New comics are released tomorrow (in the States at least; we have to wait until Thursday in the UK!). Here's a brief look at our expectations for the books we're picking up this week.
Stewart R: A couple of titles reach the end of an arc or indeed the end of the road/cave system this week and while my pull-list is numerically diminished compared to last week’s bounty I’m confident the quality will remain high.
First off the bat I’ll give mention to a title that actually doesn’t make an appearance on my list of purchases but deserves to be highlighted, such has been the praise for Garth Ennis’ part survival horror, part societal study from critics and Paradox reviewers alike. Yes that’s right folks, Crossed #9 signals the end of the line for the bedraggled group of survivors who have been put through or witnessed every sort of human horror imaginable. Ennis has apparently kept his audience guessing on just how he will draw this particular chapter to a close – there are murmurings of a possible unrelated sequel to this story – and a controversial closing is obviously not out of the question.
Also coming to a close is Jeff Parker’s rather brilliant Underground miniseries with #5 hitting the stands tomorrow. In this day of superheroes and resurgent noir and crime comic fiction it’s been a breath of fresh air to see such a simple and exciting premise be given a chance by one of the bigger publishers. Parker and Steve Lieber have managed to squeeze a terrific story of suspense and claustrophobia out of the four issues up to now and I’m really looking forward to finding out just how and if Wesley and Seth get out of their subterranean fix.
Out of the House of DC we get Detective Comics #862 which begins to involve Dick Grayson's Batman a little more as he and Batwoman appear to be working a case from two different ends. Jock's artwork was a decent change after the wonders of JH Williams III's past contributions and I'm beginning to warm towards the Question backup too so I'm always glad to see this title turn up in my pile each month.
Jeff Lemire should be a name that you're starting to hear more of and if your cochlea hasn't been tickled by outspoken praise for his work already then where have you been? Sweet Tooth #7 should be sitting betwixt your hands this very week as poor old Gus discovers more about the brutal world outside the relative safety of his woodland home. Last issues' study of grizzled ex-hockey player, Jeppard's past was captivating and this is one Vertigo title you should be checking out if you're looking for something creator-owned and driven.
Speaking of which, the other great creator-owned comic of the moment drops into eager laps this Wednesday when Chew #9 bounces into view. This is a darkly funny comic indeed and Layman and Guillory always seem to be having the best time putting poor Tony Chu through some nasty, cannibalistic situations and the unravelled mysteries to date have been a hoot. We're getting close to the end of the second arc so I'm expecting things to go bat-shit crazy again this issue.
Marvel have a rather quiet week from my perspective and I'll only be picking up three titles from the House of Ideas much to my wallet's relief. Invincible Iron Man #24 obviously stands out from the crowd as the fantastically creepy industrial espionage expert and dubious villain, Ghost, gets close to snuffing out Tony Stark once and for all. With Stephen Strange hanging about to aid Tony's recuperation I think Fraction has all of the ingredients for a barnstorming finale to what has been a rather reserved and tactile arc so far.
This week also sees Marvel tip it's cap (no, not him) in salute to the numerous female writers and artists who have been working their magic in the industry for years or who may be standing in the wings waiting for their chance in the limelight. Girl Comics #1 is one of those experiments that I like to shell out for every once in a while having no real expectations and every chance of being more than pleasantly surprised. And of course if that wasn't enough there'll be even more 'Gauntlet' action with yet another Amazing Spider-Man (#622 to be specific!) delivered by your friendly neighbourhood comic-shop owner. Will Aunt May's negative attitude wear off this week? Let's freakin' hope so...
Stewart R: A couple of titles reach the end of an arc or indeed the end of the road/cave system this week and while my pull-list is numerically diminished compared to last week’s bounty I’m confident the quality will remain high.First off the bat I’ll give mention to a title that actually doesn’t make an appearance on my list of purchases but deserves to be highlighted, such has been the praise for Garth Ennis’ part survival horror, part societal study from critics and Paradox reviewers alike. Yes that’s right folks, Crossed #9 signals the end of the line for the bedraggled group of survivors who have been put through or witnessed every sort of human horror imaginable. Ennis has apparently kept his audience guessing on just how he will draw this particular chapter to a close – there are murmurings of a possible unrelated sequel to this story – and a controversial closing is obviously not out of the question.
Also coming to a close is Jeff Parker’s rather brilliant Underground miniseries with #5 hitting the stands tomorrow. In this day of superheroes and resurgent noir and crime comic fiction it’s been a breath of fresh air to see such a simple and exciting premise be given a chance by one of the bigger publishers. Parker and Steve Lieber have managed to squeeze a terrific story of suspense and claustrophobia out of the four issues up to now and I’m really looking forward to finding out just how and if Wesley and Seth get out of their subterranean fix.
Out of the House of DC we get Detective Comics #862 which begins to involve Dick Grayson's Batman a little more as he and Batwoman appear to be working a case from two different ends. Jock's artwork was a decent change after the wonders of JH Williams III's past contributions and I'm beginning to warm towards the Question backup too so I'm always glad to see this title turn up in my pile each month.
Jeff Lemire should be a name that you're starting to hear more of and if your cochlea hasn't been tickled by outspoken praise for his work already then where have you been? Sweet Tooth #7 should be sitting betwixt your hands this very week as poor old Gus discovers more about the brutal world outside the relative safety of his woodland home. Last issues' study of grizzled ex-hockey player, Jeppard's past was captivating and this is one Vertigo title you should be checking out if you're looking for something creator-owned and driven.Speaking of which, the other great creator-owned comic of the moment drops into eager laps this Wednesday when Chew #9 bounces into view. This is a darkly funny comic indeed and Layman and Guillory always seem to be having the best time putting poor Tony Chu through some nasty, cannibalistic situations and the unravelled mysteries to date have been a hoot. We're getting close to the end of the second arc so I'm expecting things to go bat-shit crazy again this issue.
Marvel have a rather quiet week from my perspective and I'll only be picking up three titles from the House of Ideas much to my wallet's relief. Invincible Iron Man #24 obviously stands out from the crowd as the fantastically creepy industrial espionage expert and dubious villain, Ghost, gets close to snuffing out Tony Stark once and for all. With Stephen Strange hanging about to aid Tony's recuperation I think Fraction has all of the ingredients for a barnstorming finale to what has been a rather reserved and tactile arc so far.This week also sees Marvel tip it's cap (no, not him) in salute to the numerous female writers and artists who have been working their magic in the industry for years or who may be standing in the wings waiting for their chance in the limelight. Girl Comics #1 is one of those experiments that I like to shell out for every once in a while having no real expectations and every chance of being more than pleasantly surprised. And of course if that wasn't enough there'll be even more 'Gauntlet' action with yet another Amazing Spider-Man (#622 to be specific!) delivered by your friendly neighbourhood comic-shop owner. Will Aunt May's negative attitude wear off this week? Let's freakin' hope so...
1 comment:
Even though I missed the Batman/Doc Savage one-shot I'm very curious about First Wave #1.
And I'm interested to see how both Nola and Dingo from Boom! pan out. Nola started out more strongly but Dingo has been more entertaining so far.
Post a Comment