The one issue story is a lost art in today“s comics. With more and more emphasises pushed on trades you rarely see a self contained story within a single issue of a comic. It is also quite hard to do well. That is part of what makes this issue of Avengers so strong. Jason Aaron crafts the entire origin of the First Iron Fist while continuing the legacy of his 1,000,000 BC Avengers. Andrea Sorrentino on art was also masterful. It was more dialed back than his recent work on GIdeon Falls, but still had a great cinematic flow. Aaron“s Avengers had a rocky start, but ever since the end of the first arc it has been fantastic.

3. The Immortal Hulk #12

Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: Joe Bennett

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Description: It whispers through many mouths. It destroys with many hands. Its only weapon is hate. It wears human souls like masks on a stage to work its will on the world ”” but in the lowest hell, underneath all others, all the masks come off ”¦and THE ONE BELOW ALL is revealed.

Why it Made the List: There may not be a better put together comic on the stands right now than Immortal Hulk. From the phenomenal covers by Alex Ross, to Joe Bennett“s career work, to Al Ewing“s ability to craft a script that balances so much with ease. While the headline of this arc has been about Hulk“s litteral Â trip to hell, what it really has been is an even deeper dive into the horrific backstory regarding where all that anger came from. This is not necessarily breaking new ground in regards of basic story, however what makes it work is how it connects the history of the Hulk with this prolonged mystery. Now twelve issues in and this is going down as my personal favorite Hulk run of all time.

2. American Carnage #3

Writer: Bryan Edward Hill

Artist: Leandro Fernandez

Publisher: Vertigo

Description: Placed in an impossible position by the white nationalist gang he“s been sent to infiltrate, white-passing FBI agent Richard Wright is forced to take an action that can never, ever be undone.

Why it Made the List: There are a lot of comics that are trying to do what American Carnage is doing, but are not nearly as successful. It is tactful in its approach in how it weaves its social commentary into this crime story that continues to go more wrong. There are strong and complex characters that exist with a moral grey areas that you need for a story like this to be effective. Of all the Vertigo titles that are out now this one has by far the most promise. Bryan Edward Hill and Leandro Fernandez are not trying to recapture something that previously existed, instead they are creating something new and fresh that speaks to our time.

1. Mars Attacks #4

Writer: Kyle Starks

Artist: Chris Schweizer

Publisher: Dynamite

Description: Running from a bunch of wild Martians with nothing better to do than leave you a smoking pile of ash and having a good laugh about it will leave a man in need of some rest. When Spencer and the Major find a place to lay low for a while, they encounter a threat of a non-spaceman variety and things are going to get real tense!

Why it Made the List: In a week that had deep and profound series about some of the most vital issues of our time it may seem odd to pick Mars Attacks as the best issue of the week. Truth is out of all the books that came out this one elicited the biggest emotional reaction. At its heart this has been a father and son story, and that story reached its climax in this issue. After reading Kyle Starks work on Rock Candy Mountain and now this I am amazed by they way he is able to sneak in so much emotional resonance to what seems like a silly story. Also kudos to Chris Schweizer whose style is ideal for this type of story. It can balance the insanity of these alien creatures destroying everything in their path, and when the tone shifts to be slightly serious he can capture that moment just as well. The final moments were so perfectly staged as the aged warrior looked destiny in the face and refused to blink.

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Daniel Clark

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.