Team DBAH: The Pull List #51 for April 13 2016

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.

Writer: Jason Latour

Color Artist: Rico Renzi

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

With their dimensional teleporter stolen from them, the Spider-Women must navigate Earth-65 and try to find a way back home. Latour’s script takes its time building to the events of the story, allowing us to glimpse both the different features of Spider-Gwen’s world as well as her own place in it. Bengal’s art is a marked improvement over the previous issue, with his lines giving the characters a more animated styling. Some of his action-sequences could use a bit more breathing room, however, and this, combined with an explosive, neon palette from Renzi, makes for a somewhat overwhelming experience. Still, it’s a decent outing for the mini-event.

Moon Knight #1 BOOK OF THE WEEK

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Greg Smallwood

Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit

Moon Knight is back! Or is he? A ward of a mental institution, Marc Spector’s entire career, and entire life, is called into question. It’s a wonderfully tense plot from Lemire, who expertly uses Moon Knight’s continuity to throw it all into question. There’s a plethora of questioning what’s real and what’s insanity, both on the part of Marc Spector and on the part of the reader. Smallwood’s lines nail this aspect perfectly. His style shifts according to what is called for: fantastic, eerie pencils for the Moon Knight scenes and grounded, simple lines for the Marc Spector ones. Bellaire’s palette once again makes the book and her ability to inject a page with a dose of colored excitement is almost Manhattan Projects good. In as much as the volume before it, Moon Knight’s new #1 gets off to a grand start.

The Autumnlands #10

Writer: Kurt Busiek

Artist: Benjamin Dewey

Color Art: Jordie Bellaire

Lettering: John Roshell & Jimmy Betancourt of Comcraft

Dusty and Learoyd journey to the top of the mountain to discover the source of the corruption. It’s an excellent script from Busiek as it delves into some necessary development, both for the plot as well as the protagonists. It’s great to see Dusty coming into his own as a character, even if it seems like the other shoe is about to drop. Dewey and Bellaire have their hands full this issue, from giant explosions to mutated creatures to a woodland stampede, and they handle all of it with aplomb. While the mystery behind the current quest still eludes us, there’s no denying how enjoyable The Autumnlands’ journey is.