Welcome, dear readers, to another week of comics and commetary at Comics! The Blog! We kick things off, as always, by handing our awards for the Best of the Week - beginning with two Award postings, followed closely by the past week’s Best.
Comics, you had me at the words “dinosaur hunter”.
Every week, Comics! The Blog goes through the list of new releases and we tell you which comics to plug into your mindhole. Your mileage may vary.
Whhhhhoooo is getting married today? Turns out, it’s James’ cousin, which means he’s off in the untamed wilds of Ontario helping preform a good old fashioned Canadian wedding. And before you ask, yes, James is in charge of the seal carcasses.
Also, yes: leaving one of us in sole control of the site is always, always, always a terrible idea, so you have that to look forward to in this week’s column, alongside a touch of correspondance from James himself. Let’s do a thing.
Every week, Comics! The Blog goes through the list of new releases and we tell you which comics to plug into your mindhole. Your mileage may vary.
Today, I woke up with a horrible craving for off brand Sour Soothers. And I hate off brand Sour Soothers. Also, I don’t think I’ve been drinking enough milk lately. Anyway, this column will probably be a big jangly, for those reasons and the other deeper problems those reasons symbolize. You have been warned? Or something. Whatever. Jangly jangly jangly…
Every week, Comics! The Blog goes through the list of new releases and we tell you which comics to plug into your mind hole. Your mileage may vary.
Every week, Comics! The Blog goes through the list of new releases and we tell you which comics to plug into your mind hole. Your mileage may vary.
BATMAN: LI’L GOTHAM #1 (DC Comics)
Continuing their initiative of great digital-first/only comics, today DC releases a great little series that will be incredibly easy to miss if you don’t pay attention to digital comics, and with this one, that would be a damn shame. Batman: Li’l Gotham has a lot of great things in its corner:
(a) A top-notch creative team, with writer/artist Dustin Nguyen joined by Derek Fridolfs as co-writer. Nguyen is often known best for his dark, moody art, but here he sets that aside to use a very different style - let’s call it watercolour-chibi - to evoke an entirely different mood;
(2) It’s all-ages! A lot of the Bat books, even when they’re amazing, often take on a lot of the more adult themes of the character’s world, and as a result, kids and fun-lovers of any age can get left in the lurch. With this series, there’s no risk of that; Nguyen‘s great sense of character meshes with his unique style combine to tell a story anyone can love, and that’s basically the whole point of comics;
(#) It’s got a great concept behind it! Every month, the book will feature a story around the month’s major holiday. The rest of the year will see Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed issues, but this month it’s Halloween in Gotham, and Damian Wayne has to learn the true meaning of the holiday (candy!) while trying to tell the difference between villains and kids in costume as monsters and villains! I anticipate adorable violence.
BEDLAM #1 (Image Comics)
Nick Spencer is best known for his combination of action and mystery in series like Morning Glories and Thief of Thieves. Riley Rossmo is known for his visceral, frequently terrifying art in series like Green Wake and Rebel Blood. Today, a new series arrives from the pair: Bedlam.
Bedlam is all about Fillmore Press. A long time ago, Press was known by the name Madder Red, and he was a criminal and murderer who terrified and abused the town of Bedlam for years. We’re told he got better. We’ll see, I guess; Bedlam is about what happens next.
Spencer is a master of elevator pitches that bring in readers but don’t give much of anything away. His “Runaways-meets-Lost” description of Morning Glories assured a lot of curiosity before the series’ intrigues made them devoted fans. Bedlam will no doubt be no different. We know enough to expect violence and mystery. Who knows what that will actually turn out to be, but with Spencer, we can be sure it will be good. Similarly, Riley Rossmo is one of the most unique artists in comics, and his style is incredibly-well suited for a series like Bedlam; he’s one of the best artists around at conveying fear and uncertainty on a page, but he never sacrifices the humanity behind it all. Rebel Blood was so effective not just because of how well his loose, violent lines looked when showing gore, but because he could tell a scene of longing and despair on the next page. Horror works best when the storytellers don’t lose sight of its characters’ emotions and what drives their fear deep down. Good horror lets you identify with characters so that their dread bleeds off the page, and from the looks of it, Bedlam will thrill you even as it unsettles you for an hour after you finish reading it.
COW BOY: HALLOW’S (Archaia Entertainment)
Earlier this year, Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos released Cow Boy, the first installment in their series about a young boy on the frontier hunting down his ne’er-do-well family members. It was a mixture of humour and deep emotion that would be incredible for any comic, let alone one that’s perfect for people of any age. It’s rare to find a book with the same delicate touch to somberness and regret, but Cow Boy did it, and today, we get more.
Cow Boy: Hallow’s is a mini-comic continuing Boyd Linney’s story, designed as a special treat for shops to hand out to trick-or-treaters - or, in my case, twenty-seven year-old aspiring writers who think dressing up in a baseball jersey they already own counts as a costume. It’s a complete story about Boyd facing off against Billy the Kid (!) and not only is it great for anyone as bait to get them hooked, it’s sweet salve for those of us eagerly anticipating any new material in that world or our Artists’ Editions to arrive in the mail. It’s a slice of Free Comic Book Day in October and it’s just what we all need. Cow Boy is peerless and this is just another notch in Cosby and Eliopoulos‘ belts.
Plus, did I mention it’s free? You literally have no reason not to make yourself happy.
JOE KUBERT PRESENTS #1 (DC Comics)
Earlier this year, the comics industry lost one of its titans. Joe Kubert wasn’t just a revolutionary artist, but the founder of a school for cartooning, comics and graphic art that has influenced generations of creators since. DC is justifiably paying tribute to the man, and Joe Kubert #1 is the first issue, featuring art by the man himself and some newer artists. 48 pages for $4.99 and a great way to remember one of the industry’s most defining talents.
WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #19 (Marvel Comics)
Well, uh… let’s all have some fun times in comics’ happiest series?
For those not in the know, Wolverine and the X-Men‘s previous issue, #18, ended with a big, violent shock, even though most of the cast remained oblivious. That was Jason Aaron‘s way of ending his series’ first year, and it left people… upset. There may have been some words and some tears. At least one reader asked us why Aaron hates us. It was intense.
It’s also the mark of a great series that people can feel so emotional over a character they only met a year ago, in a series that had a lot of humour and lighter moments. With that fierce fanbase still reeling from the cliffhanger, Issue #19 arrives this week to usher in the next year for the Jean Grey School. New teachers. New students. Laughs and tears. Let’s do this.
And for god’s sake, buy CAPTAIN MARVEL #6 and the final issue of THE MIGHTY THOR!
These are five of the many great books being released this week! You can find the full list of comics being released here. If you have any other recommendations, let us know in the comments below.
It’s a special Free Comic Book Day edition of our weekly look at the best comics of last week! Aren’t you lucky?
It’s okay if you’re not.
ATOMIC ROBITS AND THE DINOSAUR TIME TRAVELERS THAT DESPISE THEM, THIS WEEK ON MAURY
Remember Maury? I was pretty sure I murdered that dude, but then I went to Wikipedia and found out that he’s still on the air talking. Maybe as a ghost? Like some kind of syndicated television Ghost Dad.
I’m getting off track here.
Since its inception, Red 5 Comics (stationed in Calgary, Alberta) have been producing some of best comics the industry has to offer - and their yearly Free Comic Book Day selection never fails to showcase just how wonderful their library is. As always, this year’s comic was headlined by Atomic Robo, the series of theirs that has really taken off and become an indie comic darling - and for good reason. Brian Clevenger and Scott Wegener always hit their stories out of the park, both in these smaller offerings, and in the longer form Robo minis that hit the comic book stands for cash dollars.
In this offering, we saw the return of Doctor Dinosaur, a dubious scientist with supposed time traveling qualities, but oddly not in the capacity of a villain. Yes, the good (?) doctor is teaming up with Robo to save reality itself before its torn asunder, and the results are hilarious and awesome.
Backing up the Robo tale was the long awaited return of Neozoic - a neat Land of the Lost style series that was part of the Red 5 launch years ago. Its inclusion is nice, as it brings with it the promise of more of the lush looking series. And to round things out, there’s some Bonnie Lass, which was beguiling enough to me to set the gears in motion to acquire the whole series.
All in all, this means we’ll be awarding Atomic Robo and Friends the Science is a Verb Now Award for being rad as hell. (And hey, if you didn’t get a chance to read it, don’t worry! Red 5 will have it all on the internet for free by the end of the month.)(B)
THE KARATE CARTRIDGE
I have not exactly made a secret of the fact that I love Adventure Time. Why I love Free Comic Book Day should be pretty self-explanatory. However, there is a pretty great, extra reason why the Adventure Time FCBD book from Kaboom! made me as happy as it did: this is a comic where a talking video game console learns martial arts. And man, isn’t that basically the greatest thing for kids age 8 to 80?
What’s great about this issue is that it’s the perfect medium-sized chunk of material. It’s new, so it will still interest existing readers of the series (don’t get me wrong, either: I’m not against FCBD material that’s reprinted; it serves a great purpose to snag new readers) and it’s accessible to new ones. It does this, of course, through a comic where a talking video game console learns martial arts. Just let that sink in again. It also teaches the art of battle burn smack talk to a human, princess made of gum and a talking magical dog, so it’s pretty much the definition of insane baller status.
This is a comic that is bright, smart and above all else, entertaining. It’s suitable for all ages. It even includes some of the indie comic creators’ backup pieces from full issues of Adventure Time, just to share bit of extra love. Plus, there’s also a bunch of Peanuts material on the other side of the comic, reminding everyone that:
(a) Charles Shultz was pretty much the best.
(2) The Peanuts comic Kaboom! is putting out is shockingly good.
For its combination of new material, classic material, indie material and sheer enthusiasm for the subject matter and the medium, the Adventure Time/Peanuts FCBD comic is hereby awarded the Battle Burn Notice Award. (J)
The clear winner of this year’s Free Comic Book Day won’t come to a surprise for those who got to shops early enough to nab a copy:
Archaia took on all comers by offering a damn hardcover book for their FCBD offering. And not only did they probably eat monster costs on this book (retailers only had to pay a few CENTS more to nab this volume in comparison to all others) but they put forth a bevy of the best stories you could hope for. The anchor, as always, was their fantastic Mouse Guard series, in which creator David Paterson dropped a story that was both a nice introduction to the world, but left you hungry for more, just as a FCBD offering should. There were also a bevy of other swanky tales, but none so rad as Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopolous’ Cow Boy, which really stole the whole show. While each offering in this 48 page book were great all ages tales, Cow Boy really brought the magic, and showed just how amazing comics can be - which is saying something, when you share a book with Mouse Gaurd.
All said, if you missed the book… well, I guess you missed it. Not sure if and when any of these stories will see print again, but if you stumble across a copy, definitely read it. You’ll find yourself falling in love with comics all over again.(B)
This is Comics! The Blog. We now commence our broadcast week.
Every week, Comics! The Blog goes through the list of new releases and we tell you which comics to plug into your mind hole. Your mileage may vary.
OPTIC NERVE #12 (Drawn and Quarterly)
The New DC whatnow? Look, I’m just as excited about the relaunch as anyone, but the real star of this week will be the long awaited return of Optic Nerve! Adrian Tomine’s series about irregular, everyday life has always had an erratic shipping schedule, but it’s been a rough go waiting for this one to hit since the last one arrived in early 2007. This time around, Tomine returns to the “multiple short stories” format that appeared in the first four Drawn and Quarterly issues, and brings a splash of colour to the mix - a first for Optic Nerve.
If you’re a fan of awkward slice of life stories with a touch of dark humour, definitely try and pick this book up along with your other selections this week.
BATWOMAN #1 (DC Comics)
Another book that’s been a long time coming - but again, for the kind of art we’ll be seeing, the wait will be more than worth it. After a brief run in the pages of Detective Comics, Batwoman has been kept in the background, in preparation for this series, which has seen a few delays - the first due to some deadline issues, and the second due to this new launch. In the end, it’s all going to be worth it, because a lot of new eyes will be on the book and the art will look gorgeous. Here’s hoping the book will stick around for a few years.
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1 (Marvel Comics)
Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can. Those are the requirements, right? Well, sort of? Granted the most important thing to get right about Spider-Man is the whole “with great power, comes great responsibility” thing, and even though he’s appeared for just a handful of pages, the new Spider-Man Miles Morales seems to be more than up for the job. He has great power, and he’s using it responsibly. Really, isn’t that all we should ask? This week, his stories begin, and I really can’t be more excited. I want to see how the whole Spider-Man thing works for someone given a bit of different circumstances. Really anything can happen from this point. Anything. There are stories that have never been told, and what’s more, there isn’t even expecation from different characters because… well, they’re new. They’re different. Let’s see where they take us.
Nate Cosby returns to comics with a book that looks like The Losers meets communism! If I lost you on any part of that sentence, we can no longer be friends. Because seriously? Everything about that should sound amazing to you. Nate Cosby was the editor that gave us Thor: The Mighty Avenger. He’s the guy that pioneered some amazing looking recap pages. He is responsible for all the radical sound effects in the pages of Incredible Hercules. He is a guy who gets it, and when he announced he was leaving Marvel last year, I was fairly crushed. But he’s got a few things coming up that sound amazing, like this book (co-written by Ben McCool). It’s got an awesome concept. It’s got a cover by Jock. And it’s going to be rad. Get it.
MARK TWAIN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY (1910-2010) HC (Fantagraphics)
What, you thought Mark Twain was dead? Feh! Shows what you know. Turns out, he’s just been off having awesome adventures and he’s given these memories to Michael Kupperman to adapt into a graphic novel. Yes, the guy responsible for Snake n’ Bacon and the adventures of Edison and Twain (the last of which involved a space ship with a basement that was a haunted house). What’s not to love here?
These are just five of the many great books being released this week! You can find the full list of comics being released here. If you have any other recommendations, let us know in the comments below.