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.
Thors #3
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artists: Chris Sprouse & Gordon
Sudzuka
Inkers: Karl Story & Dexter
Vines
Color Artists: Marte Garcia w/
Isreal Silva
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Marvel
After arresting him last episode,
Ultimate Thor brings the mysterious Loki in for for questioning, but, as would
be expected, possibly receives more questions than answers. Honestly, up until the closing moments of the
issue, Thors #3 is a bit dull. Aaron is
fully invested in the police procedural which is something that does not work
in his favor as the interrogation isn’t
really anything to write home about.
There’s very little
to make it engaging, which is something of a crime (heh) since this is the
first confrontation of a Thor and Loki, and quite possibly the first Loki in
all of Secret Wars. However, the last
moments reveal a twist in the series that reinvested my faith in the
story. This issue sees Sudzuka coming in
for the assist on pencils, but again, there’s not much notable until the last moments of the issue. The battle therein is beautiful and
awe-inspiring, the scenes before it considerably less so. It might be unfair to knock a conversation by
comparing it to a Thor fight, but I’ve
read some damn good comic convos in my day, and this feels like it should’ve been one of them. Despite missing the mark in this issue, Thors
as whole remains fairly solid with the ever-unraveling mystery an engaging
centerpiece.
Spider-Island #3
Writer: Christos Gage (Tom DeFalco
& Ron Frenz
Artist: Paco Diaz (Ron Frenz &
Sal Buscema)
Color Artist: Frank D’Armata (Andrew Crossley)
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Marvel
Agent Venom, fresh off of his recent
victory against the Spider-Queen, attempts to capitalize on his newfound gains
by taking out the villainess once and for all.
Despite penning a very grim story, Gage has found a way to make Spider-Island
extremely fun, thanks in large part to the Monster Avengers. After all, with the likes of Iron Goblin,
Cap-Wolf, Vampire Captain Marvel, and Lizard Hulk, there’s very little to not enjoy there. Even the Thermopolyaen sacrifice of one of
the heroes at the end feels satisfying, despite being a sad affair. Maybe it’s because the story mostly takes place underground, but it
finally feels like the art has matched the series in tone. Diaz has some great character moments and D’Armata coloring is superb in
both tone and shading. Though it feels
entirely like a What If? instead of a part of Secret Wars, Spider-Island is a
damn enjoyable title that I’m
sure will break my heart by its conclusion.
Silk #7
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Tana Ford
Color Artist: Ian Herring
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Marvel
It would be the end of the world when
Silk finally gets a lead on her long-lost family. Fate’s cruel like that.
With the apocalypse looming, Silk desperately races across town to find
her brother before it all ends. Thompson
crafts what might be his best issue yet as he pits Cindy against time and the
pitfalls of being a hero. He also gives
a wonderful moment to Cindy’s
boss, Jonah Jameson. While Jameson is
one of the best cartoonishly cynical characters ever, it is rather nice to see
a more human side of the once great newspaper magnate. Tana Ford is the guest artist for the final
issue of Silk and does an amazing job with the action beats, with the splash
page mid-issue standing out.
Unfortunately, Ford is less skilled when it comes to facial expressions. Sometimes, it is seriously distracting. There’s
a where a character is supposed to look pained, but I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be due to emotional turmoil
rather than intestinal troubles. While
it’s a shame the art
couldn’t be up to par with
the rest of the series, the writing is as strong as ever, which makes Silk’s return after Secret Wars all
the more exciting.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
The Woods #16
Writer: James Tynion IV
Illustrator: Michael Dialynas
Colors: Josan Gonzalez
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Marvel
Things are starting to come to a
head as Calder and friends attempt to
rescue Karen, while his conniving older brother Casey attempts to wrest
leadership of the survivors through underhanded means. The Woods is one of the most consistently
great series I read, which is saying something for a book so dependent on
Lost-ian mysteries. However, unlike that
letdown of a show, The Woods always seems to know where its going under the
commanding script of Tynion. As stated
numerous times previously, Tynion’s
characters are the crowning achievement of the writing and the opening scene is
so touching and effortless. While the
art is less trippy and more traditional, at least for the Woods, Dialynas and
Gonzalez to get a nice splash page to really flex their creative muscles. The Woods is a lovely book and one that
benefits from faithful reading.
So what did you pick up this week?
Agree or disagree with anything said here? Let us know in the comments.
Labels: Comics, Pulllist
