The Pull List #72 - September 7 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.






Silk #12

Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artist: Tana Ford
Color Artist: Ian Herring
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Marvel
Silk’s quest to find her missing parents takes her and her friends to the Negative Zone where shit gets weird.  But fun!  Despite the perilous nature of their environ, the crew keeps things light with witty banter, mostly on the part of Lola and Rafferty, and the weirdness keeps the mystery moving and entertaining.  Said weirdness lends itself well to Ford’s style, who infuses the Negative Zone with appropriate alienness and wonder.  Silk’s adventures may have stepped off the familiar path, but it doesn’t seem like the quality has diminished in the slightest.  


Batman #6

Writer: Tom King
Pencils: Ivan Reis
Inks: Joe Prado, Oclair Albert, & Scott Hanna
Colors: Marcelo Maiolo
Letters: Deron Bennett
DC
After the end of I Am Gotham, Batman’s sixth issue see Gotham Girl dealing with the fallout in perhaps the worst way.  It’s an emotional issue from King, something that he’s quite good at, and manages to give us one of the best Bruce Wayne moments in recent memory.  Reis and a team of inkers, sell the script well, perfectly capturing every emotion and providing gorgeous backgrounds as well.  The next issue starts a line crossover which I’m not sure I’m down for due to budget and sales factors.  However, after this first arc, it’s safe to say that Batman is in good hands coming out of Rebirth.  


BOOK OF THE WEEK
Moon Knight #6

Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Wilfredo Torres, Francesco Francavilla, and James Stokoe
Color Artist: Michael Garland, Francesco Francavilla, and James Stokoe
Letters: VC’s Cory Petit
Marvel
After escaping Khonshu’s latest plot, Marc Spector must be free and clear, right? WRONG! It looks like his identities have been shattered and scattered across the world and he might even still be in the mental hospital. Lemire’s script is incredible, providing the reader with enough hints and clues to make them think they’re on the right path before ripping that world asunder.  The decision to have multiple artist depict the multiple points of view is perfect.  Torres and Garland are an amazing fit for the glitzy Hollywood life of Steven Grant, Francavilla is a no-brainer when it comes to the neon-noir misadventures of Jake Lockley, and Stokoe knocks Marc Spector’s sci-fi moon adventure out of the park.  Reading this issue is a pure joy and the next looks to heighten that enjoyment.  


The Woods #25

Writer: James Tynion IV
Illustrator: Michael Dialynas
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Boom! Studios
Another timeskip starts the final year of The Woods, and, for once, we get a look at how Earth is doing after the disappearance of an entire school.  It’s a neat scene and one that Tynion imbues with a great amount of heart and emotion.  Back on whereever-the-fuck, the kids have gotten on as best they can after the heart-wrenching events of the previous issue.  Dialynas covers all artistic duties on this one, and while the colors are a bit more muted than previous outings, there isn’t really a misstep.  The Woods has been a stellar example of quality genre work outside the Big Two, and, while I’m sad to see it end, I can’t wait to see where it goes.



But wait, there’s more!

CharlieDanger82 is helping out this week to cover some the new titles for DC Rebirth. Think of it like a backup story in your favorite book, just with less talented writing.







Nightwing #4
https://www.comixology.com/Nightwing-2016-4/digital-comic/397833

Writer: Tim Seeley
Art: Javier Fernandez
Colors: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
DC Comics

As the final chapter of "Better Than Batman" wraps up, there are double, triple and quadruple crosses abound! Some things are revealed about Raptor's past, but are they another lie? Who's side is he on? The questions raised by this issue, the dialogue, and the action will keep me coming back to this book. A great end to Nightwing's first DC Rebirth arc.


Green Arrow #6
https://www.comixology.com/Green-Arrow-2016-6/digital-comic/397908?ref=c2VyaWVzL3ZpZXcvZGVza3RvcC9ncmlkTGlzdC9SZWNlbnRBZGRpdGlvbnM
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Art: Stephen Byrne
Colors: Stephen Byrne
Letterer: Nate Piekos of BLAMBOT
DC Comics

As a kind of filler between arcs, this issue revolves around Emiko and her involvement with Ollie, Shado, the Ninth Circle, Clock King and the Yakuza. It's interesting that they put a kind of Speedy-esque spin on her character and, much like Raptor, because she's turned heel & face more times than Paul Wight (be proud of me, papa Jake), I still don't know if she's a hero or villain. It'll probably take a couple issues to resolve this new storyline, but with the giant cliffhanger that issue #5 gave us, I hope it's wrapped up quick.


Writer: Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason
Art: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray
Colors: John Kalisz
Letterer: Rob Leigh
DC Comics

This book comes close to Infinity Inc. #27. For those of you not in the know, Infinity Inc. #27 is my favorite comic book of all time. For all those writing comics who've lost sight of how a superhero should be written, how to instill heroism and heart in it's characters and hope in it's reader, please read this book.


Writer: John Semper Jr.
Art: Paul Pelletier, Sandra Hope, Tony Kordos
Colors: Guy Major
Letterer: Rob Leigh
DC Comics

Being a big Vic Stone fan from his early days in the Teen Titans, I really liked this book! It's a great jumping on point introducing the hero, his origin, a new villain, a new moral dilemma and a strange new threat that could jeopardize the entire world... And that's just the Rebirth issue! I found this to be a really enjoyable, old fashioned, super hero book with lots of action and pathos and I look forward to the series itself.


Writer: Paul Tobin, Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz, Korolina Stachyra
Dialogue: Travis Currit
Art: Piotr Kowalski
Colors: Brad Simpson
Letterer: Nate Piekos of BLAMBOT
Dark Horse Comics

Sorry, I know it came out last week, but I was broke last week. Being an enormous fan of the world of the Witcher, I couldn't pass this book up. Dark Horse does a really great job with their video game comics and this book id no exception. The story involves Geralt & Ciri as they are on the trail of a Striga when they diplomatically rescue a woman from a troll. This one act sets the Witchers on a path of twists and turns that seems to be cleverly resolved at the end til an ominous message is delivered in the final panel. I like how the book injects humor and heart into the characters and the flashback to The Last Wish (the first Witcher book by Andrzej Sapkowski) was a really nice touch. This book shows a LOT of promise.




So what did you pick up this week? 
Agree or disagree with anything said here? 
Let us know in the comments.

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