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Best Books of the Spring

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by ScottNerd in Top 5 Books of the Month

≈ 1 Comment

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A Christmas Carol, Alan Moore, Ales Kot, Allen Ginsberg, Ant-Man, Archie, Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw, Avatar, Benjamin Dewey, Black Mask, BOOM!, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Chris Peterson, Crash, Curt Pires, Dan Slott, Downton Abbey, Eddie Campbell, Erica Henderson, From Hell, Garth, Giant Days, God Hates Astronauts, H.P. Lovecraft, Howard Chaykin, Ian Betram, Image, Jacen Burrows, Jeff Lemire, John Allison, Jordie Bellaire, Juan Rodriguex, Kaptara, Kurt Busiek, Lissa Treiman, Marvel, Material, Matt Fraction, Mayday, Mike Allred, Nick Spencer, Ommegang Abbey Ale, Penn State, Pete Toms, Providence, Robert Hack, Ryan North, Satellite Sam, Silver Surfer, Stathis Tsemberlidis, The Crucible, The Shining, the unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Tomas Aira, War Stories, Watchmen, Will Tempest, William S. Burroughs, zero

Summer is in full swing! As you lather up the sunscreen, fill the cooler with your beverage of choice (Ommegang Abbey Ale for me, thanks) and break out your thongs (sandals or otherwise, hey, we don’t judge) we present a list of recent comics that are well worth tracking down for your seaside, margarita-sipping, swimsuit-watching summer reading. Enjoy!

Top 5 Books of March

5. Giant Days #1 (BOOM!): OK, so, about 25 years or so ago, I made my way to The Pennsylvania State University, University Park campus; got settled in on the 4th floor of Pinchot Hall, a 10-storey sausage factory; cycled through a few roommates–smokers, snorers, and  psychopaths–during my two years on campus; fell in with a group of dorks who’d be my best buds for four blurry years; and all together, as fun as I think it was–as I remember it was–it was nothing like John Allison and Lissa Treiman’s irrepressibly jocular Giant Days #1.  Maybe that’s why I loved it so much.  Co-ed Musketeers–Daisy, Esther, and Susan–are the hyperbolically dramatic center of this university; and hilarity revolves around them in effortless ellipses, much to our benefit.  So good that I can confidently quote McGraw, the mustachioed hate interest, as I consider what the future holds for Giant Days and, fearing a sophomore slump, threaten the creators of this tasty treat: “Nothing you can do can spoil gravy for me.” (SC)

Giant Days #1

Giant Days #1

4. Autumnlands #5 (Image): Fantasy books are all about world-building. No comic in recent memory has presented a realm so fully realized as Autumnlands. Credit goes equally to writer Kurt Busiek (no stranger to this kind of thing – see Astro City) and artist Benjamin Dewey, whose lush style seems to belong to another era (it doesn’t hurt, of course, that it’s being colored by the omnipresent Jordie Bellaire, who I’m convinced at this point must be some sort of collective of robot artists). Floating cities, magical lore, calcified social strata, layer upon layer intertwine into a cohesive whole. Impressively, one doesn’t hear the awkard, behind-the-scenes clanging of this universe’s construction; rather, it’s as if it has always been there. It is merely our happy fortune to discover it, and get lost in it. Higher praise for a fantasy tale I can scarcely think of. (DM)

The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw #5

The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw #5

3. Ant-Man #3 (Marvel): I can’t even with this book. It is just too funny. I literally (and I mean that in the literal sense) have to keep putting it down because I’m laughing so hard. Literally! Nick Spencer is a comic (and I mean that in the comic sense) genius. Here’s your blurb: “The hero may be small, but the laughs are BIG!” (DM)

Ant-Man #3

Ant-Man #3

2. Silver Surfer #10 (Marvel): Dan Slott and Mike Allred are producing the definitive run of this classic character. They spent most of the first year bringing the fun, with story after story teeming with imagination and wit. But with the Silver Surfer, the piper must always be payed. They tackle the central pathos of the character head on: how can a being who played a role in the deaths of untold millions ever be redeemed? The story they come up with is so simple, so perfectly elegant, that I almost can’t believe no one’s thought of it before. Everyone knows that superhero stories from the Big Two are ‘never-ending’. That’s a shame, because this issue would serve as the perfect coda not just for this series, but for the journey that Norrin Radd has been on since Fantastic Four #48, all those decades ago. Beautiful. (DM)

Silver Surfer #10

Silver Surfer #10

1. Zero #15 (Image): The Jeff Lemire variant queries innocently enough, “What is Zero?” Answers inspired by fourteen issues of Ales Kot’s crazy, crazy calculus: Soldier.  Spy.  Hero.  Killer.  Storyteller.  Everything.  Nothing.  Open up the book, open mind, as always, as necessary with this schizophrenic series, ask again: Who is Zero?  Answer inspired by page one, panel one: I have no effing idea! <–I borrowed an exclamation point; don’t think it’ll be missed.  Kot unexpectedly offers up a figure who’s furiously fingering a typewriter and, in doing so, adds a literary layer, making the book more than Zero.  He’s gone meta, forging unforeseen relationships, crafting, out of the story thus far, a psych-session confession and a catharsis-in-progress.  This stunning thing with its wild spirit sees Kot exploiting his poetic proclivities: his words build images that build upon artist Ian Bertram’s images and affecting layouts: it’s a conscious stream of Ginsberg and guns, fathers and sons, drugs and drugs–all of it burrowing into the brain like a drunk bullet.  Stories don’t get more tragic than William S. Burroughs’, and Kot’s made magic by borrowing it–as if you couldn’t tell.

Zero #15

Zero #15

The Biggest Dis(appointment): Descender  #1 (Image)

Descender is the perfect title for this highly anticipated offering from the frustratingly inconsistent Jeff Lemire: the book, which starts off well enough, descends quickly–and dizzyingly so–to robotic schmaltz, lowlighted by the insultingly saccharine introduction of Tim-21, which bored a hole nerve-deep in my otherwise pretty resilient sweet tooth.  Anyone know a good dentist?  (SC)

Descender #1

Descender #1

 

Top 5 Books of April

5. the unbeatable Squirrel Girl #4 (Marvel): There’s a long-overdue resurgence taking place in monthly comics that are putting the ‘funny’ back in ‘funny books’. We’ve been trumpeting the aforementioned Ant-Man for a while now; add to that the likes of God Hates Astronauts, Kaptara, and East of West (ok, maybe not that last one). Enter: Squirrel Girl. Ryan North (fresh of his excellent, award-winning run on Adventure Time) and artist Erica Henderson have already established a quirky charmer through three issues. Well the fourth installment is, simply put, the funniest single comic I’ve read all year. Most books are lucky to get a chuckle; this one had me laughing out loud five times before I was even that many number of pages in (I’m laughing now, just remembering them). Or maybe I should just put it this way: Squirrel Girl Vs. Galactus. Nuts Said. (DM)

the unbeatable Squirrel Girl #4

the unbeatable Squirrel Girl #4

4. Mayday #1 (Black Mask): Curt Pires pops for real with this frenetic filet o’ film–one that drops some noms de cinéma (Kaufman, Lynch, and Bay) and goes to effing guerre with them.  Oh, yeah, man: it’s a wild ride that reads like a regiment of lines on a mirror meant to be snorted with the eyes and sorted out with a muddied mind.  Re: minds: Pires, paired with the more than competent Chris Peterson, sells a story that, in terms of comics, is “sort of like” Matt Fraction channeled through Ales Kot with Tyler Jenkins and Michael Walsh trying to one-up one another from one panel to the next.  Mayday #1 will leave you questioning your life choices–especially if most of them have sucked.  But you will not question your choice to pick it up–even if it is “just one big blur”; nor will you question whether or not you should pick up #2.  I mean, Kleio and Terrence have “just murdered two dudes.”  You totally don’t want them to come after you. (SC)

Mayday #1

Mayday #1

3. War Stories #8 (Avatar): Sounds like a given: Part 2 of “The Last German Winter” hits the mark with this icy mid-arc march through moral relativism; but let’s be honest: there’s nothing easy–nothing safe–about it.  I mean, who can take a Nazi, humanize his ass, then make you wonder all along when hell will come to pass?  Only Garth Ennis can.  Only Garth Ennis can.  (No, you’re not imagining things: go back and hum the tune as you read–heck, sing it out loud, you Sammy wannabe!)  He crafts a German hero–Gerhard the Gallant–who, considering the situation, is easy to root for; but we know better, don’t we?  Don’t we?  Just in case, Ennis reminds us, elbows us to make sure we’re paying attention; oh, but then he nudges us–so vulnerable to his charms–right back to where he wants us–seeing the man, not seeing the monster–thanks mostly to his narrative voice, the vulnerable Rachel Kohler, and to the portrayal of the even more monstrous Russians, their evil punctuated by an horrific splash from Tomas Aira.  The execution is near Nabokovian!  (No, you’re not imagining things: go back and Hum.)  Now that, dear reader, is a war story! (SC)

War Stories #8

War Stories #8

2. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #2 (Archie Horror): Was a long time coming–so long that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa offered up an apology to kick off the letter page!–but this second issue of Sabrina, which introduces with verve the vengeful and irredeemably evil Madam Satan, was well worth the wait.  The aforementioned writer–who not only sets a scene, he sets it on fire with his precise imagery–and artist Robert Hack, whose retro style is equal parts pillowy soft and boldly bloody, own the tone of this witches’ brew, which is bubbling over with literary allusions.  It’s campy; it’s creepy; it’s killer, kids! (SC)

 

Sabrina #2

Sabrina #2

1. Silver Surfer #11 (Marvel): Dan Slott and Mike Allred follow up the powerhouse of issue 10 with a comic that is as formalistically daring as it is emotionally satisfying. Surfer and Co. are trapped in a time loop and the question becomes not only whether they’ll escape, but whether they’ll even realize it at all. A graphic illustration of Free Will versus Determinism, a metaphor for the repetitive cycle of our everyday experience, a tale of love, forgiveness and redemption; this issue delivers all three in a thrilling marriage of form and content. I maintain that issue 10 would have provided an excellent ending to this wonderful series. But I’m glad it didn’t. (DM)

Silver Surfer #11

Silver Surfer #11

 

Top 5 Books of May

5. Zero #16 (Image): Collective unconscious, the inevitability of change, the destiny of DNA, the life sentence that is guilt–Zero‘s certainly much more than its title insists.  It’s a proving ground, of sorts; it’s Ales Kot’s firing range of ideas: it’s rhyme-free reason; it’s a game of William Tell: Kot himself is the tortured William S. Burroughs, and we’re the trusting Joan Burroughs, with an apple of expectations balanced precariously on our head.  Too.  Tempting.  BANG!  Somehow this experimental spy story became an experiment in layers deep meta-fiction; and, despite the jarring shift, the result is nothing short of spore-born brilliance.  Wherever this crazy thing ends up, rest assured, Ales Kot will not fail us–but he’ll sure as hell phallus, as evidenced by Tom Muller and Stathis Tsemberlidis’s cocky cover, which, in turn, is further proof of an air of youthful arrogance in Kot’s work, especially here in Zero.  I’m more than happy to breathe it in for as long as it lasts.  (SC)

Zero #16

Zero #16

4. Afterlife with Archie #8 (Archie Horror): Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla continue to add to their modern horror mash-up by seamlessly incorporating elements that you didn’t even know you wanted; everything from The Shining to The Crucible, even A Christmas Carol. The result is rich tapestry that continues to add texture to the story, a mix that acknowledges the high-points in the history of horror through the unlikeliest of lenses. (DM)

Afterlife With Archie #8

Afterlife With Archie #8

3. Mind MGMT #33 (Image): The ultimate showdown’s coming, but there’s no sign of a slowdown–even as Matt Kindt slows things down to foster a touching family reunion, one that frames Team Meru’s Soldiers of Fortune Cookies and their receiving and executing–with stunning efficiency–their munching–er, marching orders.  The decidedly deliberate issue ends with a Dalicious splash that promises a wild time.  With the end of the series so near, I’m excited, I’m anxious; but, no, Pipe Kid, I’m not ready–and I’m as not ready as I’m ever going to be.  (SC)

Mind MGMT #33

Mind MGMT #33

2. Providence #1 (Avatar): Avatar’s publicity department has been describing this new series by Alan Moore as “The Watchmen of horror”. But the story from Moore’s oeuvre that it more readily calls to mind is From Hell (an even more impressive achievement to this reviewer’s mind). FH brilliantly examined the underlying brutality of patriarchal hegemony through the lens of Victorian England, using the Whitechapel murders as a vehicle. Providence promises to delve into the repressed corners of American society of the past century using the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft (a passion of Moore’s for some time now) as a framework. Moore explores the Jungian implications of Lovecraft’s mythos (underlying realities masked by our limited human perception) by using them as a metaphor for aspects of the American experience that needed to remain hidden, given the times (in this case, “the love that dare not speak its name”). Yes, there is much to unpack here. Yet for all that,  this first issue is a master’s class in restrained, subtle storytelling. The deliberate pacing, the seemingly minor details that gain importance as the issue progresses, the symmetry of the opening and closing segments; Moore’s assured control of the material, when he’s on, has never been matched by another comic book writer. To say nothing of the insane amount of research that is woven throughout. Which brings us to the art. Here another comparison to FH is apt: Eddie Campbell’s nonpareil art in that tome had a scratchy looseness, a sketchy immediacy that pulled the modern reader with its irrepressible energy, despite the period setting. Here, Jacen Burrows takes the opposite approach: meticulously rendered, exhaustive research evident in every carefully placed line. The effect is polished, subdued and certainly visually impressive, but with a formal stiffness akin to watching an episode of Downton Abbey. And yet this is reflective of Moore’s otherworldly precision. Ultimately, the hyperbole of comparing this new series to the well-known Watchmen is needless. This first issue promises an epic Alan Moore tale to match or exceed, in scope, ambition and execution, anything he’s previously produced. That alone should suffice. (DM)

Providence #1

Providence #1

1. Material #1 (Image): With Material, Ales Kot’s has found his forum, the perfect space for him to keep pace with the injustices of the world.  No matter how desperate or disparate, they have a home here; and God knows he’ll never want for material as long as he never casts off the lenses–the perspective-altering critical approaches to analyzing, well, everything so relied upon by campus comrades, the arrogant academicians and their lecture-hall spawn–that help him to see the Ugly Spirit* in, well, everything.  Despite the pessimism that pervades the four narratives, which may or may not Crash into each other at some point, what Kot’s come up with–in tandem with the ironically-named Will Tempest–is beautiful.  He asserts that there’s hope in moments, in connections, and what better way to convey that point than with a comic book!  Holding its pages open is like holding hands with Kot himself as he leads the march toward enlightenment–toward Utopia.  And even if that march is born of naÏveté, it’s fueled by honesty, by brashness; and in the context of this comic, it’s something I want to follow.

*See Zero to see Burroughs to see that Kot’s got the Spirit–yes he does! (SC)

 

Material #1

Material #1

Biggest Dis(appointment)(April/May): Convergence/Secret Wars (DC/Marvel) – A bunch of heroes and villains from various alternate universes battle it out on a patchwork planet in a Secret Crisis of Ultimate Infinite blahblahblah. Yes, I’ve just described the plot of both summer blockbuster crossovers from the Big Two. In the cynical cycle of endless Events, this has to be a new low. I don’t know who’s guiltier: the company that seemingly pilfered the other’s concept, or the company that came up with such an awful idea to begin with. (DM)

Convergeance #1

Convergeance #1

Secret Wars #1

Secret Wars #1

Turning pages,

Derek & Scott

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What’s I&N Store (5/6)

06 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by ScottNerd in What's I&N Store?

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Afterlife With Archie, Ales Kot, Alex De Campi, Ant-Man, Arcadia, Archie Horror, Black Mask, BOOM!, Dark Horse, Francesco Francavilla, Image, Marvel, Nick Spencer, No Mercy, Roberto Aguirre Sacasa, Scooby-Doo, We Can Never Go Home, zero

These are the books I will use to recover from the stress–and ultimate release of the same–of the week–stress months in the making–which will peak, appropriately enough, on Thank-God-It’s-Wednesday.

  • Neverboy #3 (Dark Horse)
  • No Mercy #2 (Image): I&N Demand With #1, Alex De Campi and Carla Speed McNeil have proven there’s no such thing as “too much Magic Bus.”  What a surprise!  I’ll not be caught off guard again.
No Mercy #2

No Mercy #2

  • The Wicked & The Divine #10 (Image)
  • Zero #16 (Image): I&N Demand #15 was pretty effing brilliant.  It’s the kind of queer, out-of-nowhere story that burrows into your brain like an ill-advised bullet.  So, so good.  Oh yeah, it gave me a raging–well, it gave me a raging cover to #16.
Zero #16

Zero #16

  • Ant-Man #5 (Marvel): I&N Demand Ant-Man: it’s more than a cheap movie tie-in, that’s for sure.  It’s a book with a big funny bone and an even bigger heart.  Nick Spencer’s found the perfect outlet in a seemingly irrelevant title–one that’d be easily overlooked, if not for our magnifying its unanticipated brilliance.  Puns and self-aggrandizement completely intended.
Ant-Man #5

Ant-Man #5

  • Secret Wars #1 (Marvel)
  • Afterlife With Archie #8 (Archie Horror): I&N Demand A stunning Archievement!  It’s a book fueled by the comfy couch of nostalgia–a book that drives you to the edge of your seat by burning the cushions, the fire started by exuberantly rubbing Riverdale-related expectations together.  And zombies.
Afterlife With Archie #8

Afterlife With Archie #8

  • Arcadia #1 (BOOM!) Just I&N Sounds Matrix-y.  I’m down.
Arcadia #1

Arcadia #1

  • Dead Drop #1 (Valiant)
  • Rachel Rising #33 (Abstract Studio)
  • Über #24 (Avatar)
  • We Can Never Go Home #2 (Black Mask) I&N Demand #1 was really, really great.  I know, right?  Who knew?  That’s why we try ’em, folks.  Reminds of the solid They’re Not Like Us (Image), which is, ironically, still looking for its voice; and brings to mind the villainously heroic Dry Spell, which we just so happened to celebrate as our #3 book of 2014.  Super-high praise for an out-of-nowhere title, no?  If you missed it, don’t fret: Black Mask delivered a second printing this week.  It may be that you can never go home, but luckily you can always go to your local comic shop.  Do yourself a favor: grab that and this.  
We Can Never Go Home #2

We Can Never Go Home #2

Avery’s Picks of the Week

  • Scooby-Doo Team-Up #10 (DC): Of all the books I’ve bought Avery over the past couple of years, it’s the Scooby-Doo titles that reign as the most reread.  Ruh-ray!
Scooby-Doo Team-Up #10

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #10

  • Feathers #5 (BOOM!)

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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Top 5 Books of February

11 Saturday Apr 2015

Posted by ScottNerd in Top 5 Books of the Month

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Ant-Man, Brian Wood, Dan Slott, Dark Horse, David Lapham, Dean Motter, Edgar Allan Poe, Greg Smallwood, Howard Chaykin, Image, Jordan Boyd, Marvel, Matt Fraction, Mike Allred, Mister X: Eviction, Mister X: Razed, Moon Knight, Nick Spencer, O. Henry, Radiant City, Ramon Rosanas, Satellite Sam, Silver Surfer, Spanish Scott, Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses

For all of you keeping score, here it is: our Top 5 Books of February!

5. Satellite Sam #11 (Image): Waking life–and death!  Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin are as masterful as ever as alarm bells go off, eyes open, and metaphors deliver their lines with ironic conviction.  This thickly-themed and perfectly-timed issue sees the largely unlikable ensemble cast dissembled and reassembled, self-serving agendas selflessly serving as the common thread that binds the lot together on this very, very good morning. (SC)

Satellite Sam #11

Satellite Sam #11

4. Ant-Man #2 (Marvel): How did this book, easily dismissed as a cynical corporate media tie-in, make it into our bag, much less our hallowed Top 5? Well, one could mention the appealing heart in a story about a down-on-his-luck divorced father who’s willing to do anything to be near his daughter. Or one could point to the clean, appealing art by Ramon Rosanas and Jordan Boyd. All true, but what separates this book from the congested, middle of the road superhero pack is that it is so. Damn. Funny. We mean it folks: not LOL funny, but quite literally Laugh-Out-Loud funny. People on the train giving me strange looks as I’m guffawing at a freaking comic book funny. Any comic, hell anything, that can engender such a visceral reaction is aces in my book. So let’s just come out and say it: Nick Spencer is the funniest writer working in funny books today. (DM)

Ant-Man #2

Ant-Man #2

3. Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #1 (Image): With a sly “Hi,” David Lapham welcomes us back to the next round of Bullets: a lone gunman–a coldly fetching Kretchmeyer–is hunted down by series vet, the brooding Spanish Scott, a calculating killer himself, who is, let’s be honest, more siesta than fiesta.  Scott’s lethargic inevitability–you know, like death itself–is integral to the development of the issue-spanning tension, especially as it mirrors the dangerously direct and determined Kretchmeyer’s own semisomnambulistic nature.  Lapham brings the two together, guns drawn, in an unforgettable–and emphatically phallic–panel that finds Beth, one seriously distressed damsel, an extremely interested party who quite literally doesn’t want to lose her head.  Yeah, it’s vintage Stray Bullets, folks: it’s fun; it’s violent, and it’s tight–it’s “another [effing] hole-in-one.” (SC)

Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #1

Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #1

2. Silver Surfer #9 (Marvel): The little engine that could.  The ant with high apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes.  Buster Douglas.  Life.   Yeah, we’ve got a thing for the underdog; it’s hardwired; heck, it’s about survival–our own survival that we fight for vicariously through whatever odds-against scenario we’re privy to in the moment.  That’s what makes this issue of Silver Surfer so affective–so blisteringly painful.  Dan Slott and Mike Allred do more than just continue the brilliant course set in #8, our #2 book of January; they ride it to greater emotional heights, selling the Surfer’s inspirational effort of “surfing the moon,” only to–in the blast of an eye–reveal the tack’s ultimate value: none.  Yeah, seems Galactus is no Goliath, and the Surfer–stripped of the power cosmic–is the Surfer no more.  But his defeat doesn’t leave us feeling defeated.  Oh, no it doesn’t.  Despite the bleak ending–maybe because of the bleak ending–we’re built up even more; we’re even more defiant, more hopeful.  See: hope is our heroin, and thanks to the low note struck at the end, we are super high and primed for the return of our hero in a month’s time–primed for victory–because the little guy always wins–right? (SC)

Silver Surfer #9

Silver Surfer #9

1. Mister X: Razed #1 (Dark Horse): We honored Dean Motter’s previous installment Mister X: Eviction with the 2014 Innie Award for Best Limited Series. So expectations were high for his new collection. Well, we’re happy to report those expectations have been met and surpassed. In a book that already wears such stylish influences as Will Eisner and Fritz Lang, this issue boasts a gorgeous ensemble of O. Henry with just a dash of Edgar Allan Poe (in the undergarments) to weave a seamless, pulpy dream. You won’t find a better looking (or reading) book this season!

Seriously, Motter has spent years building up the fantastic, darkly surreal playground that is Radiant City. Now we get the supreme pleasure of just sitting back and watching the master play. (DM)

Mister X: Razed #1

Mister X: Razed #1

Biggest Dis(appointment): Moon Knight #12 (Marvel) – Brian Wood takes a fascinating, morally fraught premise – Khnoshu abandons Marc Spector and bestows the mantle of Moon Knight on someone who’s willing to murder a head of state for his past crimes against humanity – and ends it with a cop out. Spoiler alert! Turns out the new Moon Knight was just after his money! A weak ending that invalidates a riveting, timely premise. A true let-down. (DM)

Moon Knight #12

Moon Knight #12

Turning pages,

Scott & Derek

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What’s I&N Store (4/8)

08 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by ScottNerd in What's I&N Store?

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Ales Kot, All-New Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Astro City, BOOM!, Brent Eric Anderson, Brian K. Vaughan, Brian Wood, Chris Burnham, Convergence, Coppperhead, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Descender, Dustin Nguyen, Evil Empire, Fiona Staples, Grant Morrison, IDW, Image, Jay Faerber, Jeff Lemire, Kurt Busiek, Marvel, Matt Fraction, Max Bemis, My Little Pony: Fiendship Is Magic, Nameless, Nick Spencer, ODY-C, Ramon Perez, Rebels, Saga, Scooby Doo Where Are You?, Scott Lobdell, The Surface, Vertigo, Victor Santos, zero

Here’s What’s I&N Store: The Spring Break Edition.  It’s a lot like the MTV Spring Break shows of the late-’80s, just without the alcohol and the butt floss.

OK, so it’s nothing like the MTV Spring Break shows of the ’80s.

  • Rebels #1 (Dark Horse):  Just I&N and I&N Demand I’m grabbing this one and I’m grabbing it fast!  How fast?  Howard Fast–that how fast.  Man.  That’s pretty damn fast.  It’s not as fast as I’d like, though.  See: my guy doesn’t open until Noon.  So, instead of picking up my book on a fine April morning, I’ll be picking it up in the afternoon.  Hey: either way, it works for me.  I’m just excited to get something original from Brian Wood, one of our favorite writers.  In fact, his recently completed Dark Horse series earned the #5 spot in our Top Ten of 2014.  But this–this–may be an even more massive undertaking.  There’s a Revolution calling–and I’m picking up.  Fast.
Rebels #1

Rebels #1

  • Astro City #22 (DC/Vertigo): You know, it’s funny: I didn’t care for the Quarrel arc at all until, wouldn’t you know, “The End of the Trail.”  #21 hit some decent notes, including the all-in, action-packed opening and the honesty that fueled the resolution.  But as someone who has been critical of the arc, I found the final page the most honest bit of writing that Busiek has done outside of The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw lo these last several months.  I know, I know: I’m hearing what I want to hear; but, come on, it’s pretty remarkable that Samaritan says, “There’s got to be a better way than this.  We’re losing people we shouldn’t lose.”  Um, yeah!  Hello!  “Good hearts, good minds.”  My heart!  My mind!  “There’s got to be a fix”–yes, indeed!  “We can’t leave it like this…”  Mr. Busiek, I suspect you won’t.  That’s why I’m willing to stick around.  Good talk, by the way.
  • Convergence #1 (DC): Ouch.  Dan Jurgen’s super-redundant #0 left me feeling super-loopy; it left me feeling like I want to be left out of the latest reboot loop.  Are we kicking things off in the Bizarro world or something?  Because I can’t imagine that Scott Lobdell’s name is much of a selling point nowadays.  I guess if your plan is to destroy the Universe as we know it…
  • Copperhead #6 (Image): Copperhead started off really, really well.  Then it became, well, pretty run-of-the-mill.  Hey, I get it: it’s tough to keep the magic going.  Correspondingly, it gets tougher to keep the money flowing.
  • Descender #2 (Image): Look: #1 was OK.  It was familiar and cheesy and did what it needed to do for a first issue.  But it wasn’t the big book that many of the review sites built it up to be.  Gotta give my man Derek props for his prediction, which may or may not play out: he expects Descender to play out a lot like Sweet Tooth, which I haven’t read.  I do know, however, that Lemire’s not afraid to lean on stuff he’s already written.  I’m willing to go at least two deep to see if he’s got something new–at least in my sphere–something that’ll hit me like Essex County or Trillium.
  • Nameless #3 (Image): I&N Demand Let’s be honest with each other: #1 wasn’t all that good.  (Granted, it was a #1–even more, it was a Morrison #1.)  #2, however, asserted very adamantly, “We’re all good,”  what with that terrific twist and all.  So, yeah, I’m glad I didn’t cross this one off of my list.  It may claim to be Nameless, but it’s kinda Namemore, isn’t it?  I mean, Morrison and Burnham are names that sell, names that deliver.  Scott Lobdell, however…
Nameless #3

Nameless #3

  • ODY-C #4 (Image): There’s something messy about it, but I’m still digging it.
  • Saga #27 (Image): Saga always leaves me foaming at the mouth.
  • The Surface #2 (Image): I don’t know: I didn’t like #1 very much.  Might be because I’m stupid.  Might also be because Ales Kot–who’s killing it on Zero, our #7 book of 2014–can be pretty incomprehensible at times.  No, really: I skimmed through it.  I never skim through a comic.  I skimmed through this one, though, because I couldn’t connect to it.  Odd, right?  Especially considering the clever social commentary about being hyper-connected…
  • All-New Hawkeye #2 (Marvel): Fraction’s baby should’ve been put to sleep for good.  But it wasn’t.  Instead, Lemire’s in charge; and, as usual, he’s reaching into his quiver of tricks–this time back-waaaaaaay back–to Trillium.  That’s right: the last page, if anything, was a flipping warning.  Yeah, I’m leaning toward passing.
  • Ant-Man #4 (Marvel) I&N Demand Ant-Man is a big book–a huge book!  We loved #2 enough to name it one of our Top 5 Books of February.  #3 was pretty awesome, too.  I mean, c’mon: the Taskmaster?  And how about the line of the year so far: “Pick a theme!”  Yeah, I laughed out loud.  Thank you, Mr. Spencer!  Something tells me that we’ll be celebrating your book again!  Yeah, it’s more than just a little vice at this point, ain’t it?
Ant-Man #4

Ant-Man #4

  • Evil Empire #12 (BOOM!): Suddenly, I’m not so excited about Evil Empire.  Doesn’t feel as tight.  And, if I’m being honest, Victor Santos’s art hasn’t lived up to the standard set by those who have come before him.  I’m pretty invested at this point, so I can’t imagine jumping off.

Avery’s Pick of the Week

  • Scooby Doo Where Are You? #56 (DC): Of all of the comics I’ve bought for Avery, the ones I reread the most are Scooby Doo books.  She loves the big reveals!
  • My Little Pony: Fiendship Is Magic #2 (IDW):  That’s right: my baby girl loves her some evil ponies.
My Little Pony: Fiendship Is Magic #2

My Little Pony: Fiendship Is Magic #2

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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What’s I&N Store (3/11)

11 Wednesday Mar 2015

Posted by ScottNerd in What's I&N Store?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Abstract Studio, Ales Kot, Ant-Man, Astro City, Avatar, Cullen Bunn, Dan Slott, Dynamite, East of West, Ed Brisson, Fred Van Lente, Garth Ennis, Hellbreak, Image, J. Michael Straczynski, Jason Aaron, John Cassaday, Johnnie Christmas, Jonathan Hickman, Kurt Busiek, Magnus: Robot Fighter, Marvel, Matt Kindt, Mike Allred, Nick Dragotta, Nick Spencer, Ninjak, Oni, Rachel Rising, Sheltered, Sidekick, Silver Surfer, Star Wars, Terry Moore, The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood, The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust, The Surface, Thor, Vertigo, War Stories

A real conversation I overheard in my head:

What are you looking forward to most this week?

Me?  Without a doubt: Thaw.

Oh, wow, OK.  I was expecting you to say something else.  You know, with Kindt and Kot and Slott and whatnot.

Hmm?  I said thaw.  Right?  Thaw.  Especially after all of the ice and snow.

Yeah, no, I know.  Frost giants are bad-ass.  But whoever the hell it is under that helmet is all business.  Girl power, baby!

Thaw.  Not Thor.  Thaw.

That is the question, isn’t it?

No, it isn’t.  You’re just not getting it, are you?

Are you kidding me?  Of course, I am!  I mean, Aaron’s hammering home a relevant point about gender, about identity–it’s almost Shakespearean if you think about it!

Just did.  And, no, it isn’t.

I’m so confused right now.  Doesn’t really sound like you’re really all that interested in Thor.  I mean–I don’t know.

Third base.

 

  • Astro City #21 (DC/Vertigo): This Quarrel-centric arc’s been a drag.  Wondering if Astro City‘s suffering from Busiek’s attention to his excellent–and anthropomorphically-fresh–The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw.
  • East of West #18 (Image) I&N Demand I always look forward to getting lost in Hickman’s fatal vision, particularly now with the increasingly-intriguing boy with the A.I. balloon.  Alas, Babylon: I wish you well on your journey!
East of West #18

East of West #18

  • Sheltered #15 (Image): Wait a sec.  This is the end?  Oh, well.  I guess the volcano’s gonna blow after all.  Kinda glad it’s over.
  • Sidekick #10 (Image): I’ve liked Sidekick a lot.  Hard to imagine I almost quit after the first one!  Oh, and then there was the time I accused J.M.S. of plagiarizing–his own material, for goodness sake!  (In an odd twist, Straczynski employed a plot device in The Twilight Zone [our #10 book of 2014, by the way] that just so happened to be an integral part of fellow shelf-sitter Sidekick.)  All blood under the bridge.  Can’t wait to see how this wraps up.
  • The Surface #1 (Image) Just I&N Ales Kot–love him (Change, Zero) or hate him (Suicide Squad, Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier)–demands attention with his off-beat, oft-rhythmic writing style.  He definitely does “mind-bending” well, so I’m definitely down with discovering what lies beneath The Surface.
The Surface #1

The Surface #1

  • Ant-Man #3 (Marvel) I&N Demand Never in my life–or at least in the last couple of months–did I expect to find myself excited about Ant-Man.  Ant-Man for God’s sake!  It’s mostly promotional material, isn’t it?  And what about Secret Wars?  I mean, is this series gonna get stepped on after #5?  But Spencer’s having a good time and it shows!  (See Darth Vader and Princess Leia for very much the opposite feeling.)  And, then, of course, there’s the promise of the Taskmaster, one of my all-time faves.
Ant-Man #3

Ant-Man #3

  • Silver Surfer #10 (Marvel) I&N Demand Any regular reader–or occasional clicker–worth his power cosmic knows that we love Slott and Allred’s Silver Surfer, our #4 book of 2014.  What you don’t know–no matter your status–is that #8 was a Top 5 Pick of January and #9 was a Top Five Pick of February.  (Yeah, no links.  Sorry: we’re kind of behind.  It happens.  A lot.)  It’s been the perfect balance of humor and huge moments–none huger than the coming of Galactus.
Silver Surfer #10

Silver Surfer #10

  • Star Wars #3 (Marvel): Of the three newly relaunched Star Wars books, this one’s the only one that seems to care.  How much do I care?  Not as much as I had hoped.  We’ll see if this one helps.
  • Thor #6 (Marvel): OK, so I’m intrigued.  Sure, there have been some terrible moments (#5, for example: What is that nonsense between Thor and Titiana?  Is it The Sisterhood of the Traveling Spandex?); but they’ve been generally tempered by the well-developed mystery and the emergence of the Odinson as a superior supporting character.
  • The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood #5 (Dynamite): A decent Twilight Zone-ish story with some literary notes comes to close.
  • Magnus: Robot Fighter #12 (Dynamite): Yet another series comes to a close–a merciful, merciful close.
  • Ninjak #1 (Valiant) I&N Demand Matt Kindt’s proving that Valiant picked the right guy to power up their universe–especially with his latest wave of books (The Valiant, Divinity)  Ninjak promises to be further proof.
Ninjak #1

Ninjak #1

  • Rachel Rising #32 (Abstract Studio): I had this book written off for dead after #29.  #30 found Terry Moore resurrecting everything that made Rachel rise above the rest–and into our Top Ten Books of 2013.  Pretty glad I kept it on my pull list.  Thing is, I know that Moore can slip to less–and that knowledge is going to linger, maybe even spoil.  Rats.
  • The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust #1 (Oni):  If it’s The Sixth Gun, it’s going to find its way into my bag.
  • War Stories #6 (Avatar): Garth Ennis and Tomas Aria are telling the harrowing story of the Children of Israel, and I’m on the edge of my seat to find out how it ends.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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