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.
Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor #1
Writer: George Mann
Artist: Emma Vieceli
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letterer: Richard Starkings and
Comicraft’s Jimmy
Betancourt
Titan
Here by popular demand (in more ways
than one it would seem), the little-seen Eighth Doctor’s adventures continue in the funny pages. Ostensibly before his more haggard rendition
in Night of the Doctor, Paul McGann’s
short-lived portrayal is of a brighter sort, certainly more so than the current
Twelve. After having a multitude of
adventures (found in non-comic books and audio plays, Number Eight returns to
Earth and of course runs into another adventure, this time featuring a young
woman and her living paintings. It’s a very enjoyable one-off
adventure and certainly a satisfactory first issue from George Mann, who’s written the Doctor
before. The dialogue is light and quick
and the pacing is done well. The art is
where the book really shines, thanks to Vieceli’s pencils and Hi-Fi’s
colors. The duo combine extremely well,
particularly when it comes to the latest companion, Josie, who’s unique features come off as
whole and beautiful, rather than garish.
Thanks to this, and expert plotting by Mann, the Eighth Doctor’s latest adventures should
appeal to fans both old and new.
Drax #1
Writers: CM Punk & Cullen Bunn
Artist: Scott Hepburn
Color Artist: Matt Milla
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel
On hiatus from his Guardians of the
Galaxy companions, Drax the Destroyer resumes his lifelong quest: destroying
Thanos. One problem: he has no idea
where to start. Writers CM Punk and
Cullen Bunn craft a more madcap tale than one expects, eschewing a major focus
on over-the-top violence that one would expect with the character (though there
is a bit at the start and more will likely come later). The series is more in line with Scottie Young’s Rocket Raccoon than say Ennis’s Punisher, which I suppose is
a good fit for the line overall. Their
Drax is a bit more expressive than the movie version and certainly more so than
the previous comics version, but it’s
a new universe so they can do as they please.
The shift certainly isn’t
unwelcome, particularly if the mean, green Destroyer is going to be helming a
solo book for any extended time. This
outlook makes Hepburn’s
art a perfect fit, as his lines are delightfully exaggerated and
cartoonish. Hepburn has a flair for both
comedic timing and expression which should serve the series well going
forward. Drax looks to be a fun comic
going forward, one that goes in an enjoyable, albeit slightly different
direction.
Survivors’ Club #2
Writers: Lauren Beukes & Dale
Halvorsen
Artist: Ryan Kelly
Colorist: Eva De La Cruz
Letterer: Clem Robins
Vertigo
The grim get grimmer as the members of
the Survivors’ Club try to
unravel the mysteries behind
Akheron and a mysterious killer stalks
the group. Beukes and Halvorsen keep the
juices flowing in the second issue, spinning new threads and continuing previous
ones. There’s also an astonishing amount of character work done in just
one issue, as we get a better feel for the protagonists and what their deal
is. Kelly again works wonders with what
he’s given, managing
subtlety in a splash page and providing excellent character expression. Special mention should go to Robins’s choice of balloon design for
the villainous Mr. Empty. While it is
certainly camp, it appears to fit the theme of the character and the story
rather well. While primarily more set-up
and establishing, events are set in motion that should have some wonderful and
horrible payoffs next issue.
Contest of Champions #2
Script: Al Ewing
Pencils: Paco Medina
Inks: Juan Vlasco
Colors: David Curiel
Letters: VC’s Joe Sabino
Marvel
This week on Contest of Champions,
fan-favorite Ares enters the fray and we get a closer look at the other side of
the field as well as some more sinister soliloquies by the Maestro. It’s
a fun issue, thanks in large part to Ewing’s ability and penchant to embrace the madcap and run with
it. While the majority of the issue
feels like a fight (which one has to expect from such a title), it’s one that allows us to get a
better look at the characters and their motivations and thus serves a purpose
beyond showing us how awesome Paco Medina is at drawing fights. The art team is the perfect fit for a book
where superpowered beings constantly throw down as the action and figures are
weighty and the choreography is particularly great. While revelation of the opposing team is
little more than “here are
the bad guys” in terms of
character choice, it will make for a more focused effort on the Collector’s team of protagonists. CoC
continues to entertain, just as a gladiator should.
The Woods #17
Writer: James Tynion IV
Illustrator: Michael Dialynas
Colors: Josan Gonzalez
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Boom! Studios
The kids continue to not be alright as
Isaac grapples with a terrifying vision and Calder and the others try to thwart
his brother’s dastardly
and disastrous plan. Tynion wisely gives
us a flashback into the evolution of Isaac Andrews that directly ties into the
decision he’s forced to
make in a wonderfully creepy sequence by Dialynas and Gonzalez. The latter have a lot to play with in this
issue, not only in the macabre vision of Issac but also in the numerous crowd
scenes that the handle with aplomb.
Tynion’s dialogue
is on point, perhaps even approaching on fleek levels when it comes to Calder’s underhanded dialogue with his
brother. Rapidly approaching the end of
the arc, the Woods proves again why it’s
one of the best stories on the market.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
The Vision #1
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel
Welcome to the creepiest entry on the
list this week. The Vision, synthezoid
Avenger based off the brain patterns of Wonder Man, has recently purged his
memories of their associated emotions in order to keep his processing system
from essentially not crashing. His next
step: create a family of synthezoids and try to live a life as normal American
citizens. Why? Dunno but the results are
delightfully unnerving. King takes us
through the first few days of the Visions’ civilian life and already the cracks are beginning to
show. Vision has unexplainable night
terrors, his wife Virginia has an unhappy, ponderous home life, and their
children, Viv and Vin, have to go to high school. Throughout all this, King’s wonderfully deadpan narration
follows us along, delivering creeping horror without a trace of emotion. The art further enhances this quality. Walta, fresh off his incredible work on the
always enjoyable Magneto, has less fanciful fare to work with but delivers an
incredible amount of unease in every panel that’s difficult to pinpoint.
His facial work is to be lauded, as he makes the Visions seem
simultaneously endearingly human and wholly alien and the mix is
incredible. On colors, superstar
Bellaire also doesn’t work
with anything bombastic, presenting a rather muted affair. The decision is a conscious one, it allows
the unease to spread to every aspect of the page. The Vision is a phenomenal work, and one that
creates a significant amount of depth. A
bit different than your normal Marvel fare, it is certainly a welcome and
refreshing change of story.
So what did you pick up this week?
Agree or disagree with anything said here?
Let us know in the comments.
Labels: Boom Studios, Comics, Contest of Champions, DC Comics, Doctor Who, Doctor Who: the Eighth Doctor, Drax, Drax the Destroyer, Marvel Comics, Survivor's Club, The Vision, the Woods, Titan Comics, Vertigo
