A weekly column in which Jake gives
short blurbs about the comics he’s
picked up that week. Reviewed in the order read, which varies but generally by
increasing anticipation. Disclaimer: he
knows very little about art, at least not enough to considerably honor such
tremendous undertakings, so…yeh,
there’s that.
Spider-Verse #4
Writer: Mike Costa
Artist: Andre Araujo
Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenburg
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Marvel
Spider-Gwen deals with last issue’s dramatic reveal, and the rest
of the Web Warriors investigate the seemingly benign Norman Osborn. There’s
little I can say about this title that I hasn’t already been said in previous reviews for this title. Costa’s
voices and plot remain the high point, the art remains the low. To clarify, Rosenburg’s colors work well enough and set the tone of each scene
splendidly, but the linework leaves some thing to be desired. Also, Costa’s Gwen Stacy is a bit more enjoyable than in her actual
series, with a nice reference and character moment. Though it only appears to work if one is a
fan of the character’s
involved, the comic does succeed in that aspect.
Captain Britain and the Mighty
Defenders #2
Writer: Al Ewing
Penciler: Alan Davis
Inker: Mark Farmer
Colorist: Wil Quintana
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Marvel
The forces of Mondo City have overrun
Yinsen City, and it’s up
to the Mighty Defenders to stop them. Did
you know this was only going to be two issues?
I certainly didn’t. While Ewing gives each character involved a
nice moment and wraps a neat bow on the entire thing, I can’t help but want more out of
this title set up. Which, I suppose is a
positive thing to say. The art team does
an excellent job with the chaotic breakout and the action scenes resulting
therefrom. CBMD’s only flaw is that it’s too short, which is a pretty good flaw to have.
Loki: Agent of Asguard #17
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Lee Garbett
Color Artist: Antonio Fabela
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel
This is the end. Loki versus
Those-Who-Sit-Above-In-Shadow. Loki
versus Loki. Loki versus our
expectations and all of reality.
Frankly, it’s
beautiful. Ewing, in his second ending
entry on this List, scripts an amazing conclusion to this emotional oddball of
a series. The competition for Loki
endings is stiff after Journey Into Mystery (Misery), but Ewing makes a worthy
entry, one that is simultaneously an evolution of those that came before and a
thing all on its own. Extra-special
mention should go to Lee Garbett, whose drawn almost this entire series with
hardly a break. His lines never wavered
or felt rushed, always clean a quality.
While this issue doesn’t
give him much to work with action-wise, his character work and emotional
prowess is on full display. Agent of
Asgard came from a strong pedigree of Loki stories and has earned its own lofty
place in such a pantheon.
Rat Queens #11
Writer: Kurtis J. Wiebe
Artist: Tess Fowler
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Ed Brisson
Image
The bitches are back, bitches, and they’re taking you to school! Literally. Hannah’s father is in trouble and the girls have set off for Hannah’s old university to find out
why. Wiebe wastes no time in jumping
into the book’s third arc,
and brings the delightful sass and vulgarity that readers have come to expect
from this series from opening page to closing panel. Joining Wiebe is Tess Fowler, the latest
artist on the book who worked on the excellent Braga Special from several
months ago. Her lines are a bit thicker
than Sejic’s, which gives
the book a weightier feel. She handles
the cute and the disgusting with equal competency, which is something every Rat
Queens artist needs. Meanwhile, Tamra
Bonvillain joins on colors, which I believe is the first time the main series
has had a colorist. Bonvillain, of Ghost
Racers fame, keeps the coloring and lighting consistent with the earlier
entries while showing enough to say that someone new is on the book. With a new adventure and a dash of new
creators, Rat Queen’s
third arc looks to have the same amazing qualities as the previous two. There, I got through a Rat Queens review
without screaming like a happy idiot onceohnoYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Silk #6
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Stacey Lee
Color Artist: Ian Herring
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Marvel
In the clutches of the Repairman (I
know), Cindy does her best to stay alive while trying to find out more about
her missing family in what is perhaps the best issue of the series. Thompson weaves a conclusion to the first arc
that satisfies and builds for further adventures (Silk is surviving the end of
the Marvel U, with her new series to debut after the reboot!). Things get suitably dark, but not so as to
make the climax too grimdark. Aiding in
this effort are Lee and Herring’s
art, which sells Thompson’s
script incredibly. There’s a somewhat cartoonish style
to Lee’s pencils but this
has always worked in her favor due to its consistent quality. Here, it excels with the intensity of Silk’s face as she fights for her
life one of the highlights of the comic.
Not to be left out, Herring’s
color choices of dull blue, violent red, and alternating yellow and black do
wonders for the already incredible art.
Silk remains a strong, out-of-nowhere title, one which I’m glad to see is surviving
Secret Wars.
So what did you pick up this week?
Agree or disagree with anything said here? Let us know in the comments.
Labels: Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders, Comics, Image Comics, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Marvel Comics, Rat Queens, Silk, Spider-verse
