Holy relevant creators, Androgynous Frog Man! This week is jam-packed with some of the best writers in comics. Seriously, even McFarlane decided to show up. Weird I know. Unfortunately, no Hickman, but maybe that means that my biases won’t seep into everything I write! Maybe… Did you get that thing I sent you? Oh, well it’s Top of the Stack. Feel free to re-gift.
Spider-Man 2099 #11 (Marvel)
Peter David (W) Will Sliney (A)
So this series has all but completely lost my interest since Spider-verse ended. I wasn’t aware that the event would render everything caught in it’s midst boring. Unfortunately, it’s not as good as it was, but it still shows some promise.
Birthright #6 (Image)
Joshua Williamson (W) Andrei Bressan (A)
I feel like this series has some hefty tricks up it’s sleeve. That being said, so far I am just a little disappointed with this series. I would have liked it to have progressed a bit more than it has in the first arc, but maybe that can be attributed to longevity, which isn’t a bad things. Interested to see where the new arc takes us.
Howard the Duck #2 (Marvel)
Chip Zdarsky (W) Joe Quinones (A)
So, I can say I generally liked the first issue of this series. It wasn’t as kitchy as I had hoped it would be and it had a few jokes that fell kind of flat, but that’s to be expected on a writers first outing with a character that grew to be nothing but a punchline years after his debut movie. I expect good things from this series.
Five Ghosts #16 (Image)
Frank J. Barbiere (W) Chris Mooneyham (A)
I am really enjoying Barbiere recently. I mean I always loved this series for a miriyad of reasons, but I’m realizing one of those reasons is Barbiere. It’s intense and does something that I wish more comics utilized. It learned that less dialogue is more. A beautiful simplicity.
Astro City #22 (Vertigo)
Kurt Busiek (W) Jesus Merino (A)
This series has me very excited for the future of the comic. There was a while that I felt Busiek was getting his sea legs in his beautifully sculpted world again, but after the last arc, I am more than confident that he has captured that thing that made Astro City so amazing the first time I read it.
Rai #8 (Valiant)
Matt Kindt (W) Clayton Crain (A)
Valiant has been kicking some series ass recently. This series is proof of the awesome things coming from the company. The Valiant was a thing of beauty and this is the series that brought me into the fold. It has a very palpable world, that just absorbs you into the fray.
Ant-Man #4 (Marvel)
Nick Spencer (W) Ramon Rosanas (A)
This series is actually more on par with what I want/ wanted from Howard the Duck. Take a character that has all sorts of inadequacy problems from public expectations, and really drive the character. I mean this series is becoming one of my favorites from Marvel, just because of how fun it is.
Jupiter’s Circle #1 (Image)
Mark Millar (W) Wilfredo Torres (A)
Really excited for this comic. With Jupiter’s Legacy TAKING FOREVER TO RELEASE AN ISSUE, this will do nicely as a palate cleanser between issues. This series takes place during the golden age of heroes, or around the 50’s. We see the younger versions of our doomed generation from Jupiter’s Legacy doing what made them the best, and ultimately, what made their children the worst. Very interesting, if you liked The Watchmen, try this comic on for size. Let’s see if that sentence doesn’t net over half of the comic reading populous.
Avengers World #19 (Marvel)
Frank J. Barbiere (W) Marco Checchetto (A)
This series was absolutely redeemed by Barbiere. It was pretty good before, lets not forget that, but once he began writing it entirely, things got leaps and bounds better. I can’t place what makes it so good, it’s really hard for me, just take my word for it. Try this guy out.
Copperhead #6 (Image)
Jay Faerber (W) Scott Godlewski (A)
This series had a rock solid first arc, it introduced a ton of characters without becoming congested or confused, it build a wonderfully depressing world and it left us wanting more. What more could you ask for?
Savior #1 (Image)
Todd McFarlane (W) Clayton Crain (A)
So I’m curious about this series. Todd McFarlane is a staple of Image, I mean he is one of the founding members of Image along with the creator of Spawn. That being said, he has been spending a lot of time on other endevours, eg. McFarlane Toys. My curiosity is piqued by this concept, but we’ll see. A man with no memory appears with a likeness to the worlds “savior”. How will people react to his underwhelming presence
S.H.I.E.L.D #4 (Marvel)
Mark Waid (W) Alan Davis (A)
This series is perfect for Waid. It deals with platitudes of human emotion and adventure, but at it’s core it is just a fun comic. Very light, and every issue so far can be read as a single adventure. Something I thoroughly enjoy in the midst of convoluted plotlines and melodrama.
Deadpool #45 (Marvel)
Gerry Duggan/Brian Posehn/ Ben Acker/ Ben Blacker/ Nick Giovanetti/ Paul Scheer/ Jason Mantzoukas/ Scott Aukerman (W) Mike Hawthorne/ Scott Koblish/ Natalie Nourigat/ Ty Templeton (A)
GAME OVER, MAN! It’s the end of the series, and the end of Deadpool. Oops, spoilers? Yeah, Deadpool dies. In the 250th issue, we get to see the Merc with a Mouth meet his maker. Unfortunately it comes with a $10 price tag, but with this being a super sized issue, I can grit my teeth and bare it.
Nameless #3 (Image)
Grant Morrison (W) Chris Burnham (A)
This series is prepped to be a super-dee-duper kickass series. Grant Morrison must have heard my world shaking “meeh” at some of his previous work and made this to spite me. I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong.
The Surface #2 (Image)
Ales Kot (W) Langdon Foss (A)
The first issue of this comic had a ridiculously high concept and I dig it. What if everything we know is a hologram. Actually, this is something that science has legitimately been trying to answer for a while now, and this comic takes that idea and runs with it. I loved the pacing, the character development. I think this may be a bit of a sleeper hit.
ODY-C #4 (Image)
Matt Fraction (W) Christian Ward (A)
Matt Fraction and Christian Ward have done something extraordinary with this series. They have managed to completely flip an age old story on its head and make it something completely new. Gorgeous colors by Ward and a brilliantly reevaluated Odyssey. This series is girl power to the extreme.
Descender #2 (Image)
Jeff Lemire (W) Dustin Nguyen (A)\
This series blew me the fuck away. Seriously, I am already a fan of Lemire and I know Sony has already scooped the rights for this film, but seriously. This first issue was mind blowing. There really is no other way to describe it. Go read it for God’s sake.
Saga #27 (Image)
Brian K. Vaughan (W) Fiona Staples (A)
I’m so sorry, baby. I know I’ve been giving Hickman a lot of attention recently, but you will always be my baby. You know that right? I can’t handle it when you leave me though, it makes me so angry. Stop it.
So there you go. I mean what more do you want from a week? Got some intensely talent people showing up today and I can say for one that I am very interested in some of these newer Image comics.
