Dean’s Picks
Best From The Past Week: Alex + Ada #1 – This comic wasn’t heavily anticipated, but it really hit all the right notes. I have plenty of wonderful superhero comics in my pull-list right now (Batman, X-Men family, Avengers family…), but a distinct lack of thoughtful comics. You know….the kind of story that asks deeper, philosophical questions about life, the nature of humanity, etc. I don’t want all of my comics to be that way, but I realize that since The Unwritten crossed over with Fables and both Punk Rock Jesus and Fashion Beast ended, I suddenly didn’t have ANY thoughtful comics in the stack. It’s only one issue, but it looks like Alex + Ada can fill that hole.
Most Anticipated:
1. Batman #25 – I didn’t love the first phase of Zero Year, but the last issue really kicked ass. I think my only problem with the first phase of the story was that it was so focused on being an origin story and it was decidedly different from Year One…..so I had a visceral rejection of the story. Now we’re into the meat of the story and it’s just Snyder and Capullo telling us a Batman story. I fully expect the rest of the storyline to be wonderful.
2. The Walking Dead #116 – Last issue was kinda a lot of talking for an issue that was so heavily hyped. I wonder if new readers hopped on for this WAR between the various post-zombie civilizations were disappointed? But, I love TWD so even when they hit me with a couple of blah issues in a row, I start to expect shocks and excellence soon.
3. All New X-Men #18 – This has been a great series since it launched. Brian Bendis has a great grip on the X-Men. Interested to see how they deal with the fallout from Battle for the Atom.
4. Abe Sapien #7 – This is a bit of a cheat since I’m not totally caught up on Abe Sapien, but I wanted to list it anyway. I’ve always found the Hellboy/BPRD universe to be impenetrable. Every time I tried to “hop on” I felt like I was reading a novel by starting on Page 300. Well…..I tried the Abe Sapien series a few weeks ago and (a) enjoyed it and (b) didn’t feel left out. I’m sure there are others out there looking for a foothold in this universe and THIS recently started series might be it.
5. The Manhattan Projects #16 – Because TMP is always fun and edgy.
Hugo’s Pick
Best From The Past Week: East of West #7 – It was to be expected on my part, but I really do enjoy the world created here, with this issue bringing more delightful world-building along with the impossibly powerful art direction from Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin. I thoroughly enjoy what Jonathan Hickman is building there and I hope to see more right away, but I’ll have to wait until the very next month to get my fix.
Most anticipated this week:
1. Manhattan Projects #16 – This series has been a bit uneven for the last couple of months, yet the latest issue was pretty great, with the insanity going on in Oppenheimer’s mind. If Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra can continue with this crazy energy and focus on the more interesting characters, this issue could show why I fell in love with this series to begin with.
2. Abe Sapien #7 – The more humane approach to end-of-the-world scenarios combined with lovely art from Fiumara and the likeable protagonist in the form of Abe Sapien makes this title always interesting to read. It’s yet another angle in the Mignolaverse, which is always a good thing to see.
3. Astro City #6 – Kurt Busiek is pretty much someone who understand the charm and majesty of the super hero. Showing a good chunk of humanity without shying away from the more bizarre concepts, this series is always a good reading experience and I doubt this issue will be any different.
4. Deadpool #19 – While I generally enjoy this volume of Deadpool, this specific arc has mixed dark and profound moments to great effects, downplaying the humor to add more drama that truly benefits the character. With Declan Shalvey still illustrating, this ought to be a great experience.
5. Superior Foes of Spider-Man #5 – I rather enjoy villains book and generally respect books that aren’t afraid to be funny and self-satirical, so combining the two is pretty much a winner for me. With Steve Lieber always bringing his minimalistic approach to certain details without breaking the flow or the desired effect from the script, this should be quite pleasant like the previous issues.