WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best Of The Past Week – Morning Glories #19 – Mixed feelings about giving MG #19 the award…  On the downside, this wasn’t the strongest issue of the series recently.  As you can see from my review, I think it has some serious flaws.  But….it also does some things very well and that’s enough for it to win in a week where no issue really demanded recognition.  The upside is getting to give an award to Morning Glories which is a very good series and deserves more recognition from the blogosphere than it gets.  If you dropped off around issue #10 or so because you thought it was “slow”, I think you’d be well served to give it another try.

Most Anticipated This Week:

1. The Massive #1 – Brian Wood (DMZ, Northlanders, Demo, Channel Zero and numerous other goodies) has a new creator-controlled series coming out this week.  I don’t think anyone really knows precisely what The Massive is supposed to be about, but it seems to be connected to global warming, dystopian futures and is centered on a ship’s crew.  Wood has rarely told us a bad story and his tales are also very timely; DMZ looked a lot more prescient when it ended than when DMZ #1 came out.  Hopefully we’re not living in a flooded world by the time The Massive wraps up.  Plus, it’s exciting to see Dark Horse fiddling around with creator-controlled/owned comics again.

2. American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1 – Honestly, this is probably the frontrunner for “issue of the week” over The Massive, but I have to give the nod to something truly NEW as opposed to two of my favorite creators (Scott Snyder and Dustin Nguyen) doing what is sure to be another excellent side story in the somewhat-new AV universe.  Honestly, is there any chance this miniseries won’t be awesome?  I’ll be surprised if I give a single grade lower than B-.

3. Planetoid #1 – Another much anticipated new series features an ex-solider who is stranded on an alien planet and must make his way while avoiding all sorts of dangers.  The story sounds interesting enough and the art looks superb.

4. Batman #10 – Anyone who reads my most anticipated lists can tell that I’m pretty much checked out on the superhero comics.  But, when massive talents like Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are working on a character I have some affinity for, well….that is still cause for celebration.  Snyder is the best writer currently doing regular work in comics and Capullo is pretty much his equal on the art side.  This series has been awesome since it began and still compels me to click the “Buy” button every month on my iPad.

5. Saucer Country #4 – This series is turning into quite the treat.  Who doesn’t love an alien abduction story, especially when it starts to take on X-Files-like themes of government conspiracy?  What sets Saucer Country apart from familiar narratives (like X-Files) is the protagonist’s interest in gaining power within the government to expose the aliens; we’re used to seeing a Fox Mulder-like character working against the nefarious government agents.  The art by Ryan Kelly is also wonderful.

6. Cobra #14 – I’ve really bemoaned the GI Joe books’ lack of consistent art, but I realize that’s unfair to Antonio Fuso who has been doing an excellent job on Cobra for the last several years; it’s GI Joe-proper and Snake Eyes that have dodgy art.  If you have any affinity for the Joe characters, there is a lot to love here as the Joe’s have picked up an unexpected new ally and benefactor.

Others: Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #5 (no where near as good as first series), Dancer #2 (hot espionage/assassins), Mind the Gap #2 (very much looking forward to this one), Amazing Spider-Man #687 (haven’t enjoyed End of the Earths that much), AVS Vs #3 (“turd of the week”), Uncanny X-Force #26 (very good, but I think it’s written for fanboys from the 90’s), X-Men #30 (Brian Wood’s debut – how he pays the bills to do serious work like The Massive), X-Men Legacy #268 (AVX tie-in….yawn)

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick Of The Week: Minutement #1 – While it was an issue that showed writing that was clearly geared towards the trade paperback, this was easily the most finely crafted, meticulous, and polished comic that I read all week.

Most Anticipated This Week:

1. Incredible Hulk #9 –  I’m still not sure whether this new Stay Angry arc is really good or “so bad it’s good”, and if it’s the latter, whether that appeal is intentional on Jason Aaron’s part.  The ambiguity actually makes it all the more fun to read and it’s already pretty fun as is, with a really great central idea.

2. Batman #10 –  Apparently, this issue features a big twist in the whole Court of Owls story.  I love Snyder’s Batman, which is sure to be one of the best books this week and am curious to see what this game-changer is.

3. American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1 –  Considering how great Snyder’s last AV miniseries was and add on the fact that Dustin Nguyen is on deck for the art for this one and you’ve got guaranteed quality.

4. Saucer Country #4 –  Just a solid comic all around that has been getting stronger with each issue.  As the arc reaches its climax, I’m interested to see if that trend continues, particularly given last month’s ominous cliffhanger.

5. Uncanny X-Force #26 –  Rick Remender’s next big arc gets rolling.  Uncanny X-Force is another book where there’s always a guarantee of a very particular level of quality.  With violence aplenty seeming to be on this issue’s horizon, I expect Remender’s usual brand of mayhem.