Welcome back my dear comic book lovers! I’m back again to bring you my review in last week’s new comic releases. My stack was a little light this week so I took the opportunity to try out some new books that had caught my eye. iZombie and Sweet Tooth started new story arcs last week so in my eternal search for the perfect pull list I gave these books a shot. It’s all about trying new things, my friends.
And speaking of new be sure to check out the newest episode of Comic Issues. The whole gang had a meet up where some local fans came by to watch Thor together and then they got to be the very first Comic Issues Live Audience! It was a lot of fun and new friends were made. Keep your eye out for our next meet up for Green Lantern when it comes out.
Now let’s talk some comic books! And watch out for spoilers.
Top Pick: Uncanny X-Force # 9 Creative Team Remender (writer) Tan (art) White (colors) Ribic (cover)
It’s usually tough not to make this book my Top Pick. Remender is doing some of his best work here writing this unlikely band of dark and twisted heroes. Every story has been engaging and even thought provoking. Despite the art team occasionally shifting the book itself has kept a very similar art style so far on its run and it’s really worked well for the book. Ribic, though has been the star of this book with an amazing talent of setting the dark and tense tone of the book.
This issue made the Top Pick though for its lack of dialogue and dependency on Billy Tan’s awesome art work. In it, Magneto is given information on a Nazi he brings to Wolverine, silently asking him to do what apparently he can not. The “why” of this issue is very mysterious which works so well with the silent panels.
As Wolverine travels to Brazil you can see a very solemn look on his face and despite the fact that apparently this man that Magento has marked for death deserves what’s coming to him, Wolverine takes no pleasure in what he has set out to do. What Wolverine found though was a warning that no man can escape the sins of his past. This single issue was well worth the read. If you’re not reading this book I’d still recommend it just for the story telling alone.
Runner Up: Moon Knight #1 Creative Team Bendis (writer) Maleev (art) Wilson (colors)
Now in my admittedly shorter than I’d like it comic history I’ve never really gotten to know Moon Knight. In fact I can honestly tell you that I don’t know what his powers are… if he has any, but like I said I like to try new things and Moon Knight feels like something new.
Brian Michael Bendis’ newest excuse not to get any sleep, Moon Knight, has been getting a lot of buzz so on my light week I thought it was fortunate timing on my part and that I should give it a shot. What I liked most about this new book is that it’s not taking place in New York like nearly every other book at Marvel. Moon Knight is about fighting crime in Los Angeles, and before you can start I know the X-Men are in San Francisco but they’re hardly fighting crime up there.
In this book it seems that Moon Knight will be fighting crime on the street level and leave the super-villainy types to the West Coast Avengers, or the New Avengers, maybe the Old Avengers. I dunno, it’s tough to keep track of all of them. A lot of credit has to be given to Bendis here for bringing back Mr. Hyde from whatever dusty old shelf he’d been sitting on. It’s nice to know C-string villains can still get work in these rough economic times.
Moon Knight has a bit of a Daredevil feel to it, only with a bit of Hollywood mixed in it instead of Hell’s Kitchen.
Also this week:
iZombie #13 The number 13 is a lucky one for me so I found it to be a sign that iZombie’s newest arc started on 13 and happened to land on my light week. This playful take on zombies and the supernatural has been on my radar since I caught a preview of it about a year ago, but I hesitantly passed on it’s first issue. What I’d missed is a book about zombie’s tryin’ to make a livin’, vampires, ghosts, and were-terriers… yeah there’s a were-terrier and his name is Spot.
I liked this issue for all it’s loose takes with established monsters while still fitting in a compelling story. My only regret was that I didn’t know all the characters, which I think would have helped some, but after this issue I think I’ll be giving iZombie a solid test drive.
Sweet Tooth #21 I’ve been hearing about this book for a while now but I had never really understood what it was about. So on buzz alone I picked it up as it was starting it’s newest arc.
This issue is NOT a new reader friendly issues. I have no idea what’s going on with anything. I’d hope there would be a little recap that would fill me in on some of the recent history, but instead I felt like I was thrown into the middle of a story. All I could think of as I read this book was if the antlered boy in the book was the same in that Fall Out Boy video.
B.P.R.D. The Dead Remembered #2 The story of young Liz Sherman continues as Professor Broom discovers the story of a woman burned at the stake for witchcraft. This issue really grabbed me when it showed us the incident where Liz accidentally killed her parents along with several others.
It’s a moment that I’d been faintly told about but until now had yet to see it. Mike Mignola and Scott Allie tell it just as you’d imagine, with Karl Moline showed us what it would take to traumatize Liz to where she is now. Two issues into a three issues series I was hoping to be further along than I am, but this book was worth it to see that.
Fear Itself #2 The slow boil that is Fear Itself is building, as mystic hammers are falling to earth. It doesn’t seem to matter who finds them because these hammers seem to have a mind of their own. Juggernaut, Hulk, Titania, along with an Atlantian have all found hammers with another landing on Yancy St. and it’s all spelling trouble and Steve Rogers and the Avengers seem to be thrown off their guard with so much happening at once. With 5 more issues to go this look like it’s gonna be action packed.
Avengers Academy #13 As I started iZombie with no. 13 I’ll be ending Avengers Academy with no. 13. Although this book was enjoyable the series so far hasn’t lived up to what I’ve wanted from it.
In this issue the cadets get to blow off a little steam as they recover from their fight with Korvac. Many of the cadets are still disturbed by what they saw in their future selves as it seemed to leave little hope from bettering their hindrances. This issue is still good for it’s character interaction which is more of what I wanted from it from the start.
That’s gonna wrap it up for another week of comics and another set of Top Picks from your humble critique. If you feel I’ve missed a book that’s worthy of being a Top Pick or if you’re reading a book that you think everyone else should be too, then tell me so in the comments below.
And always be sure to catch me and the guys everyone week on the Comic Issues Podcast.
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