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.
Ultimates #1
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Color Artist: Dan Brown
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Marvel
You know it’s a jam-packed week when a book featuring Miss America
Chavez and Monica Rambeau written by Al
Ewing is the first book on the list. The
Ultimates is a group formed to fix the new universes most ultimate problems
and, as such, it’s a team
comprised of some of the most powerful individuals on the planet. Al Ewing’s proven he’s
a writer that can take the biggest and zaniest of ideas and break them down
into fun, delicious chunks and this issue is no exception. Although we don’t exactly understand what this team’s first mission is, we get an excellent idea of their
mission statement from the examples we’re
given. From Doc Brashear’s presentation of a frightening
new substance to Rambeau and MAC’s
battle on an alien world, you get a sense of what this team is about. Honestly, the reason this is so early on the
list is I wasn’t sure if I
would like the art style, having never read a Rocafort book to my
recollection. I’m glad to say my reservation was unfounded as both he and
Brown to a fantastic job with every aspect of the book. Utilizing some dynamic paneling choices to
intricate environments, Rocafort and Brown are more than a match for whatever
weirdness Ewing throws at them. With a
great cast of characters and a unique mission statement, Ultimates is going to
be a damn great series to read.
All-New Hawkeye #1
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Ramon Perez
Colors: Ian Herring
Lettering: VC’s Joe Sabino
Marvel
Spinning directly out of the events of
the last volume, Clint Barton and Kate Bishop (Team Hawkeye) must find a way to
overcome the gap that’s
cast between them and work together again.
Only, they don’t. For years, as evidenced by the book’s second half, a flash-forward
to the future where Kate Bishop has turned the Hawkeye name into a peacekeeping
entity and Clint’s
self-sabotage has left him friendless and alone. It’s
an interesting choice of story, one that’s a bit trickier to pull of than the book’s usual choice of showing us
stories of the past. But Lemire pulls it
off and hints at a bunch of things in the future that sound incredibly
fun. It’s just too bad the art isn’t up to par, which is a strange thing to say considering how
it’s the same team that
was killing it on the last volume.
Whereas Perez representations of the past were watercolored-esque and
astounding, his choice of style for the future storyline is sketchy in the
total sense of the word. While it’s definitely a thematic choice,
it leaves the product with an unfinished and subpar feel. Perhaps as a result, the present storyline’s art also appears to suffer
from a lack of quality, though in fairness he’s not given a whole lot to work with there. The last volume of Hawkeye was able to get
out of the shadow of the Fraction run and become an incredible story in its own
right, which makes it so strange that it seems unable to do so to itself in
this new volume, especially because nothing has changed on the creative
team. Subjective as it might be, that’s the impression I get from
this lackluster #1.
The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw #7
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Benjamin Dewey
Color Art: Jordie Bellaire
Lettering: John Roshell & Jimmy
Betancourt of Comicraft
Image
It’s baaaaaaack. After
the earth-shattering (see what I did there) events of last arc, we find Dusty
and Learoyd stranded in the wilderness, separated from the rescued group of
city-dwellers that have their own problems to deal with. It is the former plot that we mostly deal
with, as Dusty struggles with his faith in the Great Champion who is still
coming to grips with being a man out of time.
Busiek hasn’t
missed a beat and effortlessly weaves in exposition in character work as Dusty
explains more about the nature of the Autumnlands (also why it’s called that, so yay!). This is accompanied by a wonderful series of
illustrations by Dewey and Bellaire.
From the explanation of magic to the haunting departure of Seven-Scars,
the art in this book is top-notch and beautifully complex. Ah Autumnlands, it’s been too long and I’m so glad you’re
back.
Secret Wars #7
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Esad Ribic
Color Artist: Ive Svorcina
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Marvel
Still happening! That’s
right, the penultimate issue of Secret Wars is here and Doom’s kingdom has come crashing
down around him. With enemies marshaling
on all sides, the Doom struggles to keep his world intact…despite the fact that we
already know it doesn’t
stay that way. Yes, some of the punch
has been taken out of the story now that we are aware that it seems All-New
All-Different is so all-new or all-different, but Secret Wars is still a pretty
fun crossover event. After all, in this
issue we get to see Apocalypse throw down with an army of Thors and Baron
Sinister versus the Goblin Queen.
Hickman’s tightly
plotted script keeps the reader entertained, thanks to some snappy dialogue and
it’s ability not to take
itself too seriously. Ribic’s art continues to amaze and thankfully
there are no overly cartoonish expressions this time around. He and Svorcina do an excellent job of
selling the carnage and despair of the world’s last battle. There’s only one issue left, and it
looks to finish as strong as the rest of the series.
Southern Bastards #12
Writer: Jason Latour
Artist: Chris Brunner
Color: Jason Latour & Chris
Brunner
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Image
A shift in the creative team this month
sees things get really weird in this issue of Southern Bastards. We circle back to deal with the fallout of
Earl Tubb’s death,
focusing on the beating of his young friend Tad Ledbetter as well as one of
Coach Boss’s flunkies,
Materhead. As such, it’s kind of a mishmash of an
issue. The two stories connect at the
aforementioned beating and its consequences, but the issue still feels a bit
disjointed. However, despite Latour
subbing in for Aaron on writing duties this month, the dialogue is as strong as
ever. On art, Brunner is guesting on
this issue, and while his style is a bit more cartoonish than Latour’s, it’s a good fit for an issue that features a gloriously chaotic
sequence involving a brain damage/drug-induced hallucination involving a
cartoon chicken. Brunner can also pull
of the sinister scenes that Southern so often calls for. Owing to a set of disparate stories, the
third arc of Southern Bastards seems a bit more disjointed that the previous
two. However, all that is set to change
as it appears we’re
finally going to get to see the climactic showdown of Wetumpka and the Rebs
next issue.
Superman:
American Alien #1
Writer: Max Landis
Illustrator: Nick Dragotta (Matthew
Clark)
Colorist: Alex Guimaraes (Rob
Schwager)
Letterer: John Workman
DC
Pretty sure this is the highest a DC
book has ever been ranked on the Pull List.
Superman: American Alien #1 gives us a brief snapshot into the life of
Clark Kent and his adoptive family as Clark struggles with his blossoming powers. The result is heartwarming and one that doesn’t back down from the
drama. Landis makes you feel the
trepidation of the Kents as they deal with their superpowered son and the
sadness and disappointment of a young boy grappling with who he is. It’s
just a feel-good comic that doesn’t
try to add anything crazy to the Superman mythos other than making you
emphatically empathize with everyone involved.
Meanwhile, Dragotta and Guimaraes provide a soft touch to the tale with
rounded lines and delicate colors. The action
is conveyed well, and while some of the yelling expressions are a little much,
every other one speaks volumes. It’ll be interesting to see where
the series goes from here, what with skipping along the timeline and a rotating
cast of art teams, but it certainly is a strong start.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
The Wicked + The Divine #16
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Leila Del Luca (Jamie
McKelvie)
Colorist: Mat Lopes (Matthew Wilson)
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Image
With the Morrigan imprisoned, we take
some time to learn both her and her wayward boyfriend’s backstories. While
it’s generally what you’d expect thanks to the hints
and teases dropped along the way, there’s
still enough to surprise the reader and make the whole enterprise entertaining. Gillen has a field day hamming it up, both
with early the Morrigan (Marian) and her present self, that is simultaneously
sincere and self-mocking. He also
injects a healthy dose of emotion, as one would suspect, that naturalizes the
whole experience. Leila Del Luca, of the
much-loved Shutter, is on art this week and providing very expressive work, and
is therefor a perfect fit for the issue.
From facial expression to body language Del Luca nails every scene. Lopes works nicely on colors to as while the
present in Woden’s Vahalla
is a bright and shiny affair, the Morrigan’s past is suitably drab and mundane. Song still marches on as WicDiv remains
effortlessly strong.
So what did you pick up this week?
Agree or disagree with anything said here?
Let us know in the comments.
Labels: All-New Hawkeye, Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Secret Wars, Southern Bastards, Superman: American Alien, the Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw, the Wicked + the Divine, Ultimates
