Tag Archives: DC Comics

I&N Store 8/1

01 Wednesday Aug 2018

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Since it’s summertime, I’m Superdad full time; so I’m lucky enough to have my two daughters with me when I go to my favorite LCS–the great Android’s Amazing Comics, of course.  The girls just love to browse the shop, to check out the comics–they really know how to handle them–and the blind bags–they certainly know how to handle them–and the–as my little one calls them–soft things: you know: a rainbow of My Little Ponies and blood-red My Murderous Deadpools–all the things kids love!  Oh, it’s such a joy, especially since they let me take my time–without any distractions at all!–at the big wall of new books.

I pray I find these:

  • Leviathan #1 (Image)
  • Paper Girls #23 (Image)
  • Seven to Eternity #10 (Image)
  • Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #37 (Image): I&N Demand I loved #36!  It’s easily one of my favorite single issues of the year.  David Lapham emptied his clip into that one: Spanish Scott and Monster–talk about toxic masculinity!  (Oooh, this issue’s a black and white Superfund site!)  “Monsters are comin’,” indeed!  Gotta love those bad dudes–but not as much as Love Yourself–err—himself.  I fell for that fucker right away, and it’s no surprise why: on the surface, he’s sunshine and roses; but on the inside, there’s some kinda complicated shit goin’ on.  The love, the pain, the humor in the bespectacled face of death–I rooted my ass off for Love.  And that final page, tho.  That‘s a stray bullet right through the motherfucking heart.  Color me kinda nervous going into this next one.  Fucking monsters.

stray

  • The Quantum Age #2 (Dark Horse)
  • The Seeds #1 (Dark Horse/Berger Books): I&N Demand In short:David Aja–just bee cause.  A maze sting!  (To quote Eisner-winner Tom King, who is very I&N Demand this week: “I’m sorry.”)

seed

  • Batman #52 (DC): I&N Demand Batman vs. Bruce Wayne!  OK, so Bruce was a little hot after being left at the ledge.  Does that mean he–as Bat–had to put the heat on Freeze?  Hell yeah it does!  But Bruce gets it: he knows he went too far; and now, to remedy the situation, he’s got to fight eleven fellow Gothamites–those very citizens he’s fought for all along while wearing the cape and cowl!  I can’t wait to see how this plays out.  Tom King–FYI: CIA BEF DC–takes his take on torture/enhanced interrogation techniques to the chilly jury room, and Lee Weeks kills it with his gritty realism.  All together, #51 is powerful issue that sets up one heck of a Battle–let the deliberations begin!

bat

  • Mister Miracle #10 (DC): I&N Demand I’ve never cared for the New Gods.  But now–now I care about the New Gods–because through nine issues, the New King has taken us through one emotional Boom Tube after another.  He–with the Eisner-winning help of Mitch Gerads–has got the gods grounded in the real and still they’re goddin’ it well enough to make it all so much more.  One thing Scott Free will never escape: Tom King–they’re chained together forevermore.

miracle

  • Captain America #2 (Marvel)
  • The Immortal Hulk #4 (Marvel): I&N Demand I really liked #1.  #2 was aight.  It had me kinda like Do I need this?  (Already droppin’ lots of green every Wednesday, so…)  I picked up #3 anyway and was totally Whoa!  Al Ewing won me over with the multiple-perspectives-as-offered-by-multiple-artists approach.  (Excited to see Garry Brown bangin’ out Big Green.)  Loved it!  It was incredible immortal!  Happy to see, too, a little Alpha Flight action there at the end.  As I told someone recently–if commenting on Instagram counts as telling: Alpha Flight is the bacon of comics: they make any book better! Two gamma-irradiated biceps way waaaaay up!  Hoping this one flexes its muscles, too.

hulk

  • Survival Fetish #3 (Black Mask): I&N Demand Through two, the all-ways moving Survival Fetish really gratifies: the premise is super sexy; Patrick Kindlon’s writing is sharp–the narration and the dialogue double-teaming to deliver an engaging read; but the star of the show is Antonio Fuso, whose black and white art scrupulously sells Saheer’s experience–his ever-evolving “movement”–and, ultimately, runs this fucking town.  In fact, I’m gonna sprint to the comic shop as soon as it opens to get my hands on this one–’cause there’ll probably only be one or two on the shelf and it’d suck to miss it–especially after the wait (it’s been a while) and after having re-read #2 to get my feet under me.  Damn that was good!

surv

  • Uber: Invasion #15 (Avatar)
  • The Wilds #4 (Black Mask)

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

Derekommendations: 8/9/17

09 Wednesday Aug 2017

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Here are my 3 must-read comics for this Wednesday:

Mister Miracle #1 (DC): Tom King and Mitch Gerads crafted the best comic book of last year with The Sheriff of Babylon, a shattering, close-up deconstruction of the everyday tragedies created by the fog of war. King also created last year’s best superhero comic in The Vision. In that book, he used the creative latitude afforded in penning a B-lister to orchestrate a tale about a family of androids, living in suburbia, that incorporated bits of Mary Shelley, Philip K. Dick and Leave It To Beaver. The resultant tale explored, amongst other trivialities, death, prejudice, and what it means to be human. Throughout, King established a pitch-perfect tone that was absurd, poetic and tragic, frequently all at once. One hopes that in working with another character not-well known outside of comic circles, King and Gerads will produce something similarly profound.

MISTER MIRACLE #1

Mister Miracle #1

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #23 (Marvel): If you already aren’t reading this comic book about a computer-science grad student with the powers of a squirrel (who is soon to be featured in a gosh-darn TV show), you’re missing out on the best superhero book that isn’t Black Hammer or Silver Surfer. Ryan North continues to delight with buoyant, laugh-out-loud writing that manages to feel upbeat and empowering without a trace of didactic, self-congratulatory posturing (hear that Saga?). If you still need an excuse to jump on this book, the current story allows the inimitable Mr. North to return to his first love: Dinosaurs! The child-like exuberance North obviously feels for the subject is matched by Erica Henderson’s energetic, Ditko-inflected art. The joy in this book is infectious.

UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #23

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #23

Clue #3 (IDW): Yes, I can feel your eye-roll: a book that’s an obvious corporate tie-in to a friggin’ board game? Has Battleship taught me nothing?! But my childhood affection for said game, as well as the cult-favorite movie it inspired (itself a corporate tie-in) impelled me to give it a shot (Or a candlestick. Whatever.). Happily, like the movie, Paul Allor’s story benefits from a wacky cast, clever pacing and an off kilter sense of humor. Nelson Daniel’s art contributes some fittingly comedic touches, especially in terms of staging and page layout. And Clue features that hallowed comic book trope, the mordant, omniscient narrator/host (think the Crypt-Keeper except with impeccable manners and in a butler’s suit). Except it seems he’s not so omniscient after all. Hmm….

CLUE #3 CVR B DANIEL

Clue #3

Happy Wednesday!

-Derek

I&N the Scottlight: Batman #5

23 Tuesday Aug 2016

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Prepare to be spoiled.

STL014019

 

Wow.

I felt that.

Head.  Gut.  Heart.

A heaviness.

“Do what you can do.”

Tom King–with help from David Finch, a trio of inkers, and the ubiquitous Jordie Bellaire–did what he can do–did what he does better than anybody else: he crushed me under the weight of a twenty-two page comic book.

He’s got a knack for that, what with The Sheriff of Babylon and The Vision.  But this–this is Batman.  It’s different.  The expectations are different.  The investment is different.

Well, I got my two hundred and ninety-nine pennies worth with the first five pages, during which King delivers a dynamic duo of harrowing and hilarious as Alfred–in full Batman regalia–does what he can do to stall for time, to keep Gotham–the hero-come-Pirated villain who wants to destroy the  city that inspired his name–occupied until Batman can do what he can do to get to ground zero.  You know how Al rolls: he crashes the Batmobile into Gotham and then  confronts him like Sugar-Substitute Ray Leonard, and high-capes it outta there once Batman lets him know he’s arrived on scene.

Too effing much!

Important to the sequence as a whole is Alfred’s sentimental soliloquy, in which the brave-ass butler recalls promising Thomas Wayne that he’d care for Bruce if the need arose–and that it’d be “more a pleasure than a chore” because of how simple life would be for the boy.  Powerful stuff, Alfred’s fulfilling that promise in this instance: standing up for Bruce the man–the Batman.

Felt that.

Turned the page.

Felt the Batboot and soon the “BDDOOOM”; felt the plane and then the Justice Out-of-Their-League.

Felt the futility of it all.

Felt the fragility of Duke and Claire.  Felt the damsel’s distress as she pulled back the curtain to reveal Gotham as god with a short fuse; felt her find the courage to be the hero–the courage to do what she can do–knowing full well she’d lose for winning.

Felt funny as I tried to figure out whether or not Batman ordered Gotham’s murder–whether or not I wanted him to have ordered Gotham’s murder: “Fine.  Fine.  Do it, then.  Kill Gotham.”

Reread it over and over again.

Felt funnier each time.

Felt this before, for sure: a slice Of Mice and Men.

Sounded a hell of a lot like George’s “Gonna do it soon.”

Ended the same way.

Wow.

I felt that.

Head.  Gut.  Heart.

A heaviness.

That is what Tom King can do–and, man,  I can’t wait for him to do it again.

Feel me?

Turning pages,

Scott

What’s I&N Store (8/17)

17 Wednesday Aug 2016

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Ugh.  I’m running out of vacation–and discretionary income.  Rebirth is partly to blame for both, thanks to bigger weekly bags and bills.  Also to blame: my love for the heroes of my childhood and my having the constitution of a totalitarian state.

DC and me!

Oh, there’s other stuff, too.

  • Black Hammer #2 (Dark Horse): I&N Demand Re: #1: Jeff Lemire nailed it: he delivered Essex County with superheroes. Finally.  A nice way to follow up Plutonia, which lived in that realm, for sure, but leaned more on the kids than on the capes.  Lemire lets loose here, trusting his instincts, as he fans the flames of familiarity, forging, with Dean Ormston and Dave Stewart’s beautiful balance between fantastic and rustic, something unflinchingly fresh.  I’ve been down on Lemire’s “doing what he does” to decidedly disappointing degrees (Descender/Sweet Tooth, Trillium/Hawkeye, Bloodshot: Reborn/Moon Knight); here, however, the antecedent doesn’t drown out the current–it enlivens it.

STK676026

  • Briggs Land #1 (Dark Horse): Just I&N Brian Wood’s as good as it gets.  His Black Road–also out this week—is a solid book: it has a Massive feel to it, and satisfies for that; but I’m hungry for more, you know, with the final course of the perfectly plated Starve having been served up far, far too soon.  Expectations are very high for this one.  Hey: This is a Briggs deal, I&Nmates!

STL013865

  • Batgirl and The Birds of Prey #1 (DC)
  • Batman #5 (DC): I&N Demand Re: #4: Fear has a new number: 27.  Through four issues, Tom King’s got Batman doing things by the numbers–in more ways than one; oh, add ’em up yourself–but this one’s let him down.  Aww, snap!  The personification of Gotham makes for many wrinkles that King’ll most assuredly irony out by arc’s end.  It might take a miracle, man, to put this kid down.  Does Batman have it in him?  I can’t wait to see how this rounds out!

STL014128-2

  • Nightwing #3 (DC)
  • Suicide Squad #3 (DC)
  • Superman #5 (DC)
  • Black Road #5 (Image)
  • The Wicked & The Divine #22 (Image): I&N Demand A monthly bright spot–not only because of Matthew Wilson’s way cray-cray colors.  OK, mostly because of Wilson’s way cray-cray colors.  Sure, Gillen’s greatness shines here, too; and McKelvie’s impeccable consistency is absolutely ambrosial.  Thing is, when I think WicDiv, I get most excited about the prospect of Wilson’s wielding his nonpareil palette in yet another innovative way.  (He’s also killing it over on Black Widow and hammering home The Mighty Thor, which are out this week, as well.  But if you’re a Wilson enthusiast, you already know that!)

STL014345

  • Black Widow #6 (Marvel)
  • The Mighty Thor #10 (Marvel)
  • Mockingbird #6 (Marvel): I&N Demand Re: #5: “There’s a gift store?”  Damn right, there is–and it’s well stocked with Mockingbird!  Thank you, Chelsea Cain for your quirky chaos, which is clearly a clever way to, at the same time, mask and amplify your obsessive control over the story you’re telling.  High praise: reminds of James Ausmus’s recent run on Quantum & Woody.  Concern: these big-event tie-ins more often than not murder momentum.  I’m gonna go into this one singing, “We will, we will Mock you!”  So good or bad, I’m covered!

STL013393

  • Backstagers #1 (BOOM!)
  • Red Team: Double Tap #2 (Dynamite)
  • The Joyners #3 (BOOM!)
  • Klaus #7 (BOOM!)

Avery’s Picks of the Week

  • My Little Pony: Friends Forever #31 (IDW)
  • Powerpuff Girls #2 (IDW)
  • Strawberry Shortcake #5 (IDW)

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

What’s I&N Store (8/12)

12 Wednesday Aug 2015

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Four days in the hot-spot money pit that is Montauk have me hoping I’m not going to miss some of this week’s big books.  With apologies to Van Halen:

Ain’t Montaukin’ ’bout love

Vacay will keep me from the store

Ain’t Montaukin’ ’bout love

Cash-only shopping–I’m poor, yeah, I’m poor!

Doesn’t mean I won’t get out to Android’s to pick up these books, some semi-good lookin’ and some–mostly from the increasingly impressive Avatar Press–downright I&N Demand.

  • Harrow County #4 (Dark Horse)
  • Rebels #5 (Dark Horse)
  • String Divers #1 (IDW)
  • The Beauty #1 (Image)
  • The Fade Out #8 (Image)
  • Injection #4 (Image)
  • Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1 (Image): Just I&N and I&N Demand The team of Gillen, McKelvie, and Wilson–I think they’re OK.  (OK: more than OK, really.  OK?)  If you don’t give them proper credit, you better just walk away–or I’ll slap you upside the head with a copy–I’ll make you pick your own copy, too; there’s a switch!–of The Wicked + The Divine to set your damn head straight.  Oh, baby: I’m mad–on a roll, right?  And to think: I missed the original Phonogram series; so I’m coming to this kinda like a virgin, no?
Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1

Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1

  • Starve #3 (Image): I&N Demand Through two: Starve is full of bold, assertive notes–it’s a massive success!  When Gavin–Starve‘s Top Chef–tells Sheldon, “I’m going to show you my city,” I hear Brian Wood himself, who’s so very good at cooking up deliciously diverse worlds with depth of flavor; and his art team of Danijel Zezelj and Dave Stewart (a 2015 Innie nominee for Best Colorist) are the perfect sous chefs, plating–er, paneling–with brash black lines and shadows amplified by alternating–and often blended for a striking contrast–warm and cool tones.  Hungry for more?  I sure am!
Starve #3

Starve #3

  • Velvet #11 (Image)
  • 18 Days #2 (Graphic India)
  • Americatown #1 (BOOM!)
  • Bloodshot: Reborn #5 (Valiant)
  • Crossed +100 #7 (Avatar) I&N Demand Alan Moore’s set the stage for Si Spurrier with a sick six issue arc that relied on obsessively intricate world building and long-fuse storytelling; but, damn, did it explode in the end.  What an effing payoff!  Man, Moore didn’t have to cross the Crossed line to be affective–he just went and redrew the brown out of it.  Now, Spurrier’s no stranger to Crossed.  In this case, however, he’s working off of Moore’s notes, which puts him in an odd position: he’s sort of a filter, right?  One that might miss the mark tone-wise; hell, he might languish a bit with the oft-awkward language Moore’s crafted.  It’s a risky proposition, for sure.  Spurrier–the winner of the 2014 Innie Award for Best Writer–is pretty damn great, but he’s not Moore.  Here’s hoping that he’s not much less, either.
Crossed +100 #7

Crossed +100 #7

  • Death Sentence: London #3 (Titan)
  • Mercury Heat #2 (Avatar)
  • Providence #3 (Avatar): I&N Demand Patient, potent: Providence is only two issues in, but Moore’s in deep–basement deep–and we’re right there with him.  His commitment to the book is palpable, and he demands one from us; he demands our full attention–and Cthulhu knows he’s going to take advantage of it!
Providence #3

Providence #3

  • Über #27 (Avatar): I&N Demand Kieron Gillen’s delivered some strong issues along the way, but none as powerful as #26.  Leah’s deployment was “everything [I] could have hoped for”–and more.  Sure, the German Battleships may have gotten the best of the Brits in this, “the largest enhanced confrontation on the Western Front,” but I was emotionally destroyed by the relationship between HMHs Churchill and Dunkirk.  Goddammit, Gillen’s killin’ it!
Über #27

Über #27

  • X-O Manowar #39 (Valiant)

Avery’s Pick of the Week

  • Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? #60 (DC):  Zoinks!
Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? #60

Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? #60

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

What’s I&N Store (4/8)

08 Wednesday Apr 2015

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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

What’s I&N Store (4/1)

01 Wednesday Apr 2015

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& now 4 the abbr ver o’ ur fav wkly rundown:

  • Hellboy and The B.P.R.D. #5 (Dark Horse)
  • Lady Killer #4 (Dark Horse) I&N Demand Has been so very good.  How good?  #1 was our #4 Book of January.  #3 will probably end up in our Top 5 for March, what with that stair-raising page turn and all.  (I love how serpentine Josie looks as she’s about to slither up the stairs.)  With this month’s offering and one more to go, Jones and Rich’s Lady Killer sure is “going somewhere”–straight toward our Top Ten for 2015!  High heels down, it’s been the year’s best mini.
Lady Killer #4

Lady Killer #4

  • Neverboy #2 (Dark Horse) I&N Demand I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first one.  At first I found it kind of annoying; I was really ready to race through it just to get it over with.  When I got to that moment–if you read it, you know the moment–I was like “Wow!” and, wouldn’t you know, not put off by the –ugh!–police force, which reminded–and not in a good way–of the Sex Police from Sex Criminals; and as I ultimately finished–not in a manner that reminded of Sex Criminals, mind you–I felt compelled to give it another go.  That’s right: I read it again, right then and there, displaying a rather impressive rereading refractory period, if I do say so myself.  Yeah, that doesn’t happen often.
Neverboy #2

Neverboy #2

  • Convergence #0 (DC)
  • G.I. Joe #7 (IDW)
  • Millennium #3 (IDW)
  • The Dying & the Dead #2 (Image) I&N Demand Really liked #1.  It had the potential of collapsing under its own weight–and weighty it was in more ways than one; but it held up well, delivering those heavy Hickman notes that, when they’re right, are as good as it gets.
The Dying and The Dead #2

The Dying & The Dead #2

  • Southern Bastards #8 (Image) I&N Demand Aaron and Latour deserve a championship ring for almost every issue of Southern Bastards--but particularly for Coach Boss’s backstory, which has been executed like the perfect game plan.
Southern Bastards #8

Southern Bastards #8

  • No Mercy #1 (Image)
  • Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #11 (Marvel) I&N Demand So, whatever Daddy Rand has brought to NYC is clearly the mother of all mistakes.  But what Kaare Andrews has brought Iron Fist–hey. and to comics, in general–is a the most kinetic visual narrative this side of Kindt’s perpetually energetic Mind MGMT.  I mean, come on: in #10, Andrews destroys the staple-bound rules of space and time by having Danny punch his way across six pages–three double-page spreads of strike and follow-through that come together as a bone-and-nut-and-bolt crushing six-page spread–in a striking scene that leaves Danny, despite his best shot, at the mercy of his maniacal–and mechanical–father.  Sure, Iron Fist may be The Living Weapon, but Iron Fist: The Living Weapon is about as close to a living, breathing comic book as you’re gonna get.
Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #11

Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #11

  • Blackcross #2 (Dynamite)
  • War Stories #7 (Avatar)
  • X-O Manowar #35 (Valiant)

Avery’s Picks of the Week

  • My Little Pony: Fiendship Is Magic #1 (IDW)
  • Feathers #4 (BOOM!): Avery loves following the adventures of Poe and Bianca!  Aw, heck: so do I!
Feathers #4

Feathers #4

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

What’s I&N Store (3/18)

18 Wednesday Mar 2015

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Am I behind in my reading?  Yes.  Is this post late?  Umm, yeah.  Has the comic book world gone insane this week?  Crazier than Moore’s Joker, that’s for sure.

  • Frankenstein Underground #1 (Dark Horse): Anything with Mignola’s name tied to it screams…  Well, yeah: it screams.  Been around the catacomb a time or two with Frankenstein’s monster, haven’t we?
  • Mind MGMT #31 (Dark Horse): I&N Demand #30 was easily our #1 book of January.  Damn thing erased everything and rewrote it even more painfully.  There’s something Stray Bullets-ish about Kindt’s attention to detail across the series, in the impact of each issue; in this case, however, every round is a shot to the head.
Mind MGMT #31

Mind MGMT #31

  • Superman #39 (DC): Geoff Johns’ Superman sounds like Superman, and I’m a super happy man as a result.  Who cares if the storyline didn’t develop as well as it could’ve and if Romita and Janson’s artwork appeared faster than a speeding bullet and about as powerful as Mister Roger’s Neighborhood Trolley.
  • Millennium #2 (IDW): I’m hooked!  Joe Harris and Colin Lorimer have captured the creepy, tense, and schizophrenic tone of the TV show–or has the tone captured them?
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #44 (IDW): As much as I’ve enjoyed my stay–starting with “City Fall”–I think I’m gonna sai goodbye–I’m gonna katana and run.  I’m gonna nunchuk TMNT off of the ol’ pull list; I’m gonna bō out after this arc.
  • Alex + Ada #13 (Image): I&N Demand This book is a whisper–the breath of a lover that fills your ear and sets off a silent storm that races up your spine, steels your muscles,  and makes your skin scream.  Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.
Alex + Ada #13

Alex + Ada #13

  • Invisible Republic #1 (Image): Leaning toward passing.  I’ll thumb through it and see if something strikes me.
  • The Manhattan Projects: The Sun Beyond the Stars #1 (Image): Hoping that the new format is the key to recapturing the science behind this once superior series.
  • Outcast #7 (Image): Pretty close to exorcizing this one from the list, as well.  Despite some interesting moments, I haven’t developed a connection to Kyle–at least one that has me caring enough to carry on with this very wayward son.
  • Satellite Sam #12 (Image): I&N Demand The best TV show in comics.  Each episode/issue is a sprawling mosaic of self-interest that reads–unlikely–like a long-story-short told round the water cooler.  Love it.
Satellite Sam #10

Satellite Sam #12

  • Secret Identities #2 (Image): I was kind of hung up on the untransitions from one character’s secret story to the next.  It was a odd choice for a first issue–unless, of course, it was done to emphasize the separate personal spheres, which are such an integral part of the story. Hmm.  The twist at the end: ho-hum.  Had me thinking Deathmatch in spots.  Maybe that’s why I’m on to #2.
  • Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #2 (Image): I&N Demand Spanish Scott is a galleon of gold, and #1 let him shine: his pistolet-à-tête-à-pistolet with Beth and Kretch ranks as one of my favorite panels of the year.
Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses #2

Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #2

  • Zero #15 (Image): I&N Demand #14 could’ve easily ended the series, right?  Can’t not speak of the protracted fight scene, which had its moments–including an stare down that jumped off of the page; otherwise, it seemed unnecessary, almost lazy storytelling-wise, which contradicts most of what Kot’s done since #9, our top book of July 2014.  It’s been a remarkable run, one that was due a hiccup.
Zero #15

Zero #15

  • Magneto #16 (Marvel): Magneto’s a badass.  And that’s all ye need to know.  Wondering what “Secret Wars” is going to do to the mighty Magneto.
  • Moon Knight #13 (Marvel): Wood and Smallwood’s run–which rounded out 2014 on a high note–stumbled across the finish line with an inexplicably weak resolution to an otherwise compelling story.  Now Bunn takes over–with artist Ron Ackins–with expectations unexpectedly lower.  Lucky Bunn.
  • Burning Fields #2 (BOOM!): I thought #1 was pretty solid.  I mentioned that it was like Homeland and The Killing.  #2 had me thinking The Bridge.  Also kind of lost me a bit.  I considered just letting it go, but still I buy.
  • Cap Stone #4 (Titan): Has been OK through three issues.  Certainly hasn’t lived up to the promise of the poetic and beautiful–and near miraculous–first issue.  Had Moore in mind; ended up Less.  Don’t get me wrong: I appreciate Sharp’s vision.  Page to page, the narrative’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.  At times, however, the disjointedness causes the narrative to stall.
  • Divinity #2 (Valiant): I liked #1.  I’m a big Kindt fan, but I’ve struggled to find a series outside of Mind MGMT that works for me.  Sure, I’ve enjoyed The Valiant, but he’s sharing writing duties with Jeff Lemire on that one.  While not mind-blowing by any stretch of the imagination, #1 hit some Kindt-ian notes that rang true, that carried consistently through the issue, leaving me far more satisfied than I was after reading Rai and Ninjak.  I certainly hope that #2 transcends to the divine.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

What’s I&N Store (3/4)

03 Tuesday Mar 2015

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(Sing along.  Go on.  You know how it goes.)

There’s a hole in my heart that can only be filled by comics.

No, really.  I’ve got a hole in my heart.  As of right now, however, my cardiologist is pretty firm in his opinion that comics are not the best option with which to fill it.

I’m in the market for a second opinion.

  • Hellboy & The B.P.R.D. #4 (Dark Horse): Hellish back-grenading, murderous monkey monsters, “insane Frankenstein crap,” and an ominous mound of bones–if that’s not enough to bring a reader back for more, I don’t know what is!
  • Lady Killer #3 (Dark Horse) I&N Demand #1 was one of our Top 5 books of January.  It announced its arrival: “Killer comic calling!” and left quite an impression.  #2 didn’t have the same effect–mostly because there was no surprise this time, and expectations were high going into it–but it certainly didn’t disappoint.  Joëlle Jones’ artwork is the big draw here–it’s elegantly aggressive and sells Josie’s separate spheres very well.  (Doesn’t hurt that it’s polished off to murderous–and motherly–perfection by Laura Allred’s color palette time machine.)  Story-wise: despite Josie’s denial, there’s definitely trouble on the horizon–yeah, Jones and Jamie S. Rich aren’t kidding around with the dilemma that’s driving the plot into #3.
Lady Killer #3

Lady Killer #3

  • Neverboy #1 (Dark Horse): Shaun Simon and Tyler Jenkins are blurring the lines “between the real and the imaginary.”  That’s right up my alley, gents!  (Consider how blown away I was–still am–by the lengths Matt Kindt went to tearing down the aforementioned lines in Mind MGMT #30, our favorite book of January.  Now, that’s how you do it!)  Oh, I’ll bite all right.  Professional prognostication: I’m thinking that this particular pick’ll be positively Pan-ed!
  • Detective Comics #40 (DC): All of a sudden, my Bat-book of choice is Manapul and Buccellato’s Detective.  How the heck did that happen?  The world’s gone mad!  It’s–it’s–Anarky!
  • G.I. Joe #6 (IDW): Through #4, I was all in.  I was like, “Yo Joe!”  I was 13 again–except for the fact that this wasn’t your grandHama‘s G.I. Joe; this was an elevated–and engrossing–approach from novelist Karen Traviss.  Again, through #4.  #5?  A rather muddled mess.  Damn thing’s literally all over the place!   Suddenly, I’m left wondering how much more I can take.
  • Descender #1 (Image) Just I&N and I&N Demand Lemire’s Descender is only the second title to earn both designations!  (The first: last week’s Mister X: Razed from master builder Dean Motter.)  The blurb on previewsworld.com has me thinking Blade Runner meets Essex County.  Yes, please.  Is there any doubt that this’ll ascend to the top of our list for the month of March?  Yeah.  Didn’t think so.
Descender #1

Descender #1

  • Nameless #2 (Image): If it weren’t Morrison, I’d be off after one.  I mean, I’m totally occulted out at this point.  If this issue isn’t particularly tight, I’m going to review it this way: Morrison’s occult/sci-fi mash up is Thomas Alsloppy.
  • Saga #26 (Image): Revolution calling!
  • All-New Hawkeye #1 (Marvel) I&N Demand Hoping that Lemire is fully invested–that he’s not going to be working at a fraction of his capabilities, especially now that he’s spreading himself as thin as a bowstring.  Boy, does he have a huge quiver to fill!  Also hoping that he doesn’t miss the mark as he did with Green Arrow.
All-New Hawkeye #1

All-New Hawkeye #1

  • Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #10 (Marvel): I&N Demand #9 was another explosion of kinetic cartooning from Kaare Andrews.  Great splashes, great layouts–the art as a whole elevates an already solid story, solid writing.  Reads with an energy similar to Kindt’s Mind MGMT.  “Ha-ha-hee!”  That’s high praise around these parts!
Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #10

Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #10

  • Miracleman #16 (Marvel) I&N Demand Classic isn’t strong enough a word to describe #15.  There are moments–impossible moments amplified by impossible choices–still gnawing at me.  It’s angels hurling mountains at each other; it’s George pulling the trigger.  It’s Alan Moore firing a canon at the superhero and building him anew. 
Miracleman #16

Miracleman #16

  • Princess Leia #1 (Marvel):  I don’t know.  I don’t really need it.  I don’t even want it.  But it is Waid and the Dodsons.  Ugh.  I haven’t loved Star Wars.  I’m even kinda cool on Darth Vader.  But it’s Waid and the Dodsons.  Damn it.  Go ahead Mr. Comic Shop Owner Guy: please ring it up.  Grumble, grumble.  Rebel scum.
  • Blackcross #1 (Dynamite): This is an Ellis buy. Recent résumé: Moon Knight was one of our Top Ten Books of 2014.  Trees, however, has been freakishly frustrating.  (He’s got to know that–he’s got to!  So there’s got to be a reason for his frustrating the hell out of us, right?  Am I too trusting?)  Even though I don’t have any experience with Project Superpowers, I’m going to give it a try.
  • Crossed +100 #3 (Avatar): I’m skulling Moore crossed with Burgess, which feels equal parts awkward and elevated. Pony me, malchicks?
  • Über #23 (Avatar): Gillen Hitlered a bunch of high notes in the most recent act of his Wagnerian war story.  “Capitulation or immolation,” indeed!
  • X-O Manowar #34 (Valiant): Remains one of the most consistent monthlies.  Never reaches rarefied air, but doesn’t need to to be effective.  The book’s biggest strength remains Aric, who has remained true to himself–and to us–thanks to Venditti’s thoughtful approach to his plight and his power.

I&Ntelligent Pick

  • Dry Spell TP (Action Labs/Danger Zone): Ken Krekeler and his brilliantly broken down Black Baron demand your attention.  Why?  Read our write up: the #3 Book of 2014.  Buy it, read it, and come back and thank us.
Dry Spell TP

Dry Spell TP

Avery’s Pick of the Week

  • Feathers #3 (BOOM!): My daughter is definitely down with Feathers!  Luckily, she’s not quite old enough to be down on puns.
Feathers #3

Feathers #3

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

What’s I&N Store (2/25)

24 Tuesday Feb 2015

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This week offers up some big books–none bigger than Dean Motter’s Mister X: Razed.

Wait.  What?

You did a double-take, didn’t you?  You were expecting to read Spider-Gwen at the end of that superlative statement, weren’t you?

Ugh.

  • Colder: Bad Seed #5 (Dark Horse): Nimble Jack is back, baby!  Maybe that’ll add a little oomph to an otherwise lethargic exercise.  Tobin and Ferreyra cultivated a creepy tone early on but kind of got stuck in one place.  Man, I’d give the finger to this series, but I’d be worried about getting it back.
  • Mister X: Razed #1 (Dark Horse) Just I&N and I&N Demand It’s the first time a book has earned both enviable distinctions!  Oh, yeah, baby!  Mister X is back, and we couldn’t be any more excited!  One reason–and it’s a good one: back in 2013, Dean Motter delivered the brilliant Mr. X: Eviction, which earned the coveted #1 spot on our highly respected Top Ten list, beating out the likes of Mind MGMT, Six-Gun Gorilla, and Saga.  Now that’s gotta tell you something.  Can’t wait to see what Mr. Motter has to tell us this time around.
Mister X: Raze #1

Mister X: Razed #1

  • Bodies #8 (DC/Vertigo): Gosh.  #1 hit the shelves with such promise.  Unfortunately, the damn thing collapsed under its own weight and, as a result, has been a four-pronged slog ever since.  Glad it’s over.
  • Suiciders #1 (DC/Vertigo): Lee Bermejo’s doing his own thing.  Would be silly not to try it.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #43 (IDW): Reptilicious fun!  All sorts of backstabbing going on.  Good thing our favorite turtles have shells–and madd ninja skills.
  • Low #6 (Image): I’m still pretty high on Low.  Remender’s not ringing my bell anywhere else; but this diving bell of a book is tintinnabulous!
  • ODY-C #3 (Image): This gender-bending blitz on Homer’s epic is a damn siren’s song; it’s a party with the local lotophagi.  Didn’t dig it so much after the first issue.  Good thing I stuck around.
  • Rasputin #5 (Image): I’m riding it out ’til the end of the arc.  There isn’t much here that’s keeping my interest.
  • They’re Not Like Us #3 (Image) I&N Demand Deadly Class only wishes it was this good.  How would you act if you had superpowers?  Eric Stephenson’s got the answer.  Heck, it’s like a team full of feisty and rather petty Ozymandiases.  What’s going to happen when the stakes get raised?  Can’t wait to find out.
They're Not Like Us #3

They’re Not Like Us #3

  • The Wicked & The Divine #8 (Image) I&N Demand The book’s got attitude.  Yeah, this book’s a real bitch–a beautiful, effing bitch–one you’ve just desperate to have.  But even when you have it, you don’t really have it; it has you.
The Wicked & The Divine #8

The Wicked & The Divine #8

  • All-New X-Men #38 (Marvel): Chapter 4 of “The Black Vortex” crossover.  Yeah, I’m out of that loop.  Probably going to leave it on the shelf.  Hindsight is 22/22: should’ve done the same with the Ultimate waste of an arc.
  • Daredevil #13 (Marvel): Despite some strong work from Chris Samnee, the Stunt-Master arc wasn’t particularly exciting.  Reminds that Waid’s missed the mark some since making the move to the Left Coast.  This issue kicks off the final chapter of Waid and Samnee’s run.  I say perfect timing.  Speaking of perfect: how about Samnee’s cover:
Daredevil #13

Daredevil #13

  • Darth Vader #2 (Marvel): #1 was fine.  Was the Force with it?  Not so sure about that.  Got to give Gillen another go-round to see just how dark his helmet gets.
  • Men Of Wrath #5 (Marvel/Icon): I’ve enjoyed it enough.  Father-son stories always hit me where it hurts.  It’s like “Cat’s in the Cradle” but the cat’s been blown to furry bits by a blast of buckshot.  “When you comin’ home son, I don’t know when, but I’ll fill you full of lead, dad, you know I’ll shoot you in the head…”
  • Spider-Gwen #1: Ha!  Made you look!
  • Thor Annual #1 (Marvel): I’m leaning toward passing.  Annuals rarely offer anything of worth–and are rarely worth the inflated price.
  • The Black Hood #1 (Archie): Duane Swierczynski and Michael Gaydos (who took a great turn on Zero) go all X-rated for Archie Comics?  That’s right: the images, the synopsis–I’m thinking X, Swierczynski’s violent vigilante haunt over at Dark Horse.  I mean, right?
  • Evil Empire #11 (BOOM!) I&N Demand I love Evil Empire!  This month’s not-so-sheepish cover from Jay Shaw:
Evil Empire #11

Evil Empire #11

  • Quantum & Woody Must Die #2 (Valiant): As much as I wanted to not want to want to play this game of life and death with the Valiant brain trust, #1 wasn’t bad.
  • The Twilight Zone: Shadow & Substance #2 (Dynamite): Mark Rahner and Edu Menna have huge shoes to fill, mostly because the recently–and brilliantly–wrapped-up The Twilight Zone‘s Straczynski and Vilanova have big-ass feet.

 Avery’s Pick of the Week

  • Abigail and the Snowman #3 (BOOM!): My daughter’s kind of scared of the Snowman.  She has to convince herself that it’s just a cartoon–the same way she talks herself down when Marshmallow shows up in Frozen.  Still she’s made it her pick of the week.
Abigail and the Snowman #3

Abigail and the Snowman #3

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott