Tags
Ales Kot, Alex + Ada, BOOM!, Burning Fields, Cap Sone, Christina McCormack, Cullen Bunn, Dark Horse, David Lapham, DC Comics, Divinity, Frankenstein Underground, Geoff Johns, Howard Chaykin, IDW, Image, Invisible Republic, Joe Harris, John Romita Jr., Jonathan Hickman, Jonathan Luna, Kevin Eastman, Klaus Janson, Liam Sharp, Magneto, Marvel, Matt Fraction, Matt Kindt, Mike Mignola, Millennium, Mind MGMT, Moon Knight, Nick Pitarra, Outcast, Robert Kirkman, Sarah Vaughn, Satellite Sam, Secret Identities, Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses, Superman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Manhattan Projects: The Sun Beyond the Stars, Titan, Tom Waltz, Valiant, zero
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
- 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
- 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 #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 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
- 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
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