Top Comics to Buy for November 14, 2018

November 12, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — This week could maybe be looked at as DC Strikes Back, or something...if it weren’t for Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men #1, which in spite of its $7.99 price tag is still likely to sell more copies than any other title this week. Still, the slate of new DC and indie books is strong, with the former launching Electric Warriors, concluding Mister Miracle, and re-orienting Wonder Woman with a new creative team of G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel) and Cary Nord (The Unexpected).

The real highlight of the week, meanwhile, comes from David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene, as the team launches their long-awaited familial Harlem Renaissance monster-hunting book, Bitter Root. This was on our Most Anticipated Comics of 2018 list waaaaay back last January, and now it’s finally here. Obviously, Bitter Root lands as our featured books for the Top Comics to Buy for November 14, 2018. Oh, and look for a review later this week, but for now….

Let’s get to the comics!

Top Comics to Buy for November 14, 2018

PICK OF THE WEEK
Bitter Root #1
Writers: David F. Walker & Chuck Brown
Artist: Sanford Greene
Colorists: Rico Renzi & Sanford Greene
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
In the 1920s, the Harlem Renaissance is in full swing, and only the Sangerye Family can save New York-and the world-from the supernatural forces threatening to destroy humanity. But the once-great family of monster hunters has been torn apart by tragedies and conflicting moral codes. The Sangerye Family must heal the wounds of the past and move beyond their differences... or sit back and watch a force of unimaginable evil ravage the human race.
Why It’s Cool: David F. Walker and Sanford Greene have teamed up before, specifically on a brief Power Man and Iron Fist run that if there was any justice in the corporate comics world would have run for 50+ issues. And now they’re back together! Transferring the creative alchemy they found at Marvel to the creator-owned vision described above. Simply put, this has the potential to be a MAJOR comic.

Electric Warriors #1
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Travel Foreman
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Years after the Great Disaster, the Earth has started to rebuild and rejoin the universal coalition. In order to prevent a galactic war, different worlds throughout the known cosmos have created a new system of competitive combat to give each participating planet their own voice in the intergalactic struggle. Each world has one diplomatic gladiator, chosen to possess the Electric Seed and fight for their homeland as the Electric Warrior! Each fighter forsakes their personal life in the name of peace. So what happens when Earth can't choose a single combatant and sends two instead? The bruiser War Cry represents the humans of Earth, while Deep Dweller, a shape-shifter from the Octopus Tribe, represents the animal kingdom. Can they maintain one common goal, or will they tear Earth's tenuous coexistence to shreds and destroy the rest of the universe with it? Oh, and War Cry also has a powerful relic from Earth's past: Superman's cape!
Why It’s Cool: This book features one of the wildest and most original visions we’ve seen from either of the Big 2 in sometime, especially as it pertains to Travel Foreman’s artwork. Paired with Hi-Fi’s colors, the wispy shades of neon in this book really differentiate it from any other superhero universe fare on the market. Meanwhile, writer Steve Orlando is perhaps DC’s foremost continuity explorer, fearlessly drawing from his own deep knowledge of the publisher’s history. He’s right at home here crafting a compelling narrative within Jack Kirby’s Great Disaster Era.

Lone Ranger #2
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Bob Q
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Dynamite
Price: $3.99
Tonto and the Lone Ranger go to Austin to foil a plan to cover the Texas panhandle in barbed wire. They are discovered and have to fight their way out of the city. Tonto devises a new strategy based on trick plays he learned from playing football at the Carlisle Indian School and Silver knocks a man unconscious with a wooden post.
Why It’s Cool: We’ve been heaping all kinds of praise on this book, most recently in our Best New #1 Comics of October 2017, and we’re not going to stop any time soon. This book is as smart as it is well done, and if you like great comics, you should be reading it, even if you care as little about the Lone Ranger character as I did coming into this.

Mister Miracle #12
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Mitch Gerads
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
It'll be a miracle if you can get through this mind-bending conclusion with your sanity intact! After his epic battle with Darkseid, Scott Free sees life a whole new way: he's the new Highfather of New Genesis, and he's madly in love with his wife and child. But what if it's all a lie? Did Mister Miracle really escape death way back in issue #1? No one really knows but Tom King and Mitch Gerads!
Why It’s Cool: Mister Miracle is one of the smartest and most poignant comics that DC has published in many, many years, and this issue marks its conclusion. This is, simply put, the sort of finale that not only sticks the landing but does so in a way that validates all of the creative choices that came before it, making the already-strong previous acts of this story even stronger. This was one hell of a comic.

Uncanny X-Men #1
Writers: Ed Brisson, Kelly Thompson, & Matthew Rosenberg
Artists: Mahmud A. Asrar, Mark Bagley, & Mirko Colak
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $7.99
THE CHILDREN OF THE ATOM ARE BACK! New ongoing series kicking off with a 10-part weekly epic, the flagship X-Men series that started it all is back and better than ever! Starting with a mysterious and tragic disappearance, the X-Men are drawn into what might be...their final adventure?! X-Fan favorite writers Ed Brisson (EXTERMINATION), Matthew Rosenberg (PHOENIX RESURRECTION) and Kelly Thompson (MR. & MRS. X) and all-star artists Mahmud Asrar (X-MEN RED), R.B. Silva (X-MEN BLUE), Yildiray Cinar (WEAPON X) and Pere Pérez (ROGUE AND GAMBIT) join forces to bring you...X-MEN DISASSEMBLED?!
Why It’s Cool: In one sense, Marvel is back on its old cash grabbing bull*#$@, relaunching one of its most-popular titles of all time with a $7.99 first issue. Not only that, but this is the start of a 10-part weekly series. Marvel, simply put, knows readers will get this comic regardless, and so they’re going to take them for every last penny. Capitalism! That said, in between the cash grabbing Marvel has been providing really strong stories, and—carping about the cost aside—there’s no reason to believe this one will be any different. The X-world has been on the rise as of late (now that Marvel has its film rights back...ahem) led by a group of young writers who clearly grew up fans of the comics. Brisson, Thompson, and Rosenberg are chief among them, and we can’t wait to see what they do with this series. But also, did we mention it costs $7.99??!

Wonder Woman #58
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Cary Nord
Inker: Mick Gray
Artist: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Far below Themyscira, Ares, the God of War, has been imprisoned for generations, repenting his past sins. But his new cellmate Grail may have an unexpected effect on him...and the plan they've come up with will change Themyscira-and the world- forever! When Wonder Woman rushes to Eastern Europe to rescue Steve Trevor from a mission gone wrong, she'll find herself face-to-face with a very new, very different God of War!
Why It’s Cool: G. Willow Wilson is a big get for Wonder Woman, a smart and thoughtful writer, Wilson has built the Kamala Khan Ms. Marvel character into one of the most exciting teen concepts in comics. This is a whole other challenge altogether—building on decades of continuity within a much-loved and venerable franchise. We very much think that Wilson and her artistic collaborator Cary Nord are up for it.

Others Receiving Votes

Amazing Spider-Man #9
Avengers #10 (#700)
Cemetery Beach #3
Captain America #9
Cosmic Ghost Rider #5
Euthanauts #4
Fantastic Four #3
Friendo #2
Gideon Falls #8
Hawkman #6
Infinite Dark #2
Ms. Marvel #36
Murder Falcon #2
Oblivion Song #9
Proxima Centauri #6
Quantum Age: From the World of Black Hammer #4
Thor #7
Skyward #8
Supergirl #24
Superman #5

See our past top comics to buy here, and check our our reviews archive here.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase. He also writes comics and is currently working hard to complete one.

Best New #1 Comics of October 2018

November 09, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — October saw the big two sort of stepping back with their superhero stuff and either lining up new books for the months to come (DC) or pushing forward with strong titles they’d launched this summer (Marvel). As a result, our list for the best new #1 comics of October 2018 is all indie stuff, which, in truth, is our favorite kind of list.

It’s also a really smart group of books this month, featuring another killer new series from Vault Comics, the latest addition to Shelly Bond’s Black Crown imprint, and a couple of very funny writers (Kyle Starks and Mark Russell) taking a pair of licensed properties and making top-tier comics.

Anyway, on to the books!

Quick Hits

Shuri #1 by Nnedi Okorafor and Leonardo Romero caught me by surprise, at once capturing the tone of the character from the movie and making a comic all its own. I also think there’s a vague reference to what’s really happening in the main BP title, which, intriguing...

Also in Marvel #1s, I liked Shatterstar #1 (of 5) by Tim Seeley, Carlos Villa, and Gerardo Sandoval. Great art, and a concept that is basically Fraction/Aja’s Hawkeye, but with multiverse shenanigans...

Meanwhile, contributing writer Bo Stewart dug Dead Rabbit #1, and you can check out his Dead Rabbit #1 review here...

And I had a review of Blackbird #1, another notable debut this month, steeped in neon and Southern California...

Planet of the Apes: The Time of Man #1 was a nice surprise, too. I don’t usually pay attention to licensed property comics, but this one had an all-star lineup of writers (David F. Walker, Dan Abnett, and Phillip Kennedy Johnson) delivering vignettes. As it turns out, it was well worth my time...

Black Mask Studios is a publisher a like a great deal and maybe don’t talk about enough. I wrote about some of their books in our New Comics Discoveries October 2018, including last month’s Devil Within #1...

Infinite Dark #1 by Ryan Cady and Andrea Mutti was a somber adventure in deep space/melancholic tones...

While Dead Kings #1 was another entry in Steve Orlando’s growing canon of stories about revenge, with art by Matthew Dow Smith...

Meanwhile, the Marvel Zombie #1 one-shot was almost an anti-revenge story and very much a good time. Written by W. Maxwell Prince of Ice Cream Man and illustrated by Stefano Raffaele. A good book for Halloween but also just generally for fans of zombie fiction...

Last, here’s our **official** ranking of the X-Men: Black #1s from last month:
Mojo #1
Emma Frost #1
Juggernaut #1
Magneto #1
Mystique #1
On the whole, I liked X-Men: Black quite a bit and certainly more than I expected to, even if it was a little cash-grabby. I liked it in the larger context of the X-universe, because it sort of worked to rebuild the X-villains and position many of them with motives for combating the X-heroes soon, presumably in stories stemming from next week’s Uncanny X-Men #1 relaunch.

Top 5 Best New #1 Comics of October 2018

The Lodger #1
Writer: David and Maria Lapham
Artist: David Lapham
Publisher: IDW’s Black Crown Imprint
Price: $3.99
We’ve been big fans of nearly everything that veteran comic editor Shelly Bond has done with her IDW imprint Black Crown, which launched at this time last year (pre-dating our Best #1 Comics monthly series). As good as books like The Euthanuats and House Amok have been (appearing here during their own launch months), The Lodger feels like a complex and massive story all on its own. The book is the work of David and Maria Lapham, of Stray Bullets fame, and it certainly lives up to their legacy within the crime noir genre.

Simply put, The Lodger is intriguing. Previews for the title have promised a story about murder, shape shifting, transience, and travel blogging, almost as if someone pulled a set of disparate ideas out of a hat. The Laphams, however, weave it all together so well with sheer storytelling proficiency and flair, creating a world rich with mysterious characters and a forlorn tone to match the impermanence of their lives. We can’t recommend The Lodger highly enough, especially to readers who enjoy a more literary brand of comics.

Lone Ranger #1
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Bob Q
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Dynamite
Price: $3.99
Here we go, time to beat the Mark Russell is a genius at creating satire via seemingly taxed and maybe even corny old properties drum, again. Frankly, this could very well be the last time we point that all out, because what Mark Russell is doing with Lone Ranger has just become so commonplace for him. So then: what, you ask, is Russell doing with Lone Ranger?

Well, as hinted at above he’s using a seemingly-taxed and maybe even corny old property (this time, The Lone Ranger) to create a satire steeped in nuanced history and commentary on power structures, how the west was won, and oppressing others for the sake of your own gain. It’s similar thematic ground to Russell’s work on the phenomenal Flintstones series, and it’s as smartly-written and intensely character-driven as one of our favorite books of the year, Russell’s Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles. This, dear readers, is a smart and essential comic that you should be buying. Oh, and get ready to think about barbed wire more/differently than you ever have before.

Mars Attacks #1
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Chris Schweizer
Colorist: Liz Trice Schweizer
Publisher: Dynamite
Price: $3.99
Whoa, what is this? Two licensed properties on our best new books list in the same month? Plus also a shout out to Planet of the Apes in the quick hits section? Yes, it’s all happening, not because we’ve stopped being such severe buzzkills, but because publishers continue to put some of our absolute favorite creators on these kinds of titles. Now, we have the hilarious Kyle Starks teaming up with Chris Schweizer on a new Mars Attacks comic.

This book is great though, rich with the humor that has made Starks’ creator-owned work—including Rock Candy Mountain and Sex Castle—such an utter joy to read. Schweizer’s art is a great fit for both Starks’ sensibilities and the world of Mars Attacks, too, giving life to fearsome aliens as well as the scripts many gags. What impressed me most about this comic was how rooted in the main characters it felt, going out of its way to make us care about the old man and his son at the center of the first issue. This book is off to a great start.

Murder Falcon #1
Writer/Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Murder Falcon #1 is the second-ever debut comic to earn our vaunted 10/10 review, joining last month’s Fearscape #1 from Vault Comics. This book is just a perfect storm of things we enjoy: the artwork of Daniel Warren Johnson, cornball jokes about rocking super hard, and a deeply personal emotive story about loss. It’s the last item that gives this book a surprising and powerful center that has us intrigued about where this story plans to go.

These Savage Shores #1
Writer: Ram V
Artist: Sumit Kumar
Colorist: Vittoria Astone
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Last (alphabetically) but certainly not least is These Savage Shores. Earlier this year, Vault Comics announced new series from four U.K.-based writers. The first three books were all great, starting with Deep Roots, and then Fearscape and Friendo. These Savage Shores is the last of the bunch to launch...and it’s also one of the best new comics of the year.

This is a vampire story steeped in imperialistic entitled oppression, from the viewpoint of the oppressor...until it suddenly swerves and takes a different approach. We don’t want to spoil things—because we really do want all of you to check this one out—but let’s just say that right up until the final pages, These Savage Shores is not what you think it is.

Check out more of our many monthly lists here.

The Saga Re-Read #14: Many Moving Parts, One Small But Painfully Heartrending Moment

November 09, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — I think at this point in Saga, we’ve maybe hit our cruising altitude. The tones, concerns, and rhythms of this long story have settled into place. I’m not saying Saga gets predictable from here on out—as we learned from Saga #54, that never really becomes the case—but it does seem as if Vaughan and Staples really lock into their comfort zones, their confidence that this is a vital story 100 percent worth telling.

What’s also worth noting in this quick hit introduction is that we once again get very little of the story’s central couple. They’re hear and they speak, but we learn more about the world and what’s happening in it from newer and tangential characters like Alana’s age inappropriate stepmom Even and the second over appearance of Upsher and Doff. Heist does a lot of work too, quickly endearing himself as a tortured writer type to what is almost certainly a pretty bookish audience.

Now, let’s break it down further!

Saga #14

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #14, first released on Sept. 25, 2013 (jeez, that sounds long ago to me right now):

Gwendolyn and Slave Girl think about the future.

As brief and safe as the usual teasers for these stories thus far, this one actually compliments the cover quite well, cluing us in on the emotions the two featured characters must be feeling. Let’s get to this issue’s individual elements...

The Cover: This cover is simply wonderful. It’s definitely not one of the more ostentatious Saga covers, nor is it one of those that has something grand to say about the story. It is, however, uniquely Saga, very much of Saga’s world with a look unlike the visuals from any other story. In it, two relatively minor characters who don’t factor all that strongly into the plot share a moment together, with the newly-named Sophie staring in wonder to a vast horizon as Gwendolyn, a repurposed civil servant hunting for her ex-fiance out of a desire for retribution and a vague sense of duty, sort o protectively stands over her. A confident, and, as I said before, simply wonderful work.

The First Page: A normal looking winged woman (later revealed as Alana’s stepmom) opens her door and asks, Is this about Alana? Is she dead? The least provocative or scandalous page in sometime. What this does do, however, is set the tone for a glimpse into Alana’s life and backstory, much of which has been obscured thus far in favor of exploring Marko and his past. Far from the most memorable Saga opener, this is one that does work.

The Surface: An old drunk man vomits on an infant. A woman goes fishing with a lance and catches a flying polka-dotted shark out of the air. A man whose head is a television re-fueling a skullship as a giant ferret guy makes a call from a payphone behind him. Some great and farout Saga visuals. Also, weird the most absurd part of all I just listed is the now the payphone. Anyway, kind of a moving parts issue, effective in getting characters into certain places. The highlight of the dialogue is the conversation between grandma and Heist, which is loaded with strong lines, including In the end, nobody really escapes this thing, and all the contemplation about losing a spouse, which really tugs at the heart, as this book is wont to do. Speaking of which, the line where Sophie says I am all dirty on the inside because I did bad things with—and Lying Cat interjects: Lying. Downright wrecked me.

The Subtext: Frankly, I’m not sure there was much of it. Grandma bonding (and probably eventually falling for) Heist was subtle and well done, but for the most part, there’s so much plot in this issue that Vaughan’s script leaves precious little room for metaphor or subtext. The closest is The Will’s internal struggle to fulfill his mission or remain stranded and live off the land, where he is likely to be haunted but peaceful and happy.

From Alana’s goth haircut to the non-plussed look on her father’s newly-wedded face, this one panel reveals so much about her background and character.

The Art: I’d like to isolate one panel here to discuss how effective Fiona Staples artwork can be at its best: the wedding day photo of Alana’s dad marrying her stepmom, who is roughly Alana’s same age, as Alana glowers in the back, presumably made to wear that pink dress and all gothed out. The scowl and haircut are one thing, but Staples just so perfectly captures the closed off, resentment that comes with such a relationship taking root in one’s life. I also really like the visual decision to give Alana’s stepmom butterfly wings, whereas Alana’s own have always kind of looked like a dragonfly or something. Nice touch. The suburban-looking home exterior shot that bookends the stepmom scene is also perfect.

Foreshadowing/UPCOMING SPOILER TIME: A little bit gets done here. Hazel notes her mother never again set foot on the planet where she was born, which could be more evidence to support the idea that Alana will also eventually sacrifice her life for her child, as her husband did before her. Hazel also notes that her and granny do visit that planet much later, which, quite frankly, is a plot point I’ve forgotten...illustrating why this re-read has been so necessary/enjoyable for me.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Tom King's Batman: Should We Keep Reading?

November 08, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — I got a call the other day from a friend, asking if I planned to keep reading Tom King’s current run on Batman. The series is currently on #58 (out this week) of what King has said will be 104 total issues. To be quite frank, before that call I hadn’t even considered quitting. So, the question caught me off guard. My friend had also previously written about King’s work, heaping praise upon it. Yet, there he was, ambivalent about continuing.

But you know what? By the end of our conversation, I could see his point. The shine has indeed faded just a little bit from this Batman series, which is why today I’d like to talk about the big question—Tom King’s Batman, should we keep reading? I think there are valid cases to be made either way, and so I’d like to look now at both sides, starting with…

The Case Against Tom King’s Batman

Something has changed with this Batman comic.

Maybe it was the wedding, hyped by many (from DC marketing to the creators) as a pivotal moment in the long history of a classic character, until...it wasn’t. But no, that’s not it, The Cold Days arc that followed (in which Bruce Wayne finagles his way onto a jury to successfully make a case that his alter ego is flawed) was one of the best Batman stories in many, many years.

Well then, maybe it was that recent KGBeast arc? After all, Nightwing was shot in the head for some reason, which I guess was maybe kind of justified by Bruce and the aforementioned Beast having liked the same gross children’s book as kids? I don’t know. The whole thing felt a little disturbing, mostly based on (excuse the pun) the execution (although I did love Batman #54, which preceded it). This shot in the head thing, however, has been worse for the current Nightwing comic (they ran off Ben Percy!), than it has been for Batman.

The gritty themes in Heroes in Crisis have some readers wondering if DC has given up on the hope that made Rebirth popular. — The gritty themes in **Heroes in Crisis** have some readers wondering if DC has given up on the hope that made **Rebirth** popular.

Or maybe the reason was and continues to be Heroes in Crisis? The mini-series has, after all, upset many fans (perhaps purposefully), brutally murdering beloved and long-tenured characters in swift and unceremonious fashion, one of which (Wally West) was a pretty literal embodiment of the hope that defined the publisher’s most recent line-wide shakeup, Rebirth.

I think that last one is having a bit of an impact on readers, so let’s talk about it. Heroes in Crisis is a 9-part series purported to be a combination of commentary on an American PTSD epidemic resulting from the war on terror, plus also a murder mystery starring superheroes. Two issues in, it’s been utterly grim and fairly cold, literally slaughtering and autopsy-ing several young characters. It also seems to be indicative of a larger grim turn for a publisher that had its biggest success this decade with Rebirth, which, again, was built on hope.

Heroes in Crisis, in other words, hasn’t been a crowd pleaser, and Tom King is the one behind it. I’m still hearing the majority of readers (both online and off) say things like This is Tom freaking King, he knows what he’s doing, but for others, confidence in King’s ability to deliver has been slightly rattled. Meanwhile, King is also a writer whose style often feels non-conventional, relying as it does on voice-heavy tricks such as repetition of key words or phrases to re-enforce meaning, novel uses of form and structure, and quotations from poems and literature. These are all things that really standout in today’s corporate superhero comics malaise, which is part of what helped King so quickly rise to prominence. The flip-side to all of that, however, is that stylistic flourishes tend to yield diminishing returns. The poetic quotations in King’s breakout 2015 series The Vision, for example, landed much harder for me than those in this week’s Batman #58. Batman, it should be noted, is a twice monthly title on a white-knuckle creative schedule, and so, really, it’s hard to fault King for going back to some of his most trusted tools here and there.

All that said, I’m not personally at the point where I’m ready to even consider dropping this title, which brings us to our other section…

The Case for Tom King’s Batman

Overall, I’ve liked King’s run, with the highlights for me being the double date issue (Clark/Lois, Bruce/Selena), the much-loved and Eisner Award-winning Batman Annual #2 (Rooftops), and the recent Cold Days arc, wherein Bruce Wayne finagles his way onto a jury and makes a case that his own alter ego is flawed (a premise so nice I rehashed it twice…sorry). And on the whole, I’m still enjoying this comic’s writing. I have a bit of Batman fatigue, but I’ve had that for at least a decade and yet still I soldier on.

Could Tom King’s Batman run be a direct play on the classic Knightfall storyline? — Could Tom King’s **Batman** run be a direct play on the classic **Knightfall** storyline?

To me, King is engaged in a deep character study, taking apart and rebuilding Batman in an in-depth way not attempted since Knightfall. In fact, my deep suspicion here is actually that what King is trying to do with his 104-issue run is craft Knightfall for a new generation, creating a sequel of sorts in which primary villain Bane takes a less-overt and more-cerebral approach to breaking The Bat. And if that’s the case, I’m there for it.

In the original early ‘90s Knightfall, Bane weaponizes Batman’s rogues gallery against him by freeing them all from Arkham and laying back as they exhaust the Cape Crusader, pushing Bruce to place of shaken weakness after he spends several sleepless days rounding them all up. Afterwards, Bane storms Wayne Manor/The Bat Cave, and literally breaks Bruce’s back over his knee. Why? Because he wanted to prove that he could and because, of course, he’s evil.

After the failed wedding, we learn Bane has returned to his old tricks and is trying to once again break The Bat, perhaps as revenge for an earlier story arc and all the other indiginities he’s suffered through the years at the hands of Batman. Here’s where this sequel idea really becomes interesting to me. Bane’s efforts are evolved, more subtle and more cerebral than the last time he gave it his all. He’s now manipulating Bat foes into having direct incentives to complicate and terrorize Batman, be it KGBeast’s assassination attempt of Nightwing, or Catwoman being guilted into leaving Bruce at the altar. My guess is that this all could lead up to another (or different) broken back scene soon.

I find this intriguing because it strikes me as an essential update on the Knightfall story for our times. Knightfall was published in the early ‘90s, when real world foes, like Bane, were more overt. The Soviet Union had just fallen, but for years prior we’d known them as our rival, our enemy. We’d watched out for their machinations. These days, however, we seem to be involved in a Cold War sequel, rife with speculation about what Russia may or may not be doing to move against us, as well as tertiary and internal actors seemingly being motivated to aid their cause. Casting Bane as a similarly-improved tactician is sharp and heady stuff.

If that kind of metaphor is what King’s engaged in here—phew, count me in, I’d like to see where it’s all going, even if Heroes in Crisis continues to land with a thud (although I’m still hopeful that there’s something larger in play there than the first two issues would suggest…). Moreover, even with King’s style becoming more familiar, it continues to stand out as a smarter approach to the work. The meaning isn’t always as powerful as it was in his early superhero books, but King is still on a marquee title and trying something new, an increasing rarity in this age of editorial oversight and careful guarding of would-be billion dollar movie franchises. I think that entitles him to a slightly longer rope, one I’m still personally happy to afford him.

Check out more of our analytical writing on comics.

REVIEW: The Unexpected #6 Moves Toward an Early Finale

November 07, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Reviews

The Unexpected #6 is out 11/7. — **The Unexpected #6** is out 11/7.

By Zack Quaintance — Despite plans for additional issues (one of which already had a cover started by Yanick Paquette), The Unexpected will be ending in January with issue number eight, making it the second book (following Immortal Men) from DC’s New Age of Heroes publishing initiative to be concluded. This, obviously, is not ideal, given the initiative started this same year. I’m certainly disappointed. I’ve said this on Twitter before, but I’ll repeat it again: I can see myself years from now talking comics somewhere and insisting that the New Age of Heroes was actually really cool, and it could have even been great if it had all been handled a bit differently.

I won’t go into what my thoughts on that here (track me down in a decade for the full brunt of it), because this is, after all, a review of The Unexpected #6, but I do think the impending finale of the book is a lens this comic should be viewed through. With all that in mind, this issue features more of what I’ve liked so far about this series: big time superheroics (SPOILER: this one features a million trapped souls badassedly erupting from the villainous Synn as he battles Hawkman, thereby tearing the former apart), complex character drama, and a whole lot of swagger. Knowing that there are only two installments left, however, does change my perspective on all that.

Whereas before I’d been viewing this book as a story building towards a permanent team dynamic, it now feels like a mini-series about a particularly intense few days in the lives of our leads. Really, I think that may be for the best. For a few issues now, The Unexpected has shone brightest during combat (which has been all but constant), never having even a few spare moments to clearly establish situations where the heroes of the story could have quiet moments together. Now with the end in sight, it doesn’t have to concern itself with any of that; The Unexpected is free to be a combination of a street fight and far out multiversal Grant Morrison sensibilities, which is an interesting combination, to be sure.

What I liked best about The Unexpected #6, though, was the manifestation of a couple of long-simmering twists I always suspected were coming. To discuss these even further would be to reveal a bit too much about the issue. Here’s hoping the final two installments of this story are brimming with madcap action sequences.

Overall: The Unexpected #6 is yet another continuation of the one large set piece that this book has become. With the end now in sight, the story starts to maybe prematurely wrap things up for its heroes. 8.0/10

The Unexpected #6
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Ronan Cliquet
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

For more comic book reviews, check out our review archives.

REVIEW: Farmhand #5, a Fitting End to a Great First Arc

November 07, 2018 by Bo Stewart in Reviews

Farmhand #5 is out 11/7. — **Farmhand #5** is out 11/7.

By Bo Stewart — I miss Chew…a lot. With that book (which, by the way, ended in November 2016 after having won two Eisner and two Harvey Awards) writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory created a world that, quite frankly, scratched an itch that I didn’t even know I had. Put simply, Chew was a ridiculous comic—in all the right ways. It was zany yet self-aware, set in a fictional world that had a strict set of rules its narrative followed. It was great, and, as I said, I miss it...a lot.

So, when Rob Guillory’s Farmhand was announced (this time with Guillory writing and drawing), I started to eagerly anticipate that old Chew feeling coming back, or scratching that itch, so to speak. This week’s Farmhand #5 marks the conclusion of the Guillory’s new book’s first act, and I can confidently say he has re-captured the intangible qualities that made Chew really click for me. At the same time, with Farmhand Guillory is telling a bold story in its own right.

To me, the last issue of any first arc is an extremely important one, essentially answering the pivotal question of whether it has legs to go for dozens of issues, or whether it’s just a fun idea with maybe not as much narrative meat on its bones. Five issues into Farmhand, I feel like we’re just starting to scratch the surface of what this story and world have to offer. Really, I can see this narrative going in several different directions, and I’m eager to see which path Guillory decides to take.

Thematically, Farmhand is interested in weighty subject matter such as familial legacy and reaping what you sow. The plot follows the Jenkins Family Farm, which has created a seed that can be used to grow new human body parts. This makes for a funny visual, but moreover this premise is used to ask tough questions about mankind’s scientific progress. Questions such as: were we meant to cross these boundaries? If so, what is the personal cost? It’s poignant stuff, seeing as we now live in a world where 3-D printing vital organs is a reality. Farmhand’s themes are becoming increasingly relevant as our real world scientific progress continues to accelerate, and exploring them through an agricultural lens here is a brilliant stroke of storytelling.

Meanwhile, the book is also interested in how the seeds we sow to get ahead later come to affect our personal relationships just as much as they do our professional lives. In this story, the Jenkins family patriarch, Jed, is so focused on his business that he misses the ill will he’s harvesting (yes, that’s a farm joke) with his own family. His farm comes under threat by shady Russian agents and rival companies, and it only serves to distract Jed further from the growing fractures between himself and his children.

On a visual level, the artistic details that go into Guillory’s pages are impressive. Each one is packed with little jokes and asides that readers could very well miss if they don’t take a second to focus. Something as simple as writing Bro on a jock’s hat is a fun way to give readers information about the characters and world. In this issue alone, we get gems such as Hospitals: a great place to meet your demise, or Newspaper: Yeah, we’re still in print. It’s self-deprecatory, but always in good fun. These details are also more than just quick laughs, contributing much to both the world and the story.

Overall: Farmhand #5 is, like the rest of this first arc, a wildly fun comic. It covers deep thematic ground while never taking itself too seriously. Striking that balance requires skillful storytelling, and I can’t wait to see where Guillory takes us in arc two. 8.5/10

Farmhand #5
Writer: Rob Guillory
Artist: Rob Guillory
Colorist: Taylor Wells
Letterer: Kody Chamberlain
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99

For more comic book reviews, check out our review archives.

Bo grinds for the man by day so he can create comics by night. He is the lesser half of the Stewart Brothers writing team and can be found on Twitter and Instagram @stewart_bros

REVIEW: Outer Darkness #1 is a Solid and Charming Debut

November 06, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Reviews

Outer Darkness #1 is out 11/7. — **Outer Darkness #1** is out 11/7.

By Zack Quaintance — Space, but if it was haunted. This was clearly the pitch for writer John Layman’s new Image book with artist Afu Chan, Outer Darkness. I don’t want to call this a well-trodden concept, but it’s definitely one we’ve seen, in a number of mediums. It is not, of course, the elevator pitch that determines the ultimate success of a story. No, it’s how the story, characters, pacing, and other elements are carried out. With all this in mind, Outer Darkness is exceedingly well-done.

Let’s talk about the setup and plot: our story opens with our protagonist captaining a cargo vessel through an unmapped necro-storm, as members of his crew succumb to all manner of paranormal possession, despite having five on-board holy men and exorcists (which we are left to infer is common in this world). The hero makes a difficult decision to jettison the ship’s cargo—a move later has him facing jail time—to save the lives of those on his ship, and soon we flash forward weeks to find him at an intergalactic bar.

The real hero’s journey then kicks off in earnest when an old and powerful friend shows up with a call to action: avoid the aforementioned jail time and get his pension/insurance back by agreeing to one last nine-month mission to the farthest reaches of the Sagittarius Quadrant, and beyond. This all adds up to a tight construction for the first issue of a new sci-fi book, giving us readers a clear and orienting idea of this series’ elements, from its world to its characters to its humor and tone.

Simply put, Outer Darkness is solidly-built and charaming from its start, doing the tip-toe first issue necessities of getting across exposition without sacrificing pacing or intrigue. In fact, with the one-two punch this year of Leviathan and Outer Darkness, I think it’s safe to say John Layman has established himself as one of the most adept writers as it pertains to launching fully-formed creator-owned books. With Outer Darkness, Layman and collaborators get first issue basics done so fast and effectively they have time left to flesh out the world, hinting at a deeper personal motivation for the main character while also showing the dark cost of space travel, neither of which are points I’ll reveal here, since I absolutely recommend checking out this comic.

The artwork is also exceedingly strong. Afu Chan borrows from a number of different aesthetics—afro futurism, United States Navy, religious customs—to forge a look for the clothes in this comic that feels novel and new. Chan’s design of space vessels is also strong, keeping things like cargo ships and transports utilitarian, while making the central ship stylish and unique, akin to if Star Trek’s Enterprise had a baby with Sonic the Hedgehog. Chan is quite talented and if this first issue is any indication, he and Layman are a great creative fit.

Overall: A solid and charming debut. In the back matter of the comic, writer John Layman describes Outer Darkness as the distillation of what I love the most. Science fiction, horror and weird shit. Well, I like those things too, so sign me up to journey into space with this one. 9.0/10

Outer Darkness #1
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Afu Chan
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99

For more comic book reviews, check out our review archives.

October 2018 New Comic Discoveries: Black Mask Makes Complex Comics with Massive Relevance

November 06, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — First things first: today is the most important mid-term election day of our lifetimes. Go vote...and vote for Democrats. You may disagree with their positions, policies, and leadership, and that’s all fine, I suppose. Just realize, these are not normal times. Flipping the House in 2018 is about reinforcing the checks and balances our government depends on in the face of an executive branch bent on eroding them. Just go do it.

Phew. With that out of the way, let’s get to comics! This month we have a special New Discoveries, tying into today by looking at three titles from one of our favorite indie publishers: Black Mask Studios. Based out of Los Angeles, Black Mask is a hotbed of transgressive storytelling. Their titles are nuanced and complex, rooted in compulsive readability but never so much that it takes away from their relevance. We should also note Black Mask walks the walk: they were registering voters during SDCC, and each issue of Calexit, for example, included information about grassroots organizing for today’s 2018 midterms.

A look at Black Mask’s books is long overdue on our site, and we can think of no better time than this election day to fix this. Without further adieu, let’s check out three comics from Black Mask that we had the pleasure to discover in recent weeks...

Calexit

Writer: Matteo Pizzolo
Artist: Amancay Nahuelpan
Colorist: Tyler Boss
Flatter: Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: Jim Campbell

Calexit is, arguably, the title that cemented Black Mask Studios as the industry’s premier publisher of political graphic fiction. The book is about a progressive majority of Californians refusing to remain in the union after a fascist autocratic president takes power. Leveraging the vast economy of the state (sixth largest on the planet), activists launch an actual resistance. In the hands of lesser creators, this book might have read as a revenge fantasy (side note: I’m a Californian and certainly could have gotten down with that, but I digress…). Catharsis has a place in 2018 to be sure, but a story based solely on catharsis would maybe fade from public consciousness too quickly.

Calexit is all but certain to linger with those who read it. This is one of the smartest comics on the market today. Writer Matteo Pizzolo (Black Mask’s publisher and face) has put incredible thought into his story, extrapolating the ramifications of an actual exit from the union to logical and realistic extremes. This comic sugarcoats nothing, with Pizzolo’s scripts and Amancy Nahuelpan’s artwork bluntly portraying the grit, struggle, and violence inherent to breaking from the union. The character work and suspense are also well done, with massive set pieces, touches of humor, and colorful characters. The real appeal of the book, though, comes in its quiet moments, human times when people sacrifice for what’s right at the cost of their own interests, moments that stress how pivotal such times are for all of us. Simply put, Calexit is a comic that refuses to let even one American off the hook. We highly recommend both this story and concept.

Black

Writer: Kwanza Osajyefo
Designer: Tim Smith 3
Artist: Jamal Igle
Inker: Robin Riggs
Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Black is, simply put, one of the most poignant takes on superheroics ever produced. Written by Kwanza Osajyefo and illustrated by Jamal Igle, the book has a simple enough premise—what if only black people have superpowers? Much like Calexit, each issue builds a well-crafted narrative that extrapolates its core concept to thoughtful places. There’s also a level of depth to this book that eludes the vast majority of superhero takes. Just look at the story’s villains. My expectation was that the bad guys here would be the usual politicians or corrupt cops. Those folks certainly factor in, but the book is not content to stop with them.

Instead, Black pushes past the obvious, finding true villainy at a conflux of political and corporate interests, deliberately stoking racial tensions in society so as to maintain a generational grip on America’s power structures. This comic fearlessly refuses to dumb down even a bit. Another effective choice in Black is the way those with superpowers behave in order to best serve their mission and interests. They can’t be Superman, publicly launching a simple fight against crime and evildoers. They are, for obvious reasons, more like the X-Men, but even that comparison doesn’t hold, not entirely. In X-mythos, mutants manifested in large numbers in the mid-20th century. In the real world, there are hundreds of years of institutionalized racism that the superpowered characters in Black must also consider and contend with. It’s a really powerful and fresh take on this familiar concept.

Devil Within

Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Maan House
Colorist: Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: Troy Peteri

Devil Within is not so overtly rooted in the type of transgressive storytelling that powers both Calexit and Black. Devil Within (which we recently talked to writer Stephanie Phillips about) is a horror comic that tells the story of a newly-engaged couple beset by a demonic possession. As Phillips recently told us, “the main focus of the book is actually trust and relationships.” Essentially, the book asks what would it be like to suffer a loss of love while also becoming absolutely terrified of the person you’re sharing a bed with. It’s a different approach for a horror story, to be sure, and I liked it quite a bit.

The script’s use of character moments really makes the relationship between the two leads relatable—even as the artwork and coloring does its best to set an absolutely sinister tone. One technique used multiple times by the artists here is to entirely shade and obscure faces as characters speak to each other. This does a lot of tonal work, adding an almost subliminal level of visual symbolism I found quite powerful. In the end, though, the real question of Devil Within is how well can you truly know another human? And while the plot is primarily concerned with this on a micro level, the subject matter strikes me as tragically relevant amid 2018’s devastatingly unprecedented moment of extreme national discord. This is the youngest book on our list today, and I’ll definitely be following it as its story progresses.

The shaded faces in Devil Within #1 set a horror-tinged tone that emphasizes the book’s core question: how well can you ever really know another human? — The shaded faces in **Devil Within #1** set a horror-tinged tone that emphasizes the book’s core question: how well can you ever really know another human?

Oh and once more, if you’re reading this and it’s still Tuesday, November 6….go vote!

Click here to check out more than a year’s worth of monthly comics lists.

REVIEW: Fearscape #2 Brims with Imposter Syndrome…in a Good Way

November 05, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Reviews

Fearscape #2 is out 11/7. — **Fearscape #2** is out 11/7.

By Zack Quaintance — Fearscape #1 debuted last month(ish) as a bonafide hit, selling out, necessitating a second printing, and earning copious praise from comic book creators and reviewers (many—if not all—of whom are aspiring creators too) alike. This was, perhaps, unsurprising. Fearscape’s first issue spoke directly to the feeling of yearning to be an inspired creative genius, and, well, falling short. Simply put, us readers had been there. It was painfully relatable emotional territory for the book’s target audience: monthly indie comics folks. That familiar state of mind was then expertly accompanied by a high stakes fantasy quest in another realm (which most indie comics folk also enjoy), and—BOOM!—narrative dynamite.

A first issue as good as Fearscape’s is a blessing and curse, though, reeling in the audience while setting the bar almost impossibly high for a follow up. In other words, some regression is to be expected. The same tricks that felt so surprising in the debut are less effective. There’s a bit of that in Fearscape #2, but the smart initial construction of this book’s tone, plus an equally smart twist at this issue’s end, make for another thoroughly engaging read. And really, I haven’t stopped being impressed yet with the pitch-perfect narrative voice writer Ryan O’Sullivan has created, nor the way he uses it.

To recap: protagonist Henry Henry (perfect name for a writer, the Guy in Your MFA Twitter couldn’t have done better) went to the home of his bed-bound mentor and stole a manuscript to pass off as his own. Before he successfully absconded with the work, he found himself confronted by a ghostly extra-dimensional muse recruiting Earth’s best storyteller to represent mankind in a fantasy realm called the Fearscape, where storytelling ability is needed to stave catastrophe off from afflicting the real world.

The plot is enough to make for compelling comics. Fearscape, however, adds a deeper character layer with the way it portrays its protagonist’s roiling imposter syndrome. Henry Henry constantly overcompensates with his pretentious narrative voice while outwardly acting like a total jackass. You can see why he does and says things, and it makes sense, even if you can’t help but resent him for it. Here’s a great example: an early sequence has Henry Henry brusquely telling his guide, Try to keep up, muse...followed in the next panel by this narration [The asthma attack which immediately followed the prior scene has been omitted for the sake of narrative cohesion.] It’s creative, meta, narratively-effective, and riddled with self-resentment. It’s perfect.

Fearscape continues to read as if O’Sullivan is taking a deep inventory of the worst and ugliest parts of his own motivation to create...then cranking them to 11 and putting them in a comic. You can practically feel the self-loathing (in a good way), especially as Fearscape #2 comes to its conclusion. And it’s this sincerity that separates this story from the hacky work it worries it may become. This book is rich with words and ways of thinking seemingly culled from ghosts of painful undergraduate creative writing workshops. These moments emotions are honest, staggeringly so.

Andre Mutti is also just such a versatile artist, given a chance to really shine in the fantasy landscapes and characters found in this issue. Mutti’s character designs are impressive, but it’s the level of clarity the artist’s storytelling techniques lend to the ending sequence (which has real potential to confuse) that really stand out.

This second issue has me curious about the future of the book, too. This is certainly not a Fountainhead-esque experiment about the value of individualism and uncompromising work, but there’s definitely a point of view about artistry coming into focus. To me, the real mystery seems to be not how the world will be saved from the Fearscape or who will be the storyteller to save it, but rather what the real life creators have learned about craft and aspirations along the way. And, really, isn’t that what most stories are all about? Anyway, I’m so far lost in self-reflective theories here, I may need a long walk...

Overall: Fearscape #2 builds on one of the year’s best debuts to deliver another adventure in metafiction, one perfectly tailored for an indie comic audience. The protagonist’s imposter syndrome is so ugly and sincere that writerly types can’t help but relate, regardless of how painful it becomes, and there’s real honest beauty in that. 9.0/10

Fearscape #2
Writer: Ryan O’Sullivan
Artist: Andrea Mutti
Colorist: Vladimir Popov
Lettering: Andworld Design
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99

For more comic book reviews, check out our review archives.

Top Comics to Buy for November 7, 2018

November 05, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — I’m not going to lie: I was so caught up with anticipation for Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp to start their run on The Green Lantern, that I kind of lost sight of the other books that were coming out this week. So, you can imagine my surprise when I sat down to look at the slate for this first Wednesday in November, and I found other highly anticipated titles waiting for me too.

I’m talking specifically here about the first issue of the new Marvel Knights 20th Anniversary, mini-series, which is being show-run by Donny Cates with future issues from Matthew Rosenberg, Tini Howard, and Vita Ayala. Also, new Immortal Hulk! That comic is so good that it’s reach a rare point where each individual issue feels like a weighty event, not unlike the best of my favorite creator-owned titles, the likes of Southern Bastards, Monstress, or Saga.

Anyway...without further adieu...let’s do it up!

Top Comics to Buy for November 7, 2018

PICK OF THE WEEK
The Green Lantern #1
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Liam Sharp
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
In this debut issue, when Earth's space cop, Hal Jordan, encounters an alien hiding in plain sight, it sets off a chain of events that rocks the Green Lantern Corps-and quite possibly the Multiverse at large-to its very core. There's an inter-galactic conspiracy afoot, as well as a traitor in the GL Corps' ranks, so strap in for more mind-bending adventures in this masterpiece in the making.
Why It’s Cool: Well, for starters just look at it. Liam Sharp’s artwork is bringing a level of detail and psychedelic imagination we’ve never seen in DC cosmic, and it’s really something to behold. This is book is also being billed as back-to-basics approach that simultaneously expands DC’s space enforcer mythos to new and farout locales. More over, it’s Grant Morrison taking yet another DC character and teasing out the core essence of a classic character while simultaneously telling new stories in a modern context. It’s going to be a beautiful and complex thing.

Fearscape #2
Writer: Ryan O’Sullivan
Artist: Andrea Mutti
Colorist: Vladimir Popov
Letterer: Andworld Design
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Heroic plagiarist Henry Henry faces his first trial in the Fearscape! Within The Weeping Castle, home to The Children of Prometheus, Henry Henry encounters wondrous and fanciful creatures-including The First Fear. With courage and calm, he endures the heart of darkness, refusing the easy temptation of light. No Legs can outrun-no Mind can outwit-no Heart can outlove our hero.
Why It’s Cool: Fearscape #1 earned a rare 10/10 review from us, and so we’re obviously really excited to dig into the second issue. If it grows from the foundation laid in the first chapter, this will be deeper dive into territory, a story about what it’s like to tell stories, and a razor sharp one at that. *Special Note* this comic was initially solicited last week before being delayed by one, but we’ve seen an advanced copy and like it more than enough to include it again here.

Immortal Hulk #8
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Joe Bennett
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Bruce Banner is dead. His corpse has been dissected, his organs catalogued, and his inner workings are being studied by the scientists of Shadow Base. Bruce Banner is no longer a threat. That just leaves the IMMORTAL HULK…
Why It’s Cool: This book is a serious contender for the best superhero book today, as well as in the conversation for best monthly comic, period. We’ve been over and over this, but it really is that good. Expect to see it on our list whenever it comes out unless something major changes.

Marvel Knights 20th #1
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Travel Foreman
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
In celebration of the legendary imprint founded by Marvel's CCO Joe Quesada, a new crop of talent stands poised to tell a groundbreaking story across the Marvel Universe! In the cemetery, the blind man does not know who he is, or why he has come to this particular grave at this moment. He doesn't know the burly police officer with the wild story who has approached him. Or the strangely intense man who sits in the rear seat of the patrol car, his eyes flashing green. But all of that is about to change. Because Matt Murdock is beginning to remember...In a colorless world without heroes, the spark of light...must come from the dark…
Why It’s Cool: Marvel’s brightest star right now is arguably writer Donny Cates, who has a no-nonsense conversational omniscient narrative style and a keen talent for capital B, Big ideas. Now, the publisher is deploying Cates to honor the 20th birthday of its legendary (to readers in their late 20s or early 30s, anyway) Marvel Knights imprint, and it all starts here with this issue.

Sideways Annual #1
Writers: Dan DiDio & Grant Morrison
Artists: Will Conrad & Cliff Richards
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Travis Lanham & Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
Sideways unleashes his "super" secret weapon against Perrus in an effort to free the oppressed people and escape to his home dimension. He'll get some additional help from the newly discovered Seven Soldiers, but only if someone makes a heroic ultimate sacrifice. Plus, a bonus backup story in which Sideways meets the Unseen!!
Why It’s Cool: Despite the absolutely absurd number of different fonts on this book’s cover (six? I think I see six…), this comic is actually pretty exciting. Sideways has unexpectedly been a strong series from its start, and now Grant Morrison is coming on to presumably cross the character over with his Seven Soldiers concept and probably also some multiversal shenanigans. We can’t wait.

Others Receiving Votes

Border Town #3
Crowded #4
Deathstroke #37
Death of Inhumans #5
Dreaming #3
Farmhand #5
Giant Days #44
Infinity Wars #5
Justice League #11
Leviathan #3
Redlands #8
Sparrowhawk #2
The Walking Dead #185
Wrong Earth #3
X-Men: Red #10

See our past top comics to buy here, and check our our reviews archive here.

Saga #13, In Which Fiona Staples' Artwork Takes a HUGE Step Forward...Again

November 02, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — Saga #13 was the first issue after one of the book’s hiatuses, which come like clockwork every six issues, and with its return, the story introduced us to two of my favorite characters—the journalists Upsher and Doff. Full disclosure, I (obviously) make no money doing this site (it actually costs me money, plus all sorts of time) and make my living as a journalist for a magazine about technology. So, I’m predisposed to like the journalist characters.

What I also like about Upsher and Doff—aside from Upsher’s sardonic attitude and the duo having the sweetest romantic relationship in this entire story—is that their role as journalists raise the stakes on the entire situation. More on all that later though, once we get down into our subcategories! Oh, the teasing….

Let’s do this!

Saga #13

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #13, first released on August 14, 2013:

Now that you've read the first two bestselling collections of SAGA, you're all caught up and ready to jump on the ongoing train with Chapter Thirteen, beginning an all-new monthly sci-fi/fantasy adventure, as Hazel and her parents head to the planet Quietus in search of cult romance novelist D. Oswald Heist.

This is the first issue back from hiatus, and what I’m fairly certain is the first in the series with such a verbose preview, although most of it is marketing and not really heavy on details about the plot. No matter! That’s what the rest of this piece is for…

The Cover: Although not even close to one of the most memorable Saga covers, this issue’s is a nice blend of sci-fi and family, depicting cycloptic alien D. Oswald Heist holding young Hazel as she directs an awed and curious infant gape directly into his gigantic eye.

The First Page: A subdued opener for this chapter, in that there’s no sex or violence here. No, instead we see a this world’s version of a veteran’s hospital, complete with a weathered man in a camo jacket and bear pushing a shopping cart brimming with his belongings out front, presumably homeless. This metaphor about the way forever war shapes a society tends to fall into the background a bit, giving way to focus on the family’s immediate plight and complex dynamics—and maybe that’s the point.

The Surface: What I find interesting about at least part of the plot of this issue, is that Vaughan uses realistic inconvenience to hamstring some of the characters. The Will, Gwendolyn, and Slave Girl have a damaged ship, a damaged ship that had some kind of cosmic AAA insurance but is too far out of the coverage zone for repairmen to come running. It’s a small thing, and maybe the writer just did it to keep them from showing up at the same time as Prince Robot IV, but it’s also a layer of realism that most comics (especially of this genre) lack, and it makes the other realistic moments, especially those having to do with family, ring even truer.

The Subtext: In this issue, the family lands on Heist’s planet and must immediately contend with hostile animated bone monsters. It sounds odd to say, but I don’t really see much deeper meaning there. To me, the advent much heavier with subtext is the arrival of Upsher and Doff as journalists chasing this story. Okay, maybe subtext is the wrong word, and, to be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely sure what the right one is. I just think adding journalists to the group chasing our family is an inspired move. The first two arcs of this story are relatively isolated from the world of Saga, with our heroes relegated to backwater galactic corners as they’re chased by proxies for the respective governments. We know if they’re caught by other side, they will likely be murdered. The journalists, however, are a wild card, coming not with hostile motives but with a cool operative belief in simply disseminating information. Their threat is not a physical one, and, really, we don’t know what exactly would happen if Upshar and Doff were to succeed on their journey. In a word, intriguing.

The Art: I’ve said this in the past (if not on this site than definitely on Twitter) and I’ll say it again—as great as Brian K. Vaughan is as a writer, the MVP of this book is quite possibly Fiona Staples (although it’s hard to discount the intangible nature of such a solid collaboration). Staples once again takes a major step forward as an artist following one of Saga’s breaks, absolutely nailing panels that she could have got away with taking off. I’ve posted some of my favorites below, all of which are otherwise mundane yet in the hands of someone as skilled as Fiona Staples, feature absolutely stellar visuals.

Foreshadowing: Here’s a note for those are you who are all caught up—a ghost version of The Stalk tells The Will that this quest will eventually get him killed. Could this be an indication of what to expect when Saga returns (at least) 39 weeks from now?

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Thirsty Thursdays: October’s Hottest Comics Art

November 01, 2018 by Allison Senecal in Comics

By Allison Senecal — Superhero comic art has evolved at a really impressive rate in recent years...so much so that sometimes it can be a lot to handle. First there’s excitement, obviously, but then that excitement turns into something else...which is why each month we’re running our Thirsty Thursday rankings, a new and different way to look at our favorite comic art. Welcome to a sporadic examination of (as the kids say) the month’s thirstiest comics.

Enjoy!

The Thirstiest Comics of October 2018

Daredevil #609 & #610 — Elektra is back in Matt’s life, and back in her classic costume!! Phil Noto draws the most beautiful Elektra since Mike Del Mundo. I guess Matt was in his own series this month, but I don’t even remember.
💦💦💦💦💦 out of 5

Domino #7 — I don’t know which is better…art nouveau Dom or cranky early morning pug-slippers wearing Dom. (DID SHE SEND TO ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES THAT WILL MAKE STUFF THAT LOOK LIKE YOUR PETS? BECAUSE… CUTE.)
💦💦💦💦 out of 5

Fine, but don’t make me pick which Dom is thirstiest.

Justice League Odyssey #2 — This was a very Starfire-centric issue, which is a glorious thing since it’s also Stjepan Sejic’s last interior work on this series. Kory’s compassion is what I love most about her, and it shines in the last few pages, really softening her face and creating some truly lovely panels. I’m really going to miss Sejic drawing her hair.
💦💦💦💦💦 out of 5

Starfire is also fluent in the language of IMPOSSIBLY LUSCIOUS hair. (Art by Stjepan Sejic.)

Extermination #4 — Mutant dudes just don’t wear shirts during X-crises, and that’s valid.
💦💦💦💦💦 out of 5 (One sweat droplet for every shirtless man.)

Clearly, mankind has evolved past its need for t-shirts. (Art by Pepe Larraz.)

Euthanauts #3 — Off the top of my head, I absolutely can not think of anyone, barring maybe Coipel, who draws the human figure (in ALL of its figures) better than Nick Robles. It’s just so marvelous to open this comic every month and see a full range of the human aesthetic. And this was a very sexy issue.
💦💦💦💦💦 out of 5

This book may be about death, but, WARNING, it’s going to do things to your pulse. (Art by Nick Robles.)

Wonder Woman #57 (The Witching Hour, part 4) — This entire event has benefitted from some great artists, but this was probably my favorite chapter. Emanuela Lupacchino and Ray McCarthy’s Constantine and Zatanna are hottttttttttttttttttt (and cute, dear Lord, this issue was sad). You don’t need dialogue to see the chemistry, which I love.
💦💦💦💦 out of 5

The end of the world has never looked so thirsty. (Art by Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy.)

X-Men Black: Emma Frost — EMMA FROST IS BACK. IN BLACK. I screamed. I love her. She deserves this. When Miss Frost is in a comic, expect that comic to be in this feature that month. 👑 💦💦💦💦💦 👑 out of ….. what? Emma Frost is the ratings system.

Hell-ooo, indeed. (Art by Chris Bachalo.)

Bonus: Have you SEEN this Jeff Dekal Variant for Uncanny X-Men #1????? Have you had it lasered into the backs of your eyelids or transmogrified into sound and pumped into your ears? HAVE YOU?? Now thank Laura Kinney for giving us all the time of day.

Sorry in advance for November.

Check out The Thirstiest Comics of September.

Allison buys books professionally and comics unprofessionally. You can find her chaotic neutral Twitter feed at @maliciousglee.

REVIEW: Ice Cream Man #8 Hints at the Point: Happy Lives Aren’t Easy

October 31, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Reviews

Ice Cream Man #8 is out 10/31. — **Ice Cream Man #8** is out 10/31.

By Zack Quaintance — I was a late-comer to Ice Cream Man. I had a few reasons for hesitating, among them: there are tons of comics these days, the word-of-mouth for the first issue was mixed, and I was unfamiliar with the creators. I, however, absolutely loved the first volume, and Ice Cream Man #6 is now one of my favorite single issues this year.

Even so, I wouldn’t say I’ve figured out what this comic is about. Not entirely. It’s essentially a horror anthology, one in which we haven’t seen the same character twice, other than the titular creepy ice cream man, whose role in stories varies, both in terms of why he’s there and how much we see him. Ice Cream Man #6, which I loved so well, strongly hinted this was a book about nihilism, but, even then, that felt a bit reductive to me. I don’t find nihilism interesting, at least not as the driving force of a story, and yet this book had captured and kept my interest. More than that, it had me recommending it regularly to friends, the highest endorsement.

In Ice Cream Man #8, we finally have some strong clues as to what this book aspires to be about. This is a comic that strives to convey the power of perspective, operating as it does from a starting point that presumes a bleak world before arguing that the central conflict of human life is to overcome bleakness to obtain joy and beauty, regardless of how difficult doing so may be. Just look at this issue.

Like the other installments in this series, the art is fantastic, drawn by Martin Morazzo in a style evocative of greats like Frank Quitely, Geof Darrow, other masters of wavy detail. Morazzo’s work on Ice Cream Man has real range and this issue is no exception. He expertly renders the story’s central characters—paramedics abusing medication and undergoing a hallucinatory crisis—as they careen through a sleepy suburban town erupting in barely-noticed chaos, with homes on fire, people covered in worms, and a clown with a gunshot to his temple. As this story progresses, so does the chaos, culminating in anthropomorphic insect designs in a well-lit diner. It’s stunning stuff.

W. Maxwell Prince, meanwhile, compliments these visuals well with dialogue and narration. Talk between the paramedics is conversational, funny and authentic, yet steeped in existential panic and questions about what it’s all about (both life and this comic), as well as about human nature. The narration, however, is the real star, well-written, powerful, concise, featuring prickly lines like: We’ll all connected—through death, through suffering. Through our fleeting, ephemeral moments of joy; as well as a guiding motif about dark voices (which I read as thoughts, be they fear, anger, or mundanity). The key bit of writing, the one I believe speaks to Prince and Morazzo’s goals for this book, comes at the end, when the gruesome facade relents for a moment and the narrator tells us: The real song’s hard to hear—because good things take work.

“Ice Cream Man #8
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99”

This would, perhaps, be an obvious point to make in a first issue, but after eight chapters of violence, body horror, despair, and dark Twilight Zone-esque concepts, it rings true and cathartic. This isn’t a book that believes we’re doomed. No. This comic is built on the idea that a well-lived life requires effort, hard work, and deliberate hope. I’m still learning like anyone, but these are ideas I find inspiring.

Overall: Another excellent chapter in this anthology horror story, one that goes deeper into the abstruse philosophies hinted at by prior issues. Simply put, few books on the stands today match the craftsmanship and dogma in a single issue of Ice Cream Man. 9.5/10

For more comic book reviews, check out our review archives.

REVIEW: Man-Eaters #2 Finds Compelling Character Traits in Quiet Moments

October 30, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Reviews

Man-Eaters #2 is out 10/31. — **Man-Eaters #2** is out 10/31.

By Zack Quaintance — The inside cover of this comic sports an actual magazine ad, the sort you might see in a magazine like, uh, whatever magazine people still read these days (I really couldn’t think of one...is Time still a thing?). Look closer, though, and you’ll notice the ad is a public service announcement that’s actually set in the world of Man-Eaters, wherein a mutation in humans is causing women to turn into were-cats when they menstrate.

She’s your little princess today, but will she be a monster tomorrow? The add asks, adding: 98% of adolescent females are infected with Toxoplasmosis X. Is your daughter one of them? Get her tested. It’s the law. And below is an actual photo of a young girl playing with a cat, followed by a fine print info box describing the symptoms of the comic’s central disease. It’s a clever way for a book to open, especially one that follows up on the provocative satirical premise laid out by Man-Eaters #1 as well as this comic does.

I, obviously, think this sort of narrative device is effective, or I wouldn’t have gone into such detail describing it, and that’s a good thing, because Man-Eaters #2 uses devices similar to this one often, ranging from intricate tampon instruction pages to lists to quick (and very funny) jump-cut panels that show the gushing blood elevator from The Shining. Writer Chelsea Cain and artist Kate Niemczyk fearlessly interweave these illustrative visuals in with the usual graphic sequential storytelling found comics, using them to both impart info and to continue to set a tone for this book.

“Man-Eaters #2
Writer: Chelsea Cain
Penciler & Inker: Kate Niemczyk
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Joe Caramagna”

This clever use of visuals was everywhere in the first issue, and, indeed, it’s nice to see its use carry over to the second installment. Man-Eaters #2 also remedies an issue I had with the debut of this series. With its premise firmly established, it gets about the business of crafting and interesting and compelling narrative in a way that vests us in our central characters, accomplishing that latter bit mainly by showing us glimpsed of the relatable dynamic between our hero Maude’s divorced parents. There’s a scene with the three of them watching television on the couch. It’s maybe the most understated scene in this entire comic, but, for my money, it also happens to do the most storytelling work. Add on an intriguing (if slightly predictable) cliffhanger twist, and it all adds up to a second issue that has me excited for the future of this comic.

Overall: Man-Eaters #2 continues the clever use of visuals found in its predecessor, while also going into the standard trappings of a good story, mainly character development and a progressing narrative. Cain and Niemczyk are both super-talented storytellers, and they seem in full control of their powers here. 9.0/10

For more comic book reviews, check out our review archives.

REVIEW: Mood and Tension Still Reign in the WYTCHES: BAD EGG HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

October 30, 2018 by Bo Stewart in Reviews

Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special is out 10/31. — **Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special** is out 10/31.

Bo Stewart — Horror comics are tough to create. Film and television in the genre can use sound to build tension and establish mood, but comics have to rely on purely visual tools to earn their scares. The best graphic sequential horror stories are those that excel at creating an eerie atmosphere and a prevailing sense of unease this way. Few establish the desired sort of ominous mood better than Scott Snyder and Jock’s critically-acclaimed Wytches franchise.

While reading this week’s Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special one shot, I kept having this thought: Man…I’ve really missed Wytches. The first volume of this book was an incredibly strong story, so much so that the sporadic teases of a second volume have only deepened the void this comic leaves in my reading pile when it’s not on the shelves. The Bad Egg: Halloween Special, however, goes a long way toward satiating my impatience, and at a whopping 80 pages, I suspect the special will be enough to tide me over until the eventual release of volume 2. I wouldn’t consider the special required reading for Wytches fans, not exactly, but it does flesh out the world while also laying some groundwork for the second volume in a really interesting way.

The Special exists primarily to introduce us to Sebastian Clay. Snyder promises that Seb will be a key player in the events to come, and I enjoyed spending time with him here, finding him to be a really interesting protagonist in his own right. Seb just wants a normal standard issue life, as he puts it. Everything changes, though, when a friend’s dad tries to abduct Seb and feed him to a Wytch.

After this defining event, Seb has to focus on a larger mission that prevents him from enjoying the pleasures of childhood. He is forbidden from making real friendships, including one with his neighbor Jackson. The stakes are immediately upped when it’s revealed that Seb is going to kill Jackson and his whole family. The story kicks into high gear thereafter and begged to be finished in a single sitting.

Essentially, I think this special is a reminder that Snyder can still excel in storytelling made rich by smaller human moments. According to Snyder himself, Wytches was his most personal work to date, and that intimacy carries over into this special. It really makes me wish we would see more of this intimacy in his DC work, too.

“Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jock
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $7.99”

Back to my thought about mood in horror comics…yeah, Wytches has possibly the most distinct mood of any comic out there. Jock brings his A game, particularly when it comes to body language. Everything looks right on the surface, but a closer examination finds most pages have something a little off. It’s a killer way to build mood and atmosphere. Matt Hollingsworth’s coloring is also spectacular. There’s simply nothing like it. The random splotches feel out of place, letting us know something isn’t quite right in cool, subtle ways.

Overall: Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special is the perfect Halloween treat. It’s also the perfect antidote for the long-term absence of one of the most spectacular horror stories in all of comics. 9.5/10

For more comic book reviews, check out our review archives.

Bo grinds for the man by day so he can create comics by night. He is the lesser half of the Stewart Brothers writing team and can be found on Twitter and Instagram@stewart_bros

Top Comics to Buy for October 31, 2018

October 29, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Comics

By Zack Quaintance — So, there’s a fifth Wednesday in October this year, and it just so happens to fall on Halloween, which means a couple of things. First of all, it’s a fifth Wednesday so it’s kind of weird and a little sparse, depending on the publisher. Second, it means some books have planned well and have something spooky to offer!

As such, we’re getting some potentially scary comics this week, including the second title from the ongoing Vertigo Rebirth—Hex Wives—and the conclusion to a five-part Wonder Woman/Justice League Dark crossover. My own personal real fear, however, is probably best reflected by Fearscape #2, a comic about a deluded and desperate writer thrown into a fantasy dimension of sorts where his storytelling abilities must be used to defend the world. Gulp! Now, THAT is scary.

Anyway, enough rambling! Let’s get to this weeks must-buy books...

Top Comics to Buy for October 31, 2018

Fearscape #2
Writer: Ryan O’Sullivan
Artist: Andrea Mutti
Colorist: Vladimir Popov
Letterer: Andworld Design
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
Heroic plagiarist Henry Henry faces his first trial in the Fearscape! Within The Weeping Castle, home to The Children of Prometheus, Henry Henry encounters wondrous and fanciful creatures-including The First Fear. With courage and calm, he endures the heart of darkness, refusing the easy temptation of light. No Legs can outrun-no Mind can outwit-no Heart can outlove our hero.
Why It’s Cool: Fearscape #1 earned a rare 10/10 review from us, and so we’re obviously really excited to dig into the second issue. If it grows from the foundation laid in the first chapter, this will be deeper dive into territory, a story about what it’s like to tell stories, and a razor sharp one at that.

Green Lantern / Huckleberry Hound Special #1
Writer: Mark Russell
Penciler: Rick Leonardi
Inkers: Dan Green & Ande Parks
Colorist: Steve Buccellato
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
Set against the turbulent backdrop of the early 1970s, Green Lantern and Huckleberry Hound join forces to take a stand on the issues of that era. Returning from recent duty in Vietnam, veteran Marine John Stewart-now a member of the Green Lantern Corps-contemplates what, if anything, he should do about the issues tearing his country apart. Meanwhile, Huckleberry's comments against the Vietnam war have left him a celebrity outcast, and a visit back home to Mississippi puts him face to face with the Civil Rights Movement. What can one man-and one hound-do? Plus, part two of a Secret Squirrel backup story written by J.M. DeMatteis.
Why It’s Cool: This story builds on the excellent work that writer Mark Russell did in Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, which is one of our favorite series of 2018 so far. What’s changed is the time period, jumping forward to the ‘70s and the Vietnam War, from which Green Lantern John Stewart has just returned.

Ice Cream Man #8
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
All around town, folks are in crisis. But this ambulance ain't stoppin' for no one, baby. ICE CREAM MAN continues with another dreary confection.
Why It’s Cool: This psychological (almost existential) horror anthology book is also one of our favorite comics of 2018! Every issue has been memorable, ranging from downright chilling to full-one filled with dread, and Ice Cream Man #8 is no exception. Not to spoil anything, but this single issue could be this fantastic series’ thesis statement. Highly recommend it.

The Terrifics Annual #1
Writers: Gene Luen Yang, Mark Russell, & James Asmus
Pencilers: Joe Bennett, Doc Shaner, & Jose Luis
Inkers: Matt Santorelli, Scott Hanna, Richard Friend, & Jordi Tarragona
Colorists: Hi-Fi & Nathan Fairbairn
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
It's three startling Terrifics tales, kicking off with a deadly nightmare at Stagg Manor! When a plot to steal Plastic Man's powers goes awry, the Terrifics' new home and everyone in it are at the mercy of stealthy plastic monsters. Looks like Sapphire picked the wrong day to host a Halloween dance for her Stagg Industries internship program! Next up, discover the secret origin of Java the caveman, and the secret he's keeping will shock you. Last but not least, we uncover Tom Strong's hidden adventure in the Dark Multiverse-hold on to your holy socks!
Why It’s Cool: Under the guidance of writer Jeff Lemire, The Terrifics is the stand-out book of DC’s faltering New Age of Heroes initiative. He’s just made it such a charming homage to the Fantastic Four. Now, some of our other favorite writers get to take a stab at doing the same with these characters, including Gene Luen Yang, Mark Russell, and James Asmus. It should be interesting to see what they all come up with!

Wild Storm #18
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Jon Davis-Hunt
Colorist: Steve Buccellato
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
You can never go home again, but John Lynch needs to go somewhere to begin the last act of his life. Jack Hawksmoor never really had a home, especially since he became something other than human. As the war between IO and Skywatch gets hot, Marc Slayton has somewhere for Lynch to go, and Jenny Sparks may have a new home for Jack Hawksmoor...and Angela Spica.
Why It’s Cool: This book is yet another one of our favorite comics of 2018 (this week is one of quality over quantity, to be sure), and the end of last issue has us incredibly excited for what we see as the obvious end game for the title. This, sadly, is the last issue of the book until next January, but hoo man are we here for it!

Others Receiving Votes

Black Panther #5
Bone Parish #4
Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #4
Doom Patrol #12
Extermination #4
Faith: Dreamside #2
Heroes in Crisis #2
Lost City Explorers #5
Man-Eaters #2
Marvel 2-in-1 #11
Shanghai Red #5
Tony Stark: Iron Man #5
Vagrant Queen #5
West Coast Avengers #3
Wytches Bad Egg Halloween Special One Shot

See our past top comics to buy here, and check our our reviews archive here.

Of Writers and Wars: Saga #12 is a Nigh-Perfect Comic

October 26, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Saga Re-Read

By Zack Quaintance — I’m one of those people who count Saga as my favorite comic. I know, shocking. I only Tweet about it at least once a week. I don’t actively realize, however, exactly why that is, at least not on a regular basis, and, quite frankly, I’ve been a little surprised that to date this re-read project has been short on holy shit moments that remind me—until I came to Saga #12.

This issue is just such a great example of all that this book does so well: the varied cast of characters, the range of ideas and meanings, the lofty conversations that lesser writers would bungle into boring heavy-handed tedium. It’s all in here. It’s perhaps telling that our central family doesn’t even make an appearance until the last panel, that Vaughan and Staples could leave them unseen and still make the stakes incredibly tense, the so-far little-used characters so compelling. Anyway, I could keep fawning or I could get down to the meat of what this re-read project is all about: a weekly thorough examination of individual issues of Saga and some quick categorized talk about why I love them.

Saga #12

Here’s the official preview text for Saga #12, first released on April 10, 2013:

Prince Robot IV makes his move.

I feel like that description can be trotted out a few more times between now and #54, not that it even tells us much, other than to expect plenty of one of my favorites, ol’ Prince Robot IV. Let’s do the individual elements thing…

The Cover: As noted above, I am admittedly partial to covers that feature Prince Robot IV, and while this maybe isn’t one of the best of them, it definitely shows kernels of some of the ideas that will make my favorite Prince Robot cover (Saga #49) possible: specifically alluding here to the way Staples uses the character’s face as an actual TV screen that bears familiar TV imagery from our world. It’s a way to draw a direct connection between our daily lives and the fantasy of this story, and it absolutely works.

The First Page: Speaking of a blend of fantasy and reality, the first page of Saga #12 is a case in point. It shows a Wings shoulder holding an injured Prince Robot IV. The prince is dripping his literally blue blood as the soldier screams for a medic. Basically, here we have a man with what look like peacock-esque feathers sprouting on his back holding another man with a TV head as they both fit into familiar imagery from our own wars. After several issues that dealt more in this tale’s domestic issues, this first page here works as a stark and brutal reminder that the entire world is affected by a forever world. Oh! And not to discount the shock to the prurient that is a finely-honed Saga tradition, look closer and you’ll notice that as he’s dying, Prince Robot IV’s face features fellatio (his face and the war around it only get way more graphic throughout the scene—side note: holy hell do I love this comic).

The Surface: There’s a great deal of plot in this comic, even with its first act essentially consumed with a battle scene that has no discernible purpose other than to (as noted above) remind us of the war and suggest that Prince Robot IV might be suffering from PTSD. It’s good stuff, too, a humanization of a guy with a TV head, a tense roller coaster of an interrogation scene, and a last page reveal liable to really bug your eyes and keep them that way until next issue. I like Saga #12 even more on re-read, as it seems to me like this was is where the story becomes a bit less predictable than it has been so far. If I have one knock on this issue, it’s that some of the writer’s voice comes through too clearly in the Oswald-Heist verbal sparring. More on that below...

Saga #12 features the first appearance of Ghus. — **Saga #12** features the first appearance of Ghus.

The Subtext: There’s a really thin line in this conversation-heavy issue between what’s being said and what’s being meant. We’ve delved into some of the subtext in the early scenes above, but what I’d really like to unpack a bit more in this section is what’s beneath the conversation between Oswald and Prince Robot, which bounces from a tense interrogation to a meditation on the cost and meaning of war, with a sprinkling of the role of the artist in society and some thought about whether succumbing to PTSD makes one strong. It’s a lot, but it never feels heavy handed or forced. That’s not the point of this particular section, however, so let me just note that upon a second read I think there’s a very deliberate idea between the two men here that aspires to say something about the roles of individuals in warring systems, as well as about the things we justify to ourselves for the sakes of our children, born or dead.

The Art: And now we come to the fawning. I’m really struggling to make this section more productive, to write something than other Staples DESTROYS YET AGAIN, because she does, every damn issue. Here perhaps the most notable artwork is her design of Ghus, who makes his first appearance before going on to eventually be immortalized as a plush toy with multiple outfits and (for my money) one of the coolest pieces of merchandise to stem from a paper comic yet to be adapted. It’s a credit to Staples’ versatility and skill that in a single issue she can draw scenes of such horror and creatures of such adorable aesthetic.

Check out past installments of our Saga Re-Read.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase.

REVIEW: Brubaker and Phillips’ My HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES is a Psychedelic Bonnie & Clyde

October 25, 2018 by Taylor Pechter in Reviews

By Taylor Pechter — When it comes to crime comics, two names are basically synonymous with modern works in the genre: Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Throughout the last decade of their fruitful collaboration, the duo has made some of the most acclaimed series in all of comics, from the down and dirty family drama of Criminal, to the Lovecraftian horror history lesson that is Fatale, to their most recent monthly series Kill or Be Killed, a nuanced dive into mental illness.

Brubaker and Phillips’ latest creation is the original graphic novel My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, wherein they create a story that involves romance, the meaning of life, and a thorough shattering of the status quo. This is the first time the pair has produced a complete work in the original graphic novel format, and so I think it’s helpful to break it down into individual qualities, starting with the writing and the plot.

Warning Spoilers: The story in My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies follows a woman named Ellie who is sent to a rehab facility by her uncle...or so she believes. In the early pages, readers get Ellie’s view of the world, as well as her thoughts on being a titular junkie. During a therapy session Ellie exclaims, Why do we automatically think getting clean is a great thing? What if drugs help you find the thing that makes you special?

Here in lies Ellie’s arc, during which she recalls past experiences with her mother, who was herself a junkie. Not only that, but Ellie’s story also touches thematically on some of the most famous singers—Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin—all of whom were junkies and eventually succumbed to their addictions. However, in Ellie’s mind they are the heroes of her story. Through them she learned that junkie carries a negative connotation, even though she believes it should really carry a positive one. Her logic goes: these famous musicians made memorable music while also high on something, be it heroin, cocaine, or speed. Essentially, Ellie sees being a junkie as breaking the status quo of normal life. Doctor Patti, however, obviously thinks the opposite. She thinks that her patient Ellie has convinced herself of this in order to feel special, making her just like any other person in the facility.

Eventually, readers are also introduced to Skip, another patient at the hospital. As time goes on, he grows closer to Ellie and they form a sort of partnership. It starts with sneaking out to take a puff at night and evolves into eventually planning escape. It is during this escape that Skip and Ellie grow closer. They move from house to house, forging a bond, and so romance blossoms. With romance, their dependence on drugs also grows. It is then Ellie monologues, I mean, what young lovers don’t secretly want this? To be bandits on some lost highway… Running until it all burns down?

It is not just through her dependence on drugs, but also her love of Skip, that the memories of her mother and the thrill of the chase bring Ellie’s life full circle. As the story draws to a close, Ellie is walking on a beach, much like we saw her at the beginning of the story. There, she reminisces about the events that have transpired. It is through her ending monologue that she exclaims that life is supposed to be like a clouded memory, and that the things you really remember are the things that are most important. It is in fact the love that others give you that makes life worth living.

In terms of the artwork, along with Brubaker’s detailed script comes, as always, Sean Phillips artwork. Phillips is a master of emotion, an artist who is able to capture the happiness, sadness, excitement, and boredom of each of the characters he renders into life. Not only that, Phillips use of body language also adds an extra layer of realism. This, however, has basically become standard within Brubaker/Phillips works. So much so, that we’re probably all taking how great these comics look for granted. Phillips work really has been that good for that long.

What is new with this most recent Brubaker/Phillips work is the colorist. Joining Phillips on coloring duties is his own son, Jacob. Jacob replaces Elizabeth Breitweiser, whose colors have often paired with Brubakers drawing of late. Jacob Phillips splotchy color palette of bright oranges, pinks, and blues really fits this particular story well, adding a psychedelic feel to the proceedings. The story also features many flashbacks throughout, detailing Ellie’s childhood, and Jacob Phillips lends them all a beautiful monochromatic style evocative of times gone by. Breitweiser is a great colorist, as is another past Phillips collaborator Val Staples, but Jacob Phillips work compliments his father’s in a way that has me hopeful they’ll continue to collaborate in the future.

Overall: With My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips craft a beautiful story of a woman trying to find her place in the world. This original graphic novel format adds extra weight to their story, too. With a detailed script and luscious artwork, this work is likely to rank up there with some of the duo’s best stories. It’s a solid offering from today’s masters of the crime comic, one to tide their fans over until the return of Criminal in January. 8.5/10

My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Colorist: Jacob Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $16.99

Taylor Pechter is a passionate comic book fan and nerd. Find him on Twitter @TheInspecter.

REVIEW: The Lodger #1 Sees the Laphams Do Small-Town American Darkness Via Travel Blogging and Crime Noir

October 24, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Reviews

The Lodger #1 is out 10/24. — **The Lodger #1** is out 10/24.

By Zack Quaintance — Comics can seem infinite. The personal tastes and reading histories that belong to fans of this medium are as varied as any I’ve yet encountered. Both film and literature have canons, bodies of work widely considered to be the most important or influential. These are, essentially, lists of works that all serious fans of those mediums should aspire to experience. Comics, however, doesn’t have that.

Now to get to my point: if it did, my sense is that David and Maria Lapham’s long-running crime noir book Stray Bullets would without question be part of any comic book canon. Furthermore, this is all a long-winded way to establish that I, in fact, have not yet read it (although, now that I’ve officially finished Sandman, maybe Stray Bullets should be next). So, I can’t talk or write intelligently about how their newest comic, The Lodger, fits into their body of work. Consider this intro a disclaimer.

What I can say/writer, however, is that I found this book immensely intriguing, a mysterious and well-crafted introductory issue that works in equal parts to establish a set of thematic interest (small-town American darkness, crime noir, travel blogging, drifting) and a number of questions (what the holy hell is going on and who exactly are our two main characters?). What is perhaps most consequential and worthy of discussion in this comic is its framing device.

This is my first experience actually reading the Laphams’ work, after hearing it discussed often in laudatory tones, and I found it to be as literary as most of the works folks tend to casually canonize. The framing device sees them writing a travel blog. It’s heavy on prose, which is always a dicey proposition for writers in the graphic medium. I find that often times prose-heavy comics are bloated, like the writer is so thrilled to have a little extra space that they lose their capacity for self-editing; that they forget how to be concise. Not so in The Lodger.

This framing advice reads like a first-person short story, the sort that fills readers in on details and also makes ample use of unreliable narration through the lens of whoever is talking. The Laphams go on to make expert use of the comic book medium, tying the visuals abstractly into said narration in a way that enhances the puzzling nature of this entire story. Simply put, this is the sort of comic made exclusively for comics, the work of veteran creators bent on exploring some of the graphic sequential mediums untapped potential. It’s an ambitious book, one that deftly completes a high-wire act that requires withholding crucial information without disorienting its readers. It’s complex stuff, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Overall: Along with Euthanauts and House Amok, The Lodger is part of the Black Crown imprint’s second wave of titles, and boy is it something to behold. These are complex comic books for smart readers, and I can’t recommend them all enough. 9.0/10

The Lodger #1
Writer: David and Maria Lapham
Artist: David Lapham
Publisher: IDW’s Black Crown Imprint
Price: $3.99

For more comic book reviews, check out our review archives.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase.

REVIEW: Dead Kings #1 Turns Its Anger Toward Failed States

October 23, 2018 by Zack Quaintance in Reviews

Dead Kings #1 is due out Oct. 24. Variant cover by Michael Gaydos. — **Dead Kings #1** is due out Oct. 24. Variant cover by Michael Gaydos.

By Zack Quaintance — Dead Kings #1 sees writer Steve Orlando telling another angry retribution tale, one heavy with grit and swagger in which we get interactions like this one: Bartender: I don’t know that name… Anti-Hero: I’ve punched a lot of faces to get here. I think you do. That’s all very telling about the type of world Dead Kings #1 inhabits.

Plot-wise, this story takes place 30 years after a techno-magic war in a place that must have once been Russia but is now called Thrice-Nine, which the book’s preview text describes as a dirty folklore world that limps along, degenerating into a place filled with paranoid and poison. Indeed, we definitely get all of that. Hell, most (if not every) interaction here is brimming with both of them.

Really though, Orlando writing an angry revenge story that promises violence to come is nothing new. Not after his most recent creator-owned book, Crude, or his breakout DC hit, Midnighter. What I find interesting here is the cause of the anger. In Midnighter, the anger was inherent to the titular character, an effect of his status as an embodied weapon. In Crude, the anger came from repression of self, both from one’s family and from one’s society. It’s only one issue so far for Dead Kings, but my early sense is that the anger and violence in this story will be driven by the failure of nation states, by the peasants who have been abused and marginalized by the namesake Dead Kings.

There are, to be sure, also some familiar themes from Orlando’s past work in play too, themes very much evocative of the recently-concluded Crude, specifically that one of the main characters is out to save a lost twin brother persecuted for loving another man. There aren’t really diminishing returns though. Dead Kings is pretty heavily steeped in both the gritty and the fantastical. I mean, this is a story that on one of its first pages has a kaiju-sized steam-powered bear mech.

Matthew Dow Smith and Lauren Affe are a well-suited art team for this story, too, with their work lending the proceedings a punk aesthetic through every frustrated or pained face (and there are a lot of them). The visuals here are equally as capable of action, and based on some of the outsized splash pages at the start, my sense is that the best is definitely yet to come from all involved.

Overall: A gritty first chapter that seems to promise outsized adventure and fantastical warfare to come. There’s a lot to be said about the way states fail their peoples from generation to generation, and this might be the book we need right now to say it. 8.0/10

Dead Kings #1
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Matthew Dow Smith
Colorist: Lauren Affe
Letterer: Thomas Mauer
Publisher: AfterShock Comics
Price: $3.99

For more comic book reviews, check out our review archives.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as BatmansBookcase.

Top Comics to Buy for November 14, 2018

Top Comics to Buy for November 14, 2018

Top New #1 Comics

Others Receiving Votes

Best New #1 Comics of October 2018

Quick Hits

Top 5 Best New #1 Comics of October 2018

The Saga Re-Read #14: Many Moving Parts, One Small But Painfully Heartrending Moment

Saga #14

Tom King's Batman: Should We Keep Reading?

The Case Against Tom King’s Batman

The Case for Tom King’s Batman

REVIEW: The Unexpected #6 Moves Toward an Early Finale

REVIEW: Farmhand #5, a Fitting End to a Great First Arc

REVIEW: Outer Darkness #1 is a Solid and Charming Debut

October 2018 New Comic Discoveries: Black Mask Makes Complex Comics with Massive Relevance

Calexit

Black

Devil Within

REVIEW: Fearscape #2 Brims with Imposter Syndrome…in a Good Way

Top Comics to Buy for November 7, 2018

Top Comics to Buy for November 7, 2018

Top New #1 Comics

Others Receiving Votes

Saga #13, In Which Fiona Staples' Artwork Takes a HUGE Step Forward...Again

Saga #13

Thirsty Thursdays: October’s Hottest Comics Art

The Thirstiest Comics of October 2018

REVIEW: Ice Cream Man #8 Hints at the Point: Happy Lives Aren’t Easy

REVIEW: Man-Eaters #2 Finds Compelling Character Traits in Quiet Moments

REVIEW: Mood and Tension Still Reign in the WYTCHES: BAD EGG HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Top Comics to Buy for October 31, 2018

Top Comics to Buy for October 31, 2018

Top New #1 Comics

Others Receiving Votes

Of Writers and Wars: Saga #12 is a Nigh-Perfect Comic

Saga #12

REVIEW: Brubaker and Phillips’ My HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES is a Psychedelic Bonnie & Clyde

REVIEW: The Lodger #1 Sees the Laphams Do Small-Town American Darkness Via Travel Blogging and Crime Noir

REVIEW: Dead Kings #1 Turns Its Anger Toward Failed States