Things are heating up around these parts!  The unbearably hot and humid end of August means that work’s a week away.  However, before I buckle under the oppressive temps of routine and responsibility, I’ve got to give this week’s I&N Demand books their requisite once over.  So, here we go:

• The New World #2 (Image): I&N Demand The New World is built upon a familiar foundation–it’s “a whole new world,” with “a new fantastic point of view”–with Aleš Kot’s singular perspective, itself an eclectic amalgam of vibrant and vital voices from across ages, genres and mediums.  He’s the real deal; and I, for one, am, as always, excited to have the opportunity to turn the pages of his inimitable imagination–in this case, as brought to the page by Tradd and Heather Moore.  The former’s lines are truly miracles of the medium: they flow and flow and flow, creating a sense of motion, which pushes the narrative pace; the latter’s colors complement perfectly the lines, adding significant depth to Tradd’s artwork and creating a new world worthy of exploration on each page, in each panel.  Very much looking forward to learning how Kot’s kick-ass Stella–a Juliet by another name–deals with the way-chill Kirby, her “only love sprung by her only” having to hunt him the fuck down.  Reality star-crossed lovers, indeed!

• Scarlet #1 (DC)
• Web of Venom: Ve’Nam #1 (Marvel)
• Bone Parish #2 (BOOM!): I&N Demand Finally: the follow-up to the #1 hit from Bone Drugs-N-Harmony!  (Hmm.  Sounded better in my head.   I mean, I 22 I&N 22-ed the thing to death and was waiting to drop this one-liner and–  Know what?  I blame those guys.  Bunn and Scharf and Guimarães.  Fuckers.  Coming together to create this…this…addictive nightmare!  Been fiending for this for, what, like a month.  Feels like forever.  Twisting.  Haven’t been right in the head since.  Turning.  Gotta get to my dealer.  Gotta go.  Gotta get there.  But.  But what if he’s out?  Fuck.  What if he runs out?  Goddamn it.  I gotta run.  I gotta

• Hillbilly: Red-Eyed Witchery from Beyond #1 (Albatross): I&N Demand I loved Hillbilly #12!  Loved.  It.  The final episode in Rondel’s epic journey was huge in scope, but Eric Powell crafted it in such a perfectly compact manner–delivering Hurrah!-worthy Homerian moments (“the last of [his] kind,” indeed!) and taking a wrench to Rondel’s heart–and to mine!–and twisting oh-so-cruelly.  As much as it hurt in the end, we–Rondel and I–have got to cleave that all behind and move on–to more haggish mayhem!

• A Walk Through Hell #4 (AfterShock): I&N Demand Garth Ennis is building something truly frightening here–and–in #3, in particular–he’s doing so through dialogue–the masterfully-crafted dialogue for which he is known.  Few comic book writers can keep the tension up while ratcheting up the word count; but Ennis does it effortlessly.   Goran Sudzuka’s subdued art–with taciturn gray and brown tones from colorist Ive Svorcina–allows the aforementioned tension to build; and by laying out every page differently, Sudzuka subtly emphasizes the complex nature of the plot as it continues to develop.  I’m very much looking forward to getting to the bottom of this mystery–though I don’t mind the walk one bit–and can’t wait to get wrapped up in more of Ennis’s demonically-deliberate diealogue.

• X-O Manowar #18 (Valiant)

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott