Happy Tuesday everyone! As always, we’re taking a look at this week’s haul of comics before it hits the stands, so you can make a more informed choice when you’re perusing the shelves.
Brandon’s Pick: The Empty Man #1 (Boom! Studios)
If you’re in the mood for a creeping horror book this week, Boom! Studios has you covered. The Empty Man is a slow burning horror in that - according to press materials - draws upon some disturbing J-horror imagery and storytelling. My experience with J-horror is fairly limited (my nearest approximate experience with the genre would be Naoki Urasawa’s Monster), but the comparison stands. Cullen Bunn infuses the story with a slow burning mystery and Venesa R. Del Rey draws out creeping bits of affecting imagery that sticks with you long after the book is put down. There’s very little “show” in this issue, which lends to the creeping elements, but still, what is shown is strange and gorgeous - and Del Rey’s wonderful brushwork style is a great fit for the subject matter and the story. A great read, if you get a chance to put your hands on it. Seek it out!
Original Sins #1 (Marvel Comics)
This week’s biggest Marvel tie-in comes in the form of one of their anthology series, which they are loading up with interesting voices and characters. First up, Nathan Edmondson and Mike Perkins bring Deathlok front and center in a spotlight story that’s sure to lead to bigger things in the coming months. Then, Ryan North (!) and Ramon Villalobos (!!!) begin their Young Avengers tale that will run through this five issue series. Both of these creators are a great fit for a team that has always functioned well with a fresh and almost independent style of comic making, and it’s great to see their take on the team. And then hey, to close the book, they have a quick Lockjaw story by Stuart Moore and Rick Geary. RICK GEARY. This is a dude I didn’t expect to be making Marvel Comics - not due to lack of talent, but more-so a lack of congruous style. Anyway, that happens - and looking at future solicitations, it’ll happen again with folks like Chip Zdarsky. Yup, the dude who made this Marvel Ideas Journal will have work published by Marvel this year. Amazing.
Meanwhile…
- Dan Didio and Keith Giffen are taking another crack at Kirby with Infinity Man and the Forever People. I fear that this book isn’t going to last long, which is a shame, as it appears to be one of the few small attempts the company is making to diversify it’s line - and I’m afraid that a failure might produce means to continue in a homogenized direction. Which is not good. Anyway, I’m pretty excited for this, as their previous collaboration on OMAC was stellar. More of this, and just… other things, DC. Please.
- That’s Because You’re A Robot is another weird book from the mind of Shaky Kane, this time with David Quantick on board as a writer. The book definitely feels like a straight forward fever dream in which two buddy cops try to figure out which one of them is a robot while solving crimes. It’s strange and wonderful, but if you look at the book and find yourself not enjoying the art, give it a skip. It is a book that knows what it is and what it wants to do, and makes no apologies, so don’t expect it to bend towards your tastes.
- A couple of quick mentions for Armor Wars #1 and Wolverine #8, out from Valiant and Marvel respectively. Both kick off huge stories, and both can be read with zero prior knowledge as to what has gone before. Buy with confidence.
That’s all the time and space I have for this week. Stay tuned to my twitter as I have time to peruse more, and come back to the site through the week for my thoughts on this week’s haul in some more depth.
