WWE #1
Writer: Dennis Hopeless (Ross Thibodeaux)
Illustrator: Serg Acuña (Rob Guillory)
Colorist: Doug Garbark (Taylor Wells)
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Boom! Studios
For those of you who missed out on the one-shot, Boom! Studios’s new WWE series focuses on Seth Rollins, his destruction of the Shield and his following rise to power. So, if you’ve seen all that, you’re not getting anything new. And still, Hopeless finds a way to make it both informative for new fans and fun for longtimers. Presenting in a more serialized fashion, Hopeless focuses on Rollins’s relationships with his former Shield-brothers, as well as his new boss Triple H, in ways that were only generally alluded to in real life. That, coupled with the fact that we get months of storytelling in the span of a few pages, makes for a more cohesive—or at the very least concise—story than reality presented. Acuña does a great job of making every character recognizable, even in background cameos, while keeping enough of his own style. There are a few minor quibbles with posturing and figurework, but again, minor at best. Garbark’s colors function in a similar manner, keeping the book within the bounds of reality while never losing that comic book feel. The back-up story by Thibodeaux, Guillory, Wells, and Campbell is a wonderfully cartoon-y tale of the New Day’s misadventures with Xavier Woods’s time machine. Yes, that’s an actual thing that happened and, yes, it might be the best part of the comic. WWE #1 is a great jumping on point for new and old fans alike and shows great promise for future issues.
Curse Words #1
Creators: Charles Soule & Ryan Browne
Colors: Ryan Browne, Jordan Boyd, & Michael Parkinson
Letters: Chris Crank, Ryan Browne, & Shawn Depasquale
Image
What happens when an evil wizard from another dimension comes to Earth to enslave it for his master, but decides to be a rockstar instead? Curse Words is what happens. Soule’s script is funny and refreshing, dark humor or otherwise. We get a lot of Wizord’s (yes, that’s the wizard’s chosen name) character in a short span of time which allows the reader to understand and revile his choices in the first issue. Browne’s art is dynamic and explosive. Much of the humor relies on deadpan expression, which is something that Browne nails (I know that sounds like a back-handed compliment but it’s not). His colors, thrupled with those of Boyd and Parkinson, give an otherworldly shade to New York City and make the magic fights pop all the more. Curse Words looks to be an interesting take on the magic-fish-out-of-water fantasy story.
U.S.Avengers #2
Writer: Al Ewing
Penciler: Paco Medina
Inker: Juan Vlasco
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Marvel
Luke Cage and Jessica Jones-Cage’s (don’t actually know the status of her last name and am too lazy to look it up) daughter, Danielle Cage, the Captain America of 20XX, has come to the present to warn the U.S.Avengers of the looming threat from the future, the threat of The Golden Skull. …Yes, that’s a thing and, yes, it’s exactly how it sounds. Ewing does an excellent job of selling GS as both a joke and a conniving threat. While the issue is mostly set-up for the next installment, there is a lot to enjoy, which is saying something, considering this is yet another comic that opens with Thanos killing a bunch of people. On a more positive note, that page gives the art team a real chance to strut their stuff, which, again, is saying something, considering the rest of the comic is a visual feast, from the new SHIELD helicarrier to a swanky 1% charity event. U.S.Avengers is delightfully silly and weird, and well worth your dollars. Do it for the $kullocracy!
The Ultimates2 #3
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Travel Foreman
Color Artist: Dan Brown
Letterer: VC’s Joe Sabino
Marvel
The Living Tribunal lies dead. Master Order and Lord Chaos exploded his head. Will Galactus warn the Ultimates in time? I don’t know why I decided to rhyme. Okay, so big stuff happens in this issue. Ewing gives us more background on Vogt’s troubleshooters, shows us the outcome of the Galactus vs. Order & Chaos fight, gives us an update on the Ultimates team leadership, and brings it all to a head in the closing moments of the issue. He gets all this done and never once does the issue feel rushed or cluttered. Mark of craftsmanship. Foreman and Brown have a lot of weird cosmic comics to deal with this week and handle it with aplomb. Weird. Clever. Amazing. All the hallmarks of an Al Ewing book.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Batman #15
Script: Tom King
Art: Mitch Gerads
Letters: Clayton Cowles
DC Comics
Damn, man.
