DC Comics:
PICK OF THE WEEK:
Animal Man #2
Written by: Jeff Lemire
Drawn by: Travel Foreman
-As much as I wanted to put Action Comics as pick of the week, I’m saving that for pick of the month. Instead, I give you Animal Man #2. I’m pretty sure nothing will ever measure up to Grant Morison’s run on this book, but Lemire’s will come pretty damn close. Again, he works with the family dynamic here that he’s really good at. It makes the book that much more enjoyable to see realistic conversations in a comic book. Lemire also introduces us to some pretty weird, Morrison-esque territory by having them do thing like enter inside of a tree. Lemire also introduces some pretty creepy villains in the form of the Hunters, who are only complimented by Foreman’s art. Speaking of his art, it’s the same as last month’s; weird and cartoony on one hand, the super detailed and grotesque on the other. I can dig it a lot, and look forward to seeing more of it. 5/5
MINOR:
Action Comics #2
Written by: Grant Morrison
Drawn by: Rags Morales
-This was so good; it’s going to be my book of the month. But for now, I’m sticking it as a minor review while I save the more grandiose one for later. Grant Morrison continues his epic golden age-meets-silver age Superman tale and keeps it fast paced and interesting. Tensions rise, powers are used, Luthor is still a snide jerk; it’s all here, minus the douchebaginess of 5 years later Superman. I’m perfectly happy with this golden age Superman we’re getting here. On the other spectrum, Morales’ art is still fantastic and it keeps the book moving at a solid pace. 5/5
Batwing #2
Written by: Judd Winick
Drawn by: Ben Oliver
-This book really upped the ante for me. Not only did the story and action sequences get progressively better, the book also makes you care about Batwing by expanding more on his character. Judd Winick is solid here as is Ben Oliver’s thick, photo-ish art. 4/5
Detective Comics #2
Written by: Tony Daniel
Drawn by: Tony Daniel
Detective was a nice progression for the story but so much cliché scenes and dialogues bogged it down. I was surprised at the look of the new villain, and Tony Daniel’s art is a thousand times stronger than his writing. 3.5/5
Justice League International #2
Written by: Dan Jurgens
Drawn by: Aaron Lopresti
-Awesome book just awesome. The writing flowed a lot better than the first issue and the team interactions were gold. The showoff of the villain at the end was amazing. Also, Jurgen’s dialogue is top notch here. Lopresti’s art is decent but it looks a little faded. Overall a 4.5/5
Static Shock #2
Written by: Scott McDaniels and John Rozum
Drawn by: Jonathan Glapion and Le Beau Underwood
-The Xombi writer does it again. John Rozum works his magic in the book and gives us cool, complicated tech talk and a fun sense of humor. Vergil is a beloved character by many, and Rozum does him justice. The art style is fairly simplistic, yet amazing due to the penciller’s ability to juggle multiple things on panel at once. Great backgrounds too. 4/5
Swamp Thing #2
Written by: Scott Snyder
Drawn by: Yanick Paquette
-Swamp Thing was a great book. It’s as simple as that. I couldn’t find much wrong with it. Scott Snyder is one of the few writers who I like when they get wordy in an issue because he’s just an amazing writer. His talent for dialogue is just natural. More of the story is revealed here and it gets really good. Paquette on art is another big draw too. The way his panels are arranged and shaped as well as his borders, the copious amounts of pencils he draws; Paquette delivers a gruesome, yet amazingly beautiful art scheme here. I can’t wait for more of the horror stuff as well. 4.5/5
Marvel Comics:
PICK OF THE WEEK:
Superior #5
Written by: Mark Millar
Drawn by: Leinil Yu
-Mark Millar does it again folks. He crafts another superior (no puns intended) issue after months of delay. This is like Kick-Ass 2 #4, but without the rape and killing. I mean that it progresses the story forward after months of waiting and leaves you on a cliffhanger that goes out with a bang. Superior evokes the classic grandiose of early Captain Marvel/ Superman type stories without directly ripping them off. Sure, the costume is a little Captain Marvel, but other than that the two characters work in different ways. Mark Millar writes from the perspective of a kid here, giving Superior that sense of child like wonder that a lot of comics these days tend to miss. Superior combines the best of the modern age and the best of the silver age. The stories are fun and light hearted while the plot gets progressively deeper. When Millar is on, he’s on. Not hindered by having to be extreme and violent all the time, Millar lets his storytelling side gets out. While I’m a fan of the ultra-violent Kick Ass series, every once in a while I need something like Superior to get away from the grim and gritty stuff. Superior serves that need pretty well I’d say. It’s almost like a Grant Morrison story, just without the complexity and high concepts. Leinil Yu’s artwork is pretty much fantastic here. His solid, chunky lines and ability to fill a page with intricately detailed object while still keeping a central focus on something is brilliant. His style can almost be described as Cartoony-meets-photorealistic. If you’ve seen the cover to this book you know what I’m talking about. Superior is a fun, thrilling Silver age style adventure, and one of Millar’s best works ever.
MINOR:
Moon Knight #6
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Alex Maleev
-Bendis writing is always hit or miss, but here, he just hits an average. It’s nothing spectacular or horrible. The artwork is cool but I think I might drop this within the next 3 issues or so if it doesn’t change up a little bit. 3/5
Spider Island: Heroes for Hire #1
Written by: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Drawn by: Kyle Hotz
-Spider Island, like all Marvel events, is a jumbled mess and tie-in events don’t help. This doesn’t help either, and I’m disappointed again. Decent artwork though. 2/5
Late Review-Ultimate Spider Man #2
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Sara Pichelli
-Bendis works well here and I liked what he did with the book. Miles Morales is a great character and I look forward to seeing more of him as time goes by. 3.5/5
Image Comics:
OTHER BOOK OF THE WEEK:
Chew #21
Written by: John Layman
Drawn by: Rob Guillory
-Chew is one of my favorite series of all time. It just succeeds where a lot of other comics fail. It has humor, action, and story with character development all rolled into one neat little package. John Layman starts a new arc with this issue and it is just incredible. It starts us off with an overarching story and a mini plot thrown in underneath. I love the little gags in the background art that add to the humor of all of it. Rob Guillory really gets the wacky art vibe going on with this book. Chew is one of the more fun series I have read in recent times and I love it. I can’t wait to read more. 5/5
MINOR:
Walking Dead #89
Written by: Robert Kirkman
Drawn by: Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn
-Another good issue of the Walking Dead. This series has been really strong throughout its run and never lets up. The art is amazing as usual, and the zombie story only gets better from here. 4/5
Severed #3
Written by: Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft
Drawn by: Attila Futaki
-This is my first issue of severed, and I’m impressed that the prologue brought me up to speed like it did. I immediately got the gist of the story. It’s a bit of a horror story about a boy finding his musician dad while a psychopath stalks him. Snyder and Tuft deliver some of the best stories and dialogue here. The conversations feel natural and great. The art was pretty good too, as it evoked a dark and evil vibe. Now I’m going to have to pick up the first two issues myself, and I suggest you do too. 4/5
Vertigo:
Sweet Tooth #26
Written by: Jeff Lemire
Drawn by: Matt Kindt
-Normally Jeff Writes and draws Sweet Tooth, but for this mini arc Matt Kindt is drawing it. Lemire takes us back in time to the time before the 1st issue and explains more of the story for us. Lemire just has a natural talent for writing archetypes like he did in this issue. It’s a book that’s getting increasingly complex without ever alienating you. The art is significantly child like this time, but it adds to the story in a weird way 4/5