WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best Of The Past Week – American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #1 – Unlike a few recent weeks, there were a LOT of really strong comics to talk about last week.  Batman #10 was good, Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #5 was very good, Planetoid #1 was great…..  But, the combination of Scott Snyder’s wonderful writing, the return of characters from the AV: Survival of the Fittest miniseries and art by Dustin Nguyen was enough that AV:LoN #1 walked away with the prize this week.

Most Anticipated This Week:

1. The Walking Dead #99 – I saw Eric Larsen tweeting that he’d read an advance copy of issue #100 and his quote was “Holy Fuck!”  How frustrating that we commoners have to WAIT!  Still, there are a lot of exciting and bloody directions that the story could go and I fully expect to see the rough outlines of the destruction showing up in issue #99.

2. Saga #4 – What a breath of fresh air this series is!  Brian K Vaughn is kinda like Scott Snyder: They just write better than most other comic writers.  You read a guy like BVK and start to wonder if many other comic writers are functional illiterates.  Hopefully this issue our two young lovers and baby get closer to getting off the planet.  And….I want more of the The Stalk and the other bounty hunters.

3. The Unwritten #38 – Issue #37 juked into an odd place last issue as Tom Taylor barely made an appearance.  I wonder if the story truly is moving on, or if last issue was just mixing things up.  What happens in a world without the ability to have stories???

4. Secret History of DB Cooper #4 -I’ve really enjoyed the trippy fun of this series by Brian Churilla.  The idea of a 70s era CIA mental assassin is just a lot of fun and we’re starting to see the edges of the bigger story as Agent Cooper tries to track down his kidnapped child.

5. Elephantmen #40 – We must be getting close to the end of Axel Medellin’s run as regular artist on Elephantmen since he is now drawing Hoax Hunters (also from Image).  These last few issue have brought the Elephantmen’s old wartime nemesis, Yvette, into the main story and it should be interesting what shakes out.  Elephantmen is consistently one of the best comics out there and it’s a shame more people don’t read it.

Others: Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #14 (Robert Atkins art to go with a snappy story), Rebel Blood #4 (finale of this apocalypse series), Avengers vs. X-Men #6 (morbidly curious to see what happens as we near the midpoint), Uncanny X-Men #14 (this has been a clumsy tie-in to AvX)

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick Of The Week: Uncanny X-Force #26 – This issue really delivered on all fronts: action, comedy, drama, tragedy.  It truly had it all.  Plus, Phil Noto art colored by Dean White?  Yup, this was definitely a very good looking book.

Most Anticipated This Week: Saga #4 –  It’s not very often that a comic gets such a huge amount of pre-release hype and then proceeds to completely, 100% deliver on all of it.  That’s what Saga does and it’s amazing how, in only 3 issues, Vaughan has already created a compelling cast and fully realized universe.  Given how much he’s done with three issues, every single issue of Saga is a treat that is more than worth your three bucks.

Other Picks:

Wonder Woman #10:  Azzarello, Chiang, and Akins’ Wonder Woman is without a doubt not only one of the very best books at DC, but one of the biggest surprises of the new 52.  It’s good, damn good.  The art has a great, Saturday morning flair and Azzarello’s dark, mythological bent makes for a fantastic read each and every month.  With Diana stuck in hell and marrying Hades, I expect the mythological mayhem and drama to continue.

Invincible Iron Man #519: As Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca’s 4 year run climbs towards its conclusion, I find myself addicted to this series more than ever.  A fantastic cast with issues that keep you entertained throughout, only to leave you hanging on for more at the very end, Invincible Iron Man, 4 years later, is still one of Marvel’s very best and, indeed, I’m not sure if it’s ever been better than it is right now.

The Punisher #12:  While Journey into Mystery (also coming out this week!) is a strong contender for the title, I’d say that Greg Rucka’s Punisher is the most criminally overlooked title in Marvel’s line.  While this issue features a distinct lack of Marco Checchetto artwork, Rucka’s take on the Punisher continues to be truly unique – not always the easiest thing to do in our post-Ennis world.  Well, unless you turn Frank into a zombie or something.  Thankfully, there is none of that here.

Winter Soldier #7:  It’s Ed Brubaker doing what Ed Brubaker does best, basically.  I’m really taken with the new villain Brubaker is developing in this arc and, indeed, last month really reminded me of his excellent work on Criminal.  When Brubaker’s in his element, there are few better.