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I&N’s Top Ten of 2013

31 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in Uncategorized

≈ 27 Comments

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Abstract Studio, Adventure Time, Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake, Afterlife With Archie, Ales Kot, Archer & Armstrong, Archie, Austin Harrison, Bad Houses, Bandette, Battlefields, BOOM!, Brian K. Vaughan, Buzzkill, Clone, Daredevil, Dark Horse, Dark Horse Presents, DC, Dean Motter, Deathmatch, Dial H, Dynamite, Fiona Staples, Fred Van Lente, Fury: My War Gone By, Garth Ennis, Goran Parlov, Greg Rucka, Harold Gray, IDW, Image, Jeff Stokely, kaboom!, Lazarus, Manifest Destiny, Marvel, Mateus Santolouco, Matt Kindt, Michael Lark, Michael Walsh, Mike Raicht, Mind MGMT, Mind the Gap, Mister X: Eviction, Mister X: Hard Candy, Morgan Jeske, Nelson Daniel, Numbercruncher, Oni, Rachel Rising, Sabretooth Swordsman, Saga, Satellite Sam, Seth, Simon Spurrier, Six-Gun Gorilla, Star Wars, Terminator, Terry Moore, the Hernandez Bros, The Massive, The Sixth Gun, The Spirit, Thumbprint, Titan, Tradd Moore, Trillium, Valiant, Vertigo, Wild Blue Yonder, Will Eisner, Winsor McCay, Zach Howard, zero

Welcome to the 46th Annual I&N’s Top Ten Comics of the Year (aka “The Innies”)! Why it seems like just yesterday that a struggling little mag named “The Amazing Spider-Man” edged out “The Adventures of Jerry Lewis” for the top spot on our hallowed list, signaling the spectacular rise of one and the slow descent into obscurity of the other.

Each title below is testament to the fact that, even as conventional wisdom holds that print is dying, comics are in the midst of some kind of Renaissance. The persistent stereotype that this vibrant, global medium is followed by sad, middle-aged men who like to see men in tights beat each other up simply doesn’t hold water anymore, nor has it for quite some time. The fact is, the problem is no longer a lack of diversity in incredible material for any and all possible demographics; it’s that there’s too much of it to keep track of! No less than seven publishers are represented in our Top Ten, each producing catalogues of more great work than we could ever hope to encompass in our tiny alloted piece of the internet. (You’ll note we even had to expand our “Honorable Mentions” section to ten books apiece – and we could’ve used ten more!) Simply put: everyone should be reading comics.

As always, we here at I&N welcome debate – hell, that’s the whole point. Just be aware that results below have already been encrypted onto floppy discs and blasted into space for the benefit of our future alien overlords. (DM)

The List!

10. Archer & Armstrong (Valiant): When Valiant, earlier this year, began hyping up their new title Quantum and Woody as their foray into buddy-action slapstick comedy, I wanted to yell “Wait! They’ve already GOT one of those!” But Archer & Armstrong is much more than that. Fred Van Lente and Co. have taken the best of Lethal Weapon, The X-Files, ancient Sumerian mythology, Dan Brown-type conspiracy novels, Dr. Strangelove, and god knows what else, and concocted a world-spanning epic that despite its breakneck pace and impeccable comic timing, manages an intellectual underpinning that questions the very nature and origins of faith. Even at its most gleefully satirical, however, the sheer exuberance of the writing embraces an expansive view of humanity, in all its wonders and frailties. Fun in a bottle, folks. (DM)

Archer & Armstrong

9. Fury: My War Gone By (Marvel): Garth Ennis proves he’s one of the most incisive writers around (not just in comics) on the subject of war. His deconstruction of the Marvel soldier/spy icon (lately supercool due to Samuel Jackson’s sleek big screen portrayal) is the least of this title’s attributes (which is on our Top Ten for the second year running). Ennis’ story (rendered with appropriate, unblinking grit by Goran Parlov) also serves as an insider’s account through the anguished  litany of armed conflict of the second half of the 20th century. Most devastatingly, it portrays the effects of war, not on the nameless many whose lives are needlessly cut short, but on the wretched perpetrators who survive. Merciless and shattering. (DM)

Fury: My War Gone By

8. Zero (Image): Ales Kot, the enigmatic engineer behind the challenging Change (Image), a mostly on-time bullet train of thought fueled by a combustible blend of poetry and pictures, has heroically hit the brakes on the overplayed and over-parodied secret agent genre, expertly taking it from 007 to Zero in no time flat. He’s applied the same amount of poetic pressure here, but to a more successful–and coherent–end storytelling-wise: the danger is palpable, the emotion undeniable–thanks, in part, to the rather complex collaborative effort that has called for four different artists on the first four issues of the series–a move that has transcended gimmick and, instead, has proven invaluable, if only because the first four artists have been Michael Walsh (Comeback), Tradd Moore (The Strange Talent of Luther Strode), Mateus Santolouco (Dial H, TMNT), and Morgan Jeske (Change). My experience thus far: #1 hooked me with its perfect timing and left me lying in the gutter; #2 knocked me upside-down; #3 disarmed me; and #4 made me love it–made me punch-drunk love it, damn it! What makes the book even more exciting? It defies expectations. I expect that it’ll continue defying expectations as we move into 2014. And, in that, I expect Zero to be just as good as it’s been–if not infinitely better because we’re getting the best of Kot, who’s clearly giving us everything he’s got. (SC)

Zero #4

Zero

7. Lazarus (Image): Greg Rucka’s vision of a near-future oligarchic dystopia gets under your skin because, in the tradition of Huxley and Orwell, it seems an all-too-plausible extrapolation of our current reality. The story is made even more unsettlingly concrete by Michael Lark’s stark, photorealistic visuals. Contrast the plight of the teeming masses with the power-hungry family dynamic of the ultra-privileged few, and you have a potent, volatile mix. A comic for our times. (DM)

Lazarus #2

Lazarus

6. Wild Blue Yonder (IDW): Sure, it’s only three issues in, but what a three-issue ride it’s been!  We’ve celebrated this action-packed series from its radar-arousing takeoff, with each high-speed pass earning enviable I&N accolades along the way.  (Check out the love here, here, and here.)  Top Gunners Mike Raicht, Zach Howard, Nelson Daniel, and Austin Harrison have come together in classic diamond formation to deliver one superior salvo after another, each on its own–and as a whole–a blockbuster that would humble Hollywood’s own best of 2013. (SC)

Wild Blue Yonder

Wild Blue Yonder

5. Rachel Rising (Abstract Studio): Terry Moore presents a truly American horror story: witches, serial killers, and a resurrected figure of biblical origins seeking vengeance for the sins of our nation’s past. Oh yeah, and the Devil. Moore draws you in with the quiet beauty of his artwork; his snow-covered renditions of the sleepy town of Manson enveloping you like a down blanket in front of a fireplace, before the sharp spasms of bloodletting shock you right back into his nightmare. However terrible the events depicted though, Moore seems to suggest they pale against the cruelties of history. Speaking of cruelties, let’s hope a purported television adaptation staves off recent talk of this book’s imminent demise. Because the real horror story would be a world without Rachel Rising. (DM)

Rachel Rising

4. Saga (Image): Saga is a lot of things: a superlative satire, a side-splitting sci-fi romp, a heart-wrenching romance, a critique of fiction, a controversy magnet; but most of all, it’s extraordinarily consistent; and it’s that consistency that fosters a critical expectation: to expect the unexpected.  On a monthly basis, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples serve up sublime slices of a greater story–slices that showcase razor sharp dialogue, that pitch perfect pathos, that sell sure shocks; they wisely fool with the elements of fiction and, like confident alchemists, have come up with issue after issue of 22-page gold–and we’re all the richer for it. (SC)

Saga

Saga

3. Six-Gun Gorilla (BOOM!): In the biggest surprise of the year, Si Spurrier conducts a multi-layered masterclass in metaficiton and at the same time delivers a eulogy on the dying art of escapism.  From the existential exposition of this weird, weird western to its necessarily hopeful final act, Spurrier’s imaginative muse–the Six-Gun Gorilla, himself–becomes Blue’s, and then naturally becomes ours as we consent to the writer’s every insistence; as we gladly lose ourselves in this genre-bending–and never-ending–battle between reality and fiction, good and evil, and fate and freewill, which is brought to life by rising star Jeff Stokely, whose artwork crucially complements the conflicts at the core of the story.  At the same time a celebration of a culture’s vital literary legacy and a criticism of the current collective unconscious, Six-Gun Gorilla has earned its spot in the Western Canon of Comics–and our Top Ten–with a simple but oft-neglected gesture: by making and keeping a primal promise. (SC)

Six-Gun Gorilla #2

Six-Gun Gorilla

2. Mind MGMT (Dark Horse): Matt Kindt’s magical mystery tour de force Mind MGMT—our #3 book of 2012–continues to astound, especially as its crafty creator meticulously molds the medium to suit his carefully constructed conspiratorial agenda.  As the story of the eponymous enigmatic entity has evolved, so too has Kindt’s strategy for telling it: his precise, patient prose; his layouts, enlivened by some otherworldly calculus; and his innovative brushstrokes of genius merge miraculously and challenge us to think and to feel, to be active participants in the world in which we’ve been immersed: to put beautifully painted pieces together in order to experience–along with the impressive cast of characters–confusion and loss, the conflation of time, and a higher power drawing us somewhere unprecedented in breadth and scope–drawing us in to the mind of the medium’s finest manager. (SC)

Mind MGMT #13

Mind MGMT

1. Mister X (Dark Horse): There are many approaches to creating great comics. One of them is largely collaborative, in which the creative duties are are separated and clearly defined (writer, artist, colorist, letterer, etc). Through an amalgam of traditional, action-based American comics and the more leisurely paced, lushly visual influence of manga, this approach has evolved over the last twenty years or so into what could be called a “cinematic” style; a treatment of the comic book form that seems based in the ethos of filmmaking (Lazarus, above, is an excellent example of this). Then there is another approach (let us call it the “auteur’s” approach) in which the cartoonist (let us rescue this title from the cultural dung-heap) assumes all of the above creative responsibilities to produce narratives that are singular and personal in a way that no other visual medium, not even movies, can replicate. Since they control all aspects of the work – not just writing and drawing, but page design, panel lay-out, font style and placement and all sorts of graphic elements; in short the whole package – they can, at their best, perfectly marry content and form in a manner that is unique to the comics medium. It is an approach with a history that extends at least back to Will Eisner and The Spirit. Perhaps because it takes such a concerted effort by a single individual, this type of formal, experimental approach is most often seen in the realm of the “graphic novel”. Rarely is it employed in our beloved, stapled floppies (though glimmers of hope have begun to appear on the comic racks: see Matt Kindt, above and below). And then there is Mister X. Created by Dean Motter in the early 1980’s, (when “graphic novels” barely existed as an idea) the title has long been a touchstone among independent-minded cartoonists (early contributors include the Hernandez Bros and Seth). In its latest iterations, Hard Candy and Eviction, Motter continues to seamlessly wed both approaches: there is the clear stylistic influence of German Expressionism and film noir for which the comic is known, but there are also the aforementioned design choices that reflect the themes of the narrative itself. The story involves the mysterious architect of a city in which the very buildings (in all their art deco glory) seem to respond to, and adversely influence, the psyches of its very inhabitants. This theme, played out in yarns that are at once hard-boiled, surreal and whimsical, acts as a fitting metaphor for the experience of the reader, as they interact with the “architecture” of Motter’s intricate design. Further, Motter includes delightful homages to the likes of Harold Gray (“Little Urchin Andy”), Winsor McCay (“Dream of the Robot Friend”) and the aforementioned Eisner (see cover below) which pay tribute to the comics history of which Mister X is a part, while, again, also making sense within the story itself. The overall effect is immersive and beguiling. Some comics tell great stories. Some comics celebrate their history. Some comics continue to push at the boundaries of the medium. And then there is Mister X. Book Of the Year. (DM)

Mister X:Eviction

Derek’s Honorable Mentions: 20. Dial H (DC) 19.  Afterlife with Archie (Archie) 18. Manifest Destiny (Image) 17. Thumbprint (IDW) 16. The Massive (Dark Horse) 15. Battlefields (Dynamite) 14. Adventure Time (kaboom!) 13. Numbercruncher (Titan) 12. Trillium (DC/Vertigo) 11. Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake (kaboom!)

Scott’s Honorable Mentions:

20. Battlefields (Dynamite) 19. Daredevil (Marvel) 18. The Sixth Gun (Oni) 17. Deathmatch (BOOM!) 16. Satellite Sam (Image) 15. Clone (Image) 14. Numbercruncher (Titan) 13. Mind the Gap (Image) 12. The Massive (Dark Horse) 11. Trillium (DC/Vertigo)

Best Single Issue of the Year: Mind MGMT #17 (Dark Horse)

With #17, Kindt reaches new heights, goes to greater lengths–particularly in page-busting panels of crisply-crafted and concurrent continuous narratives–to exploit the power of the medium.   As promised by the clever cover–one awash in paranoia and paronomasia–the story moves at a breakneck pace: from a locked and loaded unhappy Home Maker to a veritable orgy of violent rivers running toward a simultaneous orgasm of double-page splashes–there goes the neighborhood, indeed!–to a crack shot Meru, who, with a twist of Lyme, is ready to take the reins and restore reason to the world one agent at a time.  The whole damn thing’s a miracle, really.  Hell, at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kindt could turn his watercolors to wine; his work is that divine. (SC)

Mind MGMT #17

Mind MGMT #17

Publisher of the Year: Most comics-related outfits have finally caught onto Image Comics‘ trend-setting ways and already bestowed this honor upon them (no doubt, in no small part, due to our ahead-of-the-curve naming them Publisher of the Year in 2012 😉 And with stellar debuts like Lazarus and Zero (not to mention books like Manifest Destiny and Rat Queens) the accolades are hard to dispute. But let us do just that (contrary bastards that we are). Because 2013 was the year that a bevy of other publishers took a page from Image’s playbook and produced work, much of it creator-owned, that was just as innovative, idiosyncratic, and invigorating as Image’s output. BOOM!, IDW, Oni, Dyanmite – all produced titles of creativity, breadth and distinction. But there was one publisher that rose unexpectedly, like its namesake, above the rest: Dark Horse. While never taking their eye off their bread-and-butter licensed properties (like Star Wars and Terminator) Dark Horse branched out into new territory with exciting minis from largely unknown creators (Buzzkill), original graphic novels (Bad Houses), and printed versions of high quality digital comics (Bandette, Sabretooth Swordsman). And let’s face it, Dark Horse has been doing the creator-owned, independent thing for over twenty years, as evidenced by the revival of the premiere comics anthology, Dark Horse Presents. So while Image is the current industry darling (and deservedly so), we can’t ignore the evidence of our comic-lovin’ eyes: the best overall books of 2013 (including our Top Two titles) were published by Dark Horse Comics. (DM)

Looking forward to 2014,

Scott & Derek

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I&N Scott’s Bag (8/28)

07 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in I&N Scott's Bag

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Aaron Campbell, Andy Diggle, Avatar, Batman/Superman, Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Wood, Dan McDaid, Dark Horse, David Marquez, DC, FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, Frazer Irving, Garry Brown, Greg Pak, IDW, Image, Jae Lee, Jason Ciaramella, Jim McCann, Joe Hill, Marvel, Matt Kindt, Max Brooks, Mind MGMT, Mind the Gap, Raulo Caceres, Robbi Rodriguez, Rodin Esquejo, Simon Oliver, The Extinction Parade, The Massive, Thumbprint, Ultimate Spider-Man, Uncanny, Uncanny X-Men, Vertigo, Vic Malhotra, Yildiray Cinar

Wow. A rough week. My go-to joint didn’t have all of the books I expected it to have. As a result, my bag’s a little lighter than I hoped it’d be.

  • Uncanny X-Men #11 (This is what I’ve been waiting for!  It’s Bendis’s best turn on an X-book: stuff actually happens, which is remarkable on its own, sure, but it happens to happen with an uncanny urgency, which is actually kind of all-new for Uncanny; and Irving’s art is stunning–sometimes impossibly so–and exciting, upping the urgency ante page after page.  OK, so, this either sets up really well the Battle of the Atom crossover to come, or, more likely, it has set the bar too high.  Who knows what the future holds?)
Uncanny X-Men #11

Uncanny X-Men #11

  • The Massive #15 (The opening sequence, which establishes a tipping point in the relationship between Mag and Georg, is like walking the plank and falling into a sea of tension.  Amazingly, Wood and Brown are able to keep the sea roiling even as they rush awkwardly toward the end of the arc; yeah, they certainly haven’t heeded Callum’s wise yet naive call for a more tempered pace: “This isn’t a race”; but, thanks to some shrewd moves, the tension is still very much in-your-face.  Oh, and suddenly Mary’s The Massive‘s Mara?  Can’t wait to see how that works out.)
The Massive #15

The Massive #15

  • Mind the Gap #13 (An excellent issue.  The stingy Jim McCann answers some important questions and does so using two terrific narratives.  The juxtaposition of the past and the present is played up superbly, in part, thanks to the very different styles of artists Rodin Esquejo and Dan McDaid.  Elle may be dying, but Mind the Gap is very much alive!)
  • Mind MGMT #14 (If you’re the kind of person who can’t help but judge a book by its cover, then this is the book for you.  So wonderful–inside and out.  Kindt unearths more about Meru–herself a novel nymph–and does so beautifully, inundating each page with his signature watercolors, proving once and for all that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.)
Mind MGMT #14

Mind MGMT #14

  • Batman/Superman #3 (Similar to Mind the Gap, the past and the present are tackled by two artists with decidedly different styles–here, it’s Jae Lee on “now” and Yildiray Cinar on “then.”  Interesting idea, having Clark and Bruce meet as children.  Outside of that, Greg Pak continues to serve up a potentially clumsy story with a deft hand.  Yup: he’s still monkeying about in Morrisonville, but it’s all good: see, he’s making good on the majesty we all crave when it comes to Superman–Supermen, in this case–and the mystery we want from any and all Batmen.)
  • Thumbprint #3 (The challenge was pretty great: live up to or surpass somehow the first two issues–each an I&N Book of the Month, by the way.  Unfortunately, in the end, like Mal’s necklace, the creative team–adapting Joe Hill’s original story–proved to be all thumbs as they twiddled together this finale.  Thumbprint–last month, one issue away from glory–is left to join the ranks of the many mediocre minis that misfired the final round.)
  • Uncanny #3 (Ended up better than I expected it’d be after last issue.  I guess I’ll stick around for another.)
  • Ultimate Spider-Man #26 (Here I was, after #25, all excited that Miles was back in the suit; heck, I even gave Bendis credit for manipulating me–a staunch maskless Miles supporter–toward that excitement.  And what do I get for my trouble?  An homage to Where’s Waldo?  I guess they weren’t kidding with the “Spider-Man No More” banner on the cover.  Sheesh.)
  • FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #2 (Umm…what was wrong with Collider?  “A rose by any other name,” right?  Whatever the title, not particularly interesting–not until the end, anyway.  Don’t think it’ll be enough to inspire me to grab #3, though.  There’s got to be a formula…  Where’s Mr. McKlinsky when I need him?)
  • The Extinction Parade #2 (Not bad.  Despite globetrotting at a bite-neck pace, a bit leaden at times.  No surprise here: my wife, again, enjoyed it more than I did.)
  • American Vampire Anthology #1 (Herein lies the brilliance of Scott Snyder: teams of renowned writers and artists rip and tear their ways through the AV mythology, leaving a blood trail of vignettes, one better than the next.  Like the vamps in Ba and Moon’s “Last Night,” I’m “hungry for more.  Very hungry”–and I can’t wait to see what happens next!)
American Vampire Anthology #1

American Vampire Anthology #1

So, yeah, my local shops, for some reason, were not well-stocked this week.  They didn’t have Lazarus #3, TMNT #25, or FF #11.  Crazy, right?  Luckily, I have a friend in DerekNerd, who just so happens to call Midtown Comics his regular Wednesday haunt.  He was able to score them for me; just have to wait until Monday to get my hands on ’em.

Turning pages,

Scott

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What’s I&N Store (8/28)

28 Wednesday Aug 2013

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

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Aaron Campbell, American Vampire, Andy Diggle, Batman/Superman, Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Wood, Collider, Dark Horse, David Marquez, DC Comics, Dynamite, Extinction Parade, FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, FF, Frazer Irving, Garry Brown, Greg Pak, Greg Rucka, IDW, Image, Jae Lee, Jason Ciaramella, Jim McCann, Joe Hill, Kevin Eastman, Lazarus, Marvel, Mat Kindt, Mateus Santolouco, Matt Fraction, Max Brooks, Michael Lark, Mike Allred, Mind MGMT, Mind the Gap, Raulo Caceres, Rodin Esquejo, Scott Snyder, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Massive, Thumbprint, Ultimate Spider-Man, Uncanny, Uncanny X-Men, Vertigo, Vic Malhotra

Gonna bang this one out.

  • The Massive #15 (Dark Horse): A monthly highlight.  This time around, looks like the plan is to light up a submerged NYC.
  • Mind MGMT #14 (Dark Horse): Another gorgeous cover for an issue covering Meru.
Mind MGMT #14

Mind MGMT #14

  • American Vampire Anthology #1 (DC/Vertigo): A buncha big names takin’ a bite outta Snyder’s AV?  Sounds good to me!  However, it looks like they’ll be takin’ a bite outta my wallet, too.  $7.99?  Ack!
  • Batman/Superman #3 (DC): So far, so good.  Jae Lee’s killing it.
  • FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #2 (DC/Vertigo): Or is it Collider #2?  Color me a bit confused about the title.  Still gonna buy it, though.
  • Thumbprint #3 (IDW): A terrific first two issues–both I&N Books of the Month–have led to this.  The highest of expectations.
Thumbprint #3

Thumbprint #3

  • Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles #25 (IDW): Speaking of expectations: I didn’t expect to be here this long.  Thing is, it’s really good.  And to think I jumped on board simply to support artist Mateus Santolouco.
  • Lazarus #3 (Image): Rucka’s rocking it out, and Lark’s leaving it all on the page.
Lazarus #3

Lazarus #3

  • Mind the Gap #13 (Image): Surprise!  Doublin’ up in August, eh?  Works for me: a quicker turnaround for a title with a complex storyline is definitely appreciated.
  • FF #11 (Marvel): Sure, #10 was a tad self-indulgent.  It was also friggin’ fun.  F-ing Fraction.
  • Ultimate Spider-Man #26 (Marvel): Can’t believe how Bendis was able to manipulate me into wanting Miles to suit up.  And then he was kind enough to give me what I wanted.  Son of a gun.
Ultimate Spider-Man #26

Ultimate Spider-Man #26

  • Uncanny X-Men #11 (Marvel): This is going to sound really strange: I’m looking forward to this.  Felt weird to type it, even.  But it’s true: #10 was darn good, after all–especially with Frazer Irving’s finally coming into his own.
  • Extinction Parade #2 (Avatar): Oddly enough, my wife is looking forward to this more than I am.  Still can’t get her to read Saga, though.
Extinction Parade #2

Extinction Parade #2

  • Uncanny #3 (Dynamite): #2 wasn’t particularly good.  This may be it for me.

What are you looking forward to this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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Top 5 Books of July

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in 5 Comics You Should Be Reading

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BOOM!, Brian Michael Bendis, Captain Video, Chris Bachalo, Cyclops, Dark Horse, Dean Motter, His Girl Friday, Howard Chaykin, IDW, Image, Jason Ciaramella, Jeff Stokely, Joe Hill, L.A. Confidential, Mad Men, Marvel, Matt Fraction, Mike Raicht, Mister X: Eviction, Mystique, Nelson Daniel, Satellite Sam, Simon Spurrier, Six-Gun Gorilla, Stuart Immonen, Thumbprint, Vic Malhotra, Wild Blue Yonder, Will Eisner, Winsor McCay, Zach Howard

5. Satellite Sam #1 (Image): Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin take us back to the dawn of television for a behind-the-scenes look at the type of low-fi, sci-fi program that nostalgists pine for as evidence of a simpler, more innocent time. But what Fraction and Chaykin show us is anything but: murder, sex, and best of all the breathless pacing and snappy dialogue of such stylish, seedy media sneak-peeks as L.A. Confidential, Mad Men and His Girl Friday. Captain Video this ain’t. Rather, with its mature themes and sophisticated storytelling, this is the kind of comic to give to people who don’t read comics. We need more like this. (DM)

Satellite Sam #1

Satellite Sam #1

4. Thumbprint #2 (IDW): Jason Ciaramella and Vic Malhotra deftly continue their adaptation of Joe Hill’s tour-de-force story about the horror that has seemingly followed a disgraced Iraqi War veteran back home. Emphasis on force: this issue largely concerns a flashback to a wartime episode of breathtaking cruelty. Hill’s accomplishment is not in the depiction of the act itself, but in the implicit conveyance that, as bad as this is, there were things that went on that were much, much worse. (DM)

Thumbprint #2

Thumbprint #2

3. Wild Blue Yonder #2 (IDW): Regular readers might remember that I celebrated the series’ opening salvo as a summer blockbuster.  Yeah, well, this issue takes all of the itty-bitty block bits left over from the initial blockbusting and busts them into even itty-bittier pieces!  Mike Raicht scripts the light fantastic as he slides from the Dawn to the dark side; as he builds bonds and, just like that, breaks them.  Zach Howard and Nelson Daniel come in heavy, bringing each scene to life or death with their gorgeously gritty artwork.  That’s right: grab your popcorn and pick the perfect seat: when it comes to high-flying fun, Wild Blue Yonder can’t be topped.  Two issues in and it’s quite clear: the sky’s the limit. (SC)

Wild Blue Yonder #2

Wild Blue Yonder #2

2. Six-Gun Gorilla #2 (BOOM!): Duck Dynasty ain’t got a damn thing on this simply “perfick” reality show from Simon Spurrier and Jeff Stokely.  Attention must be paid!  Hell, it’s “the name of the game.”  And if you’re not paying attention to this wild, wild western–if you’re not runnin’ with the ‘rilla by now–you’re clearly of questionable taste.  But, hey, it’s Goodall–I mean, it’s all good.  Sure, it’s possible–but not likely–you’re just not that into action-packed satires that co-star cigar-chomping simians who sell their lines like they’re looking to earn enough scratch to buy a big ol’ bunch of bananas before Blazetime. Yeah, that’s what I thought.  We ostentatiously tossed roses at the dusty knuckles of #1 (it was our Book of the Month for June), but Spurrier and Stokely very well may have raised the monkey bar with this one. (SC)

Six-Gun Gorilla #2

Six-Gun Gorilla #2

1. Mister X: Eviction #3 (Dark Horse): Dean Motter’s contender for Book of the Year is not just a compelling story with beautiful art; it is also a love-letter to the medium itself. From the Will Eisner-inspired cover to the delightful Winsor McCay interlude, this book is just catnip for comics enthusiasts. If Satellite Sam is recommended for people who don’t read comics, this is a gift for people that do. Book of the Month. (DM)

Mister X: Eviction #3

Mister X: Eviction #3

Biggest Dis(appointment): Brian Michael Bendis’s X-Mess

Both Uncanny and All-New versions of the X-Men this month–#8 and #9 of the former and #14 of the latter–are X-ercises in the ol’ rhetorical runaround.  Oh, they’re perfectly pretty–thanks to Chris Bachalo and Stuart Immonen, respectively–but what do they accomplish, really?  That’s right: be honest with yourself and with the world: the answer’s disgracefully obvious: not much at all.  Now, I know we’re headed toward the big Battle of the Atom crossover and maybe the jogging in place is related to that.  As it is, Bendis’s X-titles have been X-tremely disappointing for some time now; yeah, sadly this isn’t the first month where I’ve been like Why am I still buying these damn things?  But I’m still buying ’em–because I still believe in Bendis and because I’m not quite ready to be an ex-X-Men reader.  See: I’m a sucker for Cyclops.  So, on one eye, I’m like, to hell with it; and on the other, I’m sure that something’s going to happen–and soon!–to justify my loyalty.  I just know it!  After all, Bendis himself  promises–through Mystique–that “[t]here’s a bigger picture” here.  And, if, in the end, all of these pointless little pieces fit together to form it, well, then shame on me for doubting.  And if they don’t, whom do I ask for a refund? (SC)

Turning pages,

Derek & Scott

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In Scott’s Bag (7/24)

28 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in I&N Scott's Bag

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Aaron Campbell, Aaron Ginsburg, Andy Diggle, Austin Harrison, Barry Kitson, Batman/Superman, Bloodshot, Brian Wood, Clone, David Schulner, DC Comics, Duane Swierczynski, Dynamite, Garry Brown, Greg Pak, Greg Rucka, Hawkeye, IDW, Image, Jae Lee, Jason Ciaramella, Javier Pulido, Joe Hill, Jordie Bellaire, Joshua Dysart, Juan Jose Ryp, Khari Evans, Lazarus, Mark Waid, Matt Fraction, Matt Kindt, Michael Lark, Mike Raicht, Mind MGMT, Paul Smith, The Massive, The Rocketeer & The Spirit, Thumbprint, Trevor Hairsine, Uncanny, Vic Malhotra, Wade McIntyre, Wild Blue Yonder, Zack Howard

Keepin’ it as unreal as I can:

  • The Rocketeer & The Spirit #1 (Read it!  Passed it over as I put together What’s Up? for the week.  Thanks to Derek, however, I didn’t leave the shop without it.  Lots of fun.  Signature Waid with great art from Paul Smith.)
The Rocketeer & The Spirit #1

The Rocketeer & The Spirit #1

  • Uncanny #2 (Read it!  Certainly good enough to keep me around for another issue.)
  • Thumbprint #2 (Read it!  Some strong moments.  A couple of typos.  Ends on the same note as #1, which is a bit disappointing considering the length of the series.  Conclusion here we come!)
  • The Massive #14 (Read it!  Solid.  Sure: loose lips sink ships  So, too, do secrets.)
The Massive #14

The Massive #14

  • Harbinger #14 (Read it!  More engaging than the final issue of the ultimately underwhelming Harbinger Wars mini.)
  • Mind MGMT #13 (Saving it to savor it.)
  • The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun #5 (A Bunn wrap!  Still kills me.)
  • Bloodshot #13 (Read it!  Great cover!  So-so story.  Kitson’s been a drag on the series.)
Bloodshot #13

Bloodshot #13

  • Batman/Superman #2 (Read it!  I liked it, particularly the end–and that final splash page.  Overall, complex but not confusing.)
Batman/Superman #2

Batman/Superman #2

  • Clone #9 (Read it!  Back in the plus column.)
  • Hawkeye Annual #1 (I’ll get to it eventually.)
  • Wild Blue Yonder #2 (Read it!  Liked it a lot–every aspect of it.  Yup: no sophomore slump here.)
Wild Blue Yonder #2

Wild Blue Yonder #2

  • Lazarus #2 (Read it!  One thing I like about Greg Rucka books: they read like Greg Rucka books.  Can’t wait to read more!)

Here’s a first: several strong second efforts in one bag!

What did you get in your bag this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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Top 5 Books of June 2013: Dig Comics!

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in 5 Comics You Should Be Reading

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Tags

American Vampire, Batman, Batman: Gates of Gotham, BOOM!, Brian Wood, Dark Horse, Dave Johnson, Dean Motter, Dig Comics!, Fleischer Brothers, Fury: My War Gone By, Garth Ennis, German Expressionism, Goran Parlov, Greg Rucka, Harold Gray, IDW, Image, Jason Ciaramella, Jeff Stokely, Joe Hill, Katsuhiro Otomo, Lazarus, Marvel, Michael Lark, Mister X: Eviction, New 52, Severed, Simon Spurrier, Six-Gun Gorilla, Superman Unchained, Swamp Thing, The Massive, Thumbprint, Vic Malhotra, Zero Year

Three stellar debuts and one astonishing finale. And the latest Mister X. Even as folks breathlessly scramble to prevent the Death of Comics, the medium is producing a broader range of excellent material than at any time in its history. Spread the word true-believer: everyone should be reading them. The List:

5. Lazarus #1 (Image): This book immediately stakes its ground alongside Brian Wood’s The Massive as a vital, involving piece of speculative science fiction. Whereas the former primarily deals with the effects of all-too-credible environmental disaster, Lazarus extrapolates our current economic debacle by asking ‘What happens when the 1% becomes the .0001%?’. Greg Rucka’s vision of a tech-saturated medievalism is compelling not only because of the verisimilitude of Michael Lark’s art, but precisely because it doesn’t feel as far-fetched as perhaps we’d like. A gripping debut. (DM)

Lazarus #1

4. Thumbprint #1 (IDW): Jason Ciaramella’s and Vic Malhotra’s excellent adaptation of Joe Hill’s novella involves a disgraced female soldier whose return home from Abu Ghraib is disturbed by an apparent stalker with knowledge of her dark past. Even as her privacy and safety are compromised, the reader is left to wonder who the real monster is. Adaptations of other media are tough to do; what works well in prose doesn’t always necessarily translate to comics. So far, Ciaramelia and Malhotra are pulling it off with aplomb. (DM)

Thumbprint #1

3. Mister X: Eviction #2 (Dark Horse): Hands down the most stylish book on the stands: retro-futurist, German Expressionist, neo-noir, New Wave, Pop Art. Dean Motter makes it ALL work, and then gives comics nostalgists an unexpected gift in the backup feature “Little Urchin Andy”, which is like Harold Gray’s classic as re-imagined by Katsuhiro Otomo and filmed by the Fleischer Bros. To call it a ‘mash-up’ would be to trivialize it. It is rather, a glorious orchestration, with Motter holding the conductor’s stick. Or is it a magic wand? (DM)

Mister X: Eviction #2

2. Fury: My War Gone By #13 (Marvel): A fitting finale for a series that has gone by far too quickly.  In this issue of reconciliation and resignation, the point of Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov’s hard-hitting history lesson–as seen through the aged eye of Nick Fury–is hammered home by George Heatherly’s grand-daughter during a conversation with the weathered warhorse: “most of it had been completely pointless.”  Our experience, however, tracing all of the lines on Fury’s face (see Dave Johnson’s terrific cover below), has been anything–everything–but. (SC)

Fury: My War Gone By #13

Fury: My War Gone By #13

1. Six-Gun Gorilla #1 (BOOM!): Easily our favorite book of the month.  And to think I thought it’d be no more than a one-note guilty pleasure!  Silly me.  In all actuality, Simon Spurrier and Jeff Stokely have cooked up something far more complex.  From one panel to the next, I was awed; I oft guffawed; and each turn of a page–and commensurate peel of a layer–cemented this sucker as a Book of the Week.  And as the month played out–and it was a heck of a month–what was left standing head and hairy shoulders above the rest?  A gorilla with a gun and a come hither “Howdy.” (SC)

Sixth-Gun Gorilla #1

Sixth-Gun Gorilla #1

Biggest Dis(appointment): Scott Snyder

Severed.  American Vampire.  Gates of Gotham.  Most of Batman‘s Court of Owls arc.  Most of his run on Swamp Thing.  Great stuff.  No hesitation at all: Scott Snyder’s the goods.  But as good as he’s been, he’s been pretty underwhelming of late.  Yup: he’s shown some cracks in the ol’ armor–especially with the superhero books he’s headlining.

Now, I don’t know how to explain it; I mean, I’m just the consumer; I don’t claim to have the answers.  But he seems to have become a victim of his prior success–success that translates directly–fairly or not–to expectations.  Super high expectations.

This is how I envision it:  Snyder’s a damsel in distress tied to the tracks, and the hype train that bears his name is bearing down on her–err, him.  And, you know what?  He needs a hero!  He’s holding on for a hero till the end of the night.  Sadly, neither Batman nor Superman was able to save him.

Just think about it for a minute.  Wash the hype from your eyes.  You know–you know it in your bones–that Batman #21 isn’t what you were hoping for when you first started salivating over the ubiquitous Zero Year adverts.

Batman #21

Batman #21

Really, now: what does it offer?  Another Death of the Family scenario?  Instead of the Batfamily, we’re looking at a Kane/Wayne war?  And the antagonist this time?  No, not the Joker: it’s the Riddler!  Really?  The Riddler?  There’s something funny about that, isn’t there?  Ugh!  Doubtless, we’ve seen Snyder borrow effectively from his previous work.  But this?  Come on!  This is almost insulting to us readers!  We deserve better, don’t we?

Well, we sure as hell didn’t get better with Superman Unchained #1.

Superman Unchained #1

Superman Unchained #1

Sure, the thing sold a ton; but what does that really mean?  I’ll tell you one thing it doesn’t mean: it doesn’t mean that the book is good–because it isn’t.  It’s a muddled mess that recalls the awkward wordiness of George Perez’s New 52 Superman and, inexplicably, the frivolousness of Scott Lobdell’s.  You know what it is?  It’s a special-effects laden blockbuster that, for all it’s blockbusting, fizzles out once the smoke clears.  (I am still talking about the comic, by the way.  No, really, I am.)  We all know that Scott Snyder’s better than this, don’t we?

Isn’t he?

Turning pages,

Derek & Scott

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Back & Forth: Gorilla/War

04 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by dmainhart in Back and Forth

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30 Days of Night, All-New X-Men, Battlefields, BOOM!, Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem, Brian Michael Bendis, Captain America, Criminal Macabre, Dark Horse, Dave Wacher, Doug Murray, Enrico Fermi, Fightin' Marines, Fury: My War Gone By, Garth Ennis, Heart Shaped Box, IDW, Image, Jason Ciaramelia, Jeff Stokely, Joe Hill, Jonathan Hickman, Kurt Vonnegut, Locke and Key, Marvel, Nick Fury, Nick Pitarra, Noel Sickles, Saga, Samuel Jackson, Saving Private Ryan, Sergio Leone, Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, Simon Spurrier, Six-Gun Gorilla, Steve Niles, Steven Spielberg, The Manhattan Projects, The' Nam, Thumbprint, Uncanny X-Men, Vic Malhotra, war comics, Weird War Tales, Will Eisner

Derek Mainhart: One of the things about the current comics landscape that we here at I&N are really excited about is the sheer variety of material being produced: comedy, drama, memoir, romance, crime, horror, etc. I’ve said it before: if you can’t find something that appeals to you, it’s because you aren’t looking. Having said that, given the reality of the world since 2001, it’s perhaps surprising that there’s been a relative dearth of one particular genre: war comics. So, as we celebrate the birth of our nation, we thought it appropriate to revisit this neglected corner of the comics store.

The heyday of war comics naturally began with WWII. Captain America famously punched Hitler in the face. The heroic exploits of our men in uniform filled the pages of titles like Fightin’ Marines and Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos (that’s right; long before Samuel Jackson’s ultra-cool portrayal of the man at the helm of flying CGI aircraft carrier, Nick Fury was a regular-army fightin’ grunt.) Through the ’50s and ’60s newsstands were replete with tales of grit, patriotism and sacrifice. Their popularity waned however to the point that in the ’70s the most notable war book was almost unrecognizable as such: Weird War Tales (emphasis on the Weird). It was perhaps inevitable that the genre should fade under the shadow of Vietnam. It is somewhat ironic then that the one significant war comic of the ’80s was The ‘Nam. Doug Murray’s fictionalized account of the Vietnam War, drawn partially from his own experiences, was remarkable both for the way it tackled its difficult subject matter as well as for being published by a mainstream publisher like Marvel, of all places. Lately, as we’ve previously noted, Garth Ennis seems to be single-handedly reviving the genre with his superlative Battlefields series, as well as his surprising Fury: My War Gone By, in which he brings the aforementioned Nick Fury back to his combat roots and then proceeds to make him witness and participant to the litany of American military misdeeds following “the good war”.

Well, happily, if this week’s books are any indication, Ennis has some company in the trenches:

We begin, not surprisingly, in WWII, our most eulogized of conflicts, where the lines of good and evil were, it seems, so clearly delineated. This contrast is literally, beautifully rendered in black and white in Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #1 (Dark Horse) by Steve Niles and Dave Wachter.

Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #1

Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #1

Scott Carney: Yeah, the storytelling here is a cut above.  The aforementioned pair–and it’s a magical pair, indeed–harvests horror and hope in an temperately-paced issue that plays out as a promise: evil will get its comeuppance.  Noah and his grandfather–generational bookends–are another magical pair, one that personifies the perpetual struggle between wonder and wisdom, which plays out tenderly–affected by the soft lines Wachter employs throughout, especially to craft the grandfather’s expressive countenance–during the debate over what to do with the downed RAF pilot and as the grandfather entrusts the means to salvation to his grandson with an aphorism that teaches the boy a grim reality: “sometimes it takes monsters to stop monsters.”

DM: Niles, best known for clever, over-the-top horror fare such as 30 Days of Night and Criminal Macabre, here displays a more heartfelt touch, especially, as you mention, in the boy’s relationship with his grandfather, but also in his stoic denial, and then acceptance, of his father’s fate. This is echoed by the quiet dread of a village that fears it is doomed by the encroaching forces of war – a fear that, sadly, always has currency, somewhere in the world. And Wacher’s truly remarkable art recalls not only the great Will Eisner’s later work, but even work from further afield – dare I mention Noel Sickles?

SC: While The Manhattan Projects (Image) delivers a tender turn in issue #11, in #12 masterminds Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra return tender to sender and unleash the monster–the one that has been exploiting Enrico Fermi’s identity all this time in order observe humanity–particularly to discover its capabilities as it pertains to some “out of this world things.”

The Manhattan Projects #12

The Manhattan Projects #12

Throughout the book, we’re treated to “drone” Enrico’s backstory, which, outside of how he came to be, clues us into the “other side” of scenes we’ve already encountered; I particularly enjoyed the flashback decked out with a dialogue overlay, which adds a dimension to the drama that unfolded during the scout team’s assault on the Siill, as initially seen in issue #5.  (For those keeping score: a similar strategy was recently employed–effectively so–by Brian Michael Bendis in a mini-crossover of sorts between All-New X-Men #10 and Uncanny X-Men #4.)  As the tragic tale of Enrico Fermi comes to a close, it’s worth noting that, despite the drone’s programmed prerogative, there remains a hint of humanity in the monster; but all the apologies in the world cannot save it from the monster meant to mete out final justice in this instance: a marvelously maniacal Einstein with a chainsaw cleverly tagged with E=MC^2.  My goodness!  Has the Cold War ever been any hotter than this?

Thumbprint #1 (IDW), based on Joe Hill’s novella of the same name and brought to the page by Jason Ciaramella and Vic Malhotra, is a well wrought thriller that exploits the more recent and far more politically polarizing Iraq War–specifically the moral suicide that was Abu Ghraib–as a backdrop for one vet’s struggle to reacclimate herself to her far less complicated life in New York, where the problems she’s facing are almost farcical considering what she dealt with and what she did in the infamous prison.  Yeah, it’s all par for the course for someone in her situation, really–until she receives by mysterious means a couple of thumbprints: one that triggers a flashback of a routine “soften[ing] up” of a prisoner at Abu Ghriab and another that really seems to soften her up a bit.

DM: Hill, who’s already proven his horror chops in comics (Locke and Key) and prose (Heart Shaped Box) here combines both worlds via an excellent adaptation by Ciaramelia and Malhotra. He’s taken the horror trope of the single, isolated damsel in distress and successfully turned it on its head; readers’ natural predisposition to root for her are tempered, if not wholly undercut, by the knowledge of her wartime actions. She may very well deserve whatever’s coming to her! Talk about “sometimes it takes monsters to stop monsters”!

SC: She responds to this faceless intimidation by carelessly casting threats to the wind–threats that she may very well be able to back up with the gun she’s got; I mean, she handles herself well enough with the all-too-handy John Perry, right?  But it’s clear: her bluster belies her vulnerability; it screams she’s scared.  Hell, after that last page, I know I am!

Thumbprint #1

Thumbprint #1

SC: But as good as those books are–and they’re really good–not a one can stand up to Six-Gun Gorilla #1 (BOOM!).  I’d be lying if I said I expected that to be the case.  I pretty much picked it up because of its being a #1 and, well, yeah, that and because of the promise of the title; I mean, let’s be honest, great apes and guns are the Reese’s of comics.  Yes, the prospect of some sort of shenanigans starring a side-armed simian guided my first few page turns.  But I found myself going bananas over one primate-free panel after another; and in that, it became clear: killa gorilla or no, this book is as fun as a bored-out barrel full of monkeys!

DM: The whirling dervish of a plot, from the mind of Simon Spurrier, involves a soldier, known only as “the Librarian,” who’s volunteered for a suicide mission on a faraway desolate planet. The Deal? He and the other members of his unit have been promised a big pay-out to their loved ones back on earth if and when they die in battle. The Twist? (SPOILER ALERT!)  They’re not fighting for freedom, national defense or any other noble cause; the entire enterprise is being broadcast back home as a reality show, with all the demographic pandering and ad revenue that implies. That’s right, they’re dying for ratings. Now that’s a 21st century war! Spurrier’s story, with its multilayered mishmash of wartime violence, science-fiction conceit, and sharp-eyed satire brings to mind some of Kurt Vonnegut’s work. But thanks to Jeff Stokley’s expansive art, it’s Vonnegut as stylistically filtered through Steven Spielberg in army mode (a chaotic early sequence recalling the opening of Saving Private Ryan) and the desolation of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns. The Result? The most promising sci-fi opening these eyes have seen since Saga. And I haven’t even mentioned that damn, dirty ape…Book of the Week.

Sixth-Gun Gorilla #1

Sixth-Gun Gorilla #1

You’ll have to pry this comic out of our cold, dead hands,

Scott & Derek

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In Scott’s Bag (6/12)

15 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by ScottNerd in Uncategorized

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Ales Kot, American Vampire, Batman, Bloodshot, Breath of Bones, Brian Reber, Clayton Henry, Cullen Bunn, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Duane Swierczynski, Eric Nguyen, Golem, Greg Capullo, H.A.R.D. Corps, Harbinger Wars, Helheim, IDW, Image, Jason Ciaramella, Jeff Stokely, Jim Lee, Joe Hill, Joelle Jones, Jonathan Hickman, Joshua Dysart, Nick Filardi, Nick Pitarra, Oni Press, Patrick Zircher, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, Simon Spurrier, Steve Niles, Suicide Squad, Superman Unchained, The Manhattan Projects, The Renegades, Thumbprint, Valiant, Vertigo, Vic Malhotra, X

Even though I’ve read a bunch already, I’m sticking with a simple rundown–with an insinuation or two tossed in for your own good.  Can’t fool around: gotta get to the latest Back & Forth, after all.

  • Helheim #4
  • Harbinger Wars #3
Harbinger Wars #3

Harbinger Wars #3

  • Six-Gun Gorilla #1 (If you didn’t already: BUY THIS BOOK!  You will NOT be disappointed.)
  • X #3
  • Thumbprint #1 (Also very good.  Don’t miss it.)
Thumbprint #1

Thumbprint #1

  • Suicide Squad #21
  • American Vampire: The Long Road to Hell
  • Half Past Danger #2
Half Past Danger #2

Half Past Danger #2

  • Superman Unchained #1
  • Batman #21
  • Breath of Bones: A Tale of the Golem #1
  • The Manhattan Projects #12
The Manhattan Projects #12

The Manhattan Projects #12

 

What did you get in your bag this week?

Turning pages,

Scott

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What’s Up?

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

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

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Tags

Ales Kot, American Vampire, Batman, BOOM!, Breath of Bones, Cullen Bunn, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Duane Swierczynski, Greg Capullo, Half Past Danger, Harbinger Wars, Helheim, IDW, Image Comics, Joe Hill, Joelle Jones, Jonathan Hickman, Nick Pitarra, Patrick Zircher, Scott Snyder, Six-Gun Gorilla, Steve Niles, Suicide Squad, Superman, Superman Unchained, The Manhattan Projects, Thumbprint, Valiant, X, Zero Year

Last week set a high bar: a lot of stand-out books–some confidently staking their claims as Top 5 material.  I don’t see this week topping it, but, no doubt, there’ll be plenty to talk about.

  • Breath of Bones #1 (Dark Horse): Steve Niles?  Yes, please.
Breath of Bones #1

Breath of Bones #1

  • X #2 (Dark Horse): I like a bad-ass vigilante as much as the next guy.  I want to love this, I really do.  I’m gonna give X–and hotshot scribe Duane Swierczynski– another shot at my heart.
  • American Vampire: The Long Road to Hell (DC): Well, well, hell.  The beginning of a big week for Scott Snyder–this one, with a big price tag, by the way.  I’ve really enjoyed American Vampire–which I’ve read in trades through Vol. 4–and am pretty sure I’ll enjoy this all the same.  I know I’ve been somewhat tough on Mr. Snyder of late–specifically for the late Death of the Family–but on AV, Snyder has been epically horrifying.
American Vampire:

American Vampire: The Long Road to Hell

  • Batman #21 (DC): Unless you’ve been under a rock–or in a cave–you know all about this one: Snyder and Greg Capullo’s next big storyline: Zero Year.
Batman #21

Batman #21

  • Superman Unchained #1 (DC): Hype very well could be Snyder’s kryptonite.
  • Suicide Squad #21 (DC): Ales Kot talked the Squad off the ledge and then drove ’em right the heck back up there–necessarily–with self-immolation on the brain.
  • The Manhattan Projects #12 (Image): M.I.A. in M.A.Y.  Glad it’s back: it’s easily one of the best books around.
  • Harbinger Wars #3 (Valiant): It’s been OK.  Not as strong as I thought it’d be; but that’s their own fault, really.  Valiant’s been pretty awesome overall.
  • Helheim #4 (Oni): Not quite there yet.  Still willing to wait on it because of my love for The Sixth Gun.
  • Six-Gun Gorilla #1 (BOOM!): A gorilla with a gun.  ‘Nuff said.
Sixth-Gun Gorilla #1

Six-Gun Gorilla #1

  • Half Past Danger #2 (IDW): I liked #1 enough–especially toward the end–to give it another go-round.
  • Thumbprint #1 (IDW): Will probably thumb through it.  Fitting, I know.

Did I miss anything?

Turning pages,

Scott

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