Welcome back as we make our weekly trip through this week’s pull-list. It features mostly spoiler-free brief analysis and commentary of each book.
There are so many good books out this week. We reviewed twenty-two of them below. We reviewed books from DC, Marvel, Image, Black Mask, Dynamite, and Aftershock. Make sure you go find some comics to read. Hopefully, you might find what we say interesting enough to try some of these comics. This is a big list again this week but still not all that we have on our list.
Also, Don’t forget to check our hotlist of new books debuting this month over here. You will see books that we were looking forward to with the designation Hot #1 by them. There are a quite of few of them out this week and they are really good.
DISCLAIMER:
There is a 4 star rating system. It is simple and not to be taken too seriously as everyone gets their own impressions of art. These ratings are just to give our readers an idea of what we thought of the book, and they will be on the generous side normally. So don’t expect to see a lot of 1 Stars. After all, it’s not often that you have a bad book on your pull-list.
The rating system is as follows:
Great
Good
OK
Not Good
And here are the books we read in alphabetical order:
Amazing Spider-Man #11, Auntie Agatha’s Home for Wayward Rabbits #2, Avengers #11, Batman: Damned #2, Bitter Root #2, Cemetery Beach #4, Dead Kings #2, Detective Comics #994, Electric Warriors #2, Goddess Mode #1, Justice League Dark #6, Lone Ranger #3, The Magic Order #4, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Oh S#!t. It’s Kim & Kim #4, Outer Darkness #2, Redlands #9, Supergirl #25, Superman #6,Titans #31, X-23 #6,X-Men: Red #11
Amazing Spider-Man #11
Marvel Comics
Written by Nick Spencer
Pencils by Ryan Ottley
Inks by Cliff Rathburn
Colors by Laura Martin
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover Art by Ottley & Martin
The beginning of a new story starts with this book. The voice of J. Jonah Jameson that is portrayed by Spencer is a joy. It is outrageous, narsicisstic and infuriating. This issue does not have a ton of action, but what action does exist is beautifully illustrated by Ottley and Rathburn. Laura Martin’s colors are lovely as usual. This issue is a very fine Spider-Man comic. Spencer hits all the emotional beats that he attempts, whether they be comedic or poignant.
Auntie Agatha’s Home for Wayward Rabbitts #2
Image Comics
Written by Keith Giffen
Art by Benjamin Roman
Colors by Bryan Valenza & Beyond Colorlab & Roman
Cover Art by Roman
This is a fun and entertaining comic. The content of the book adds to the characters in the story and continues the conflict event that began in the last issue. Both goals are masterfully achieved with humor and smart dialogue. Particularly enjoyable is the condemnation of ethnic stereotypes that is explored while furthering the larger story. The visual depiction of the characters is distinct and adorable. This series is a treat for the eyes and the mind.
Avengers #11
Marvel Comics
Written by Jason Aaron
Pencils by Ed McGuiness & Cory Smith
Inks by Mark Morales, Scott Hanna, & Karl Kesel
Colors by Erick Arciniega
Letters by Cory Petit
Cover Art by McGuinness & Marte Garcia
Aaron is developing some significant plot lines in this issue. There are multiple contemporaneous scenes that are clearly defined and transitioned excellently. This book is interesting and lays the ground work for things to come. The craft of putting together a comic book that is visually stimulating, tells a story, and leaves the audience wanting more is a winning skill in this climate. This book succeeds in delivering that combination.
Batman: Damned #2
DC Comics / Black Label
Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Lee Bermejo
Letters by Jared K. Fletcher
Cover Art by Bermejo
Look, this book is gorgeous. Bermejo’s style is absolutely perfect for the supernatural and consistently anxious nature of this tale. Fletcher’s lettering has a large role to play in the telling of this story and is well done. There are both interesting and disturbing plot turns in this episode of the story. I am not thrilled with the narrative choices of the author. I suppose that the fact that I view the problems that I have as choices is instructive in the degree to which I was shocked out of the book. As I said, It is beautiful and interesting and disturbing. Those are all good things for a comic.
Bitter Root #2
Image Comics
Written by David Walker & Chuck Brown
Art by Sanford Greene
Colors by Greene & Rico Renzi
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Greene & Jarreau Wimberly
This is a immersive comic experience. The look and feel of this book is expertly crafted to flow and capture the reader’s focus. The storyline is intriguing and smartly crafted. The appropriate timing of development of this story is a strength of the book. It is not rushing the plot and keeps everything moving. Greene has done a phenomenal job with the visual character representations in this book. Definitely a winner this week.
Cemetery Beach #4
Image Comics
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Jason Howard
Letters by Fonografiks
Cover Art by Howard
Ellis and Howard continue their excellent work in this issue. The minimalism of dialogue and lack of narration during dynamic action scenes is amazing and invigorating. The story that they are creating is interesting. There are no real heroes. It is just one big chase/escape sequence. Howard is really a star on this book. It is visually stunning in every way.
Dead Kings #2
Aftershock Comics
Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Matthew Dow Smith
Colors by Lauren Affe
Letters by Thomas Mauer
Cover Art by Smith
The story that is being told in this comic is very interesting. The guilt driven quest of Sasha is compelling. This is another book that does not have a shining hero, but has interesting characters that has the audience rooting for them despite their flaws. Smith’s art is excellent in the the visual development of the characters and the scenery. This is a story worth reading.
Detective Comics #994
DC Comics
Written by Peter Tomasi
Pencils by Doug Mahnke
Inks Jaime Mendoza
Colors by David Baron
Letters by Rob Leigh
Cover Art by Mahnke, Mendoza & Baron
New Arc, New Creative Talent, Great Comic There is a fascinating mystery introduced in this comic. There are dynamic and exciting action sequences. The resolution is a cliffhanger to the next issue. All of those thing are important elements in crafting a quality comic book. This is a run that we have been excitedly waiting for on Detective Comics, and it has delivered in a big way. Mahnke produces some eye popping images that are just amazing. Tomasi, a veteran comic writer, has a fantastic grasp on what it takes to make high level Batman comics and puts it all out there in this issue.
Electric Warriors #2
DC Comics
Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Travel Foreman
Colors by HI-FI
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover Art by Foreman & HIFI
The second issue of this limited series does some interesting things to move this story forward. The art is well done and the character development is well done. The social and physical conflicts that this issue develops are intriguing, and we look forward to see how they play out.
Goddess Mode #1
Vertigo / DC Comics
Written by Zoe Quinn
Art by Robbi Rodriguez
Colors by Rico Renzi
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover Art by Rodriguez
Hot #1
This book is a mystery set in a highly technological future. It is extremely colorful. The main character is compelling. There are interesting plot lines that are laid down. The art is in sync with the tone of the story.
Justice League: Dark #6
DC Comics
Written by James Tynion IV
Pencils by Daniel Sampere
Inks by Juan Albaran
Colors by Adriano Lucas
Letters by Rob Leigh
Cover Art by Nicola Scott & Romulo Fajardo Jr.
It is truly a challenging task to produce a team book that includes historically independent characters. Tynion has done an exceptional job of maintaining the distinct individuality of the characters while folding them into a functioning complicated story. This comic is excellent. The dialogue is well crafted and natural. There are two simultaneous events going on in this issue which works well to further the larger story. The art is well crafted. Physical and facial acting by the characters is a strength of the book.
Lone Ranger #3
Dynamite Entertainmenet
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Bob Q
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Art by John Cassaday & Jose Villarrubia
Russell really levels up the quality of the story in this book and that is not an easy feat considering the high bar that was already in place. A terrifying villainous character is introduced. Smart ingenious tactics are used by the heroes to solve problems. Otsmane-Elhaou is a major factor in the production of this comic. His word art is critical to the feel of the book. Bob Q continues to do an excellent job in designing and delivering a great visual aspect to this story. A great comic book.
The Magic Order #5
Image Comics
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Olivier Coipel
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Peter Doherty
Cover Art by Coipel & Stewart
Deception and magical intimidation rule in this exciting issue of this fantastic series from Millar and Coipel. The storytelling in this book is compelling. Coipel’s art is breathtakingly beautiful. There are serious surprising reveals in this book that elicit audible exclamations by the audience. The next issue of this incredible tale cannot come fast enough.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Art by Javier Garrón
Colors by David Curiel
Letters by Cory Petit
Cover Art by Brian Stelfreeze
Hot #1
This is a solid start for this new Miles Morales book. Three is fair amount of origin retelling which is a bit combersome. Ahmed does use a clever device to present the backstory which speaks to the high level of his talent as a story teller. Garrón’s art is very nice to look at. He is an excellent choice for a Miles Morales book. The back half of the book sets up an interesting conflict that will be the focus of the first arc of this series. We can’t leave this review without pointing out the gorgeous cover on this book by Brian Stelfreeze. It is fabulous.
Oh S#!t. It’s Kim & Kim #4
Black Mask Comics
Written by Magdalene Visaggio
Art by Eva Cabrera
Colors by Claudia Aguire
Letters by Zakk Saam
Cover Art by Phillip Sevy
Prison riots and anthropomorphic assassin corgis. What is not to like about this comic? Visaggio and Cabrera continue to bring it in every issue of this series. This comic is full of action. The amount of content that is presented in this single issue is impressive because of the ability of both writer and artist to deliver so many complete thoughts without it feeling jumbled or rushed. While there is crazy action, Mags is able to continue to develop important character points that shine lights on serious societal and interpersonal issues. Fine work is done by all on this comic.
**Note– This comic showed in our pull list this week but it was solicited for release 11/28. We are not really sure what happened there.
Outer Darkness #2
Image Comics
Written by John Layman
Art by Afu Chan
Letters by Pat Brosseau
Cover Art by Chan
This is your standard deep space sci-fi drama story. Yeah right!! It takes that story convention and turns it on its head with massive theological concepts and devices. Layman’s bizarre characters and deep space setting concepts are fantastically delivered by Chan. This book is well crafted and entertaining. We will look forward to seeing what more this series has to offer.
Redlands #9
Image Comics
Written by Jordie Bellaire
Art by Vanesa R. Del Rey
Colors by Bellaire
Letters by Clayton Clowes
Cover Art by Del Rey
There are some interesting plot points and backstories revealed in this issue. The terrifying tone of this series is consistent in every issue. The long running storylines in this series are intriguing and continue to roll along in this issue. Vanesa Del Rey’s haunting images are a central to this great series, and that continues in the latest issue.
Supergirl # 25
DC Comics
Written by Marc Andreyko
Pencils by Emanuela Lupacchino & Lan Medina
Inks by Ray McCarthy & Sean Parsons
Colors by FCO Plascencia
Letters by Tom Napolitano
Cover Art by Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, & Wil Quintana
This comic is an “Anniversary” issue because it is issue number 25. Because of that, there are two backup stories after the main story. For the purpose of this review, we focus on the main story. It is a wonderful action packed adventure with interesting flashback reveals. The characterization of Kara continues to be well done in this series. The development of the Z’ndr Kol character is also interesting. We are looking forward to the next issue which includes the Omega Men. This issue leads directly to that.
Superman #6
DC Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils by Ivan Reis
Inks by Joe Prado & Oclair Albert
Colors by Alex Sinclair
Letters by Josh Reed
Cover Art by Reis, Prado, & Sinclair
This is a beautiful comic book. Reis and Prado do a fantastic job illustrating this issue. There are some massive fight scenes that are gorgeous. The challenges that Bendis has placed in Superman’s path in this series are interesting. They tend to force Clark to examine his moral code and his decisions reveal a very human character. The plot structures are important because Bendis is able to use techniques to put plot lines on hold in a way that allows him to return to them at his own pace. It is safe to say that the reveal at the end will take center stage in near future.
Titans #31
DC Comics
Written by Dan Abnett
Pencils by Clayton Henry & Brent Peeples
Inks by Dexter Vines
Colors by Marcelo Maiolo
Letters by Dave Sharpe
Cover Art by Clayton Henry & Ivan Plascencia
This is just a good team comic book. There are some resolutions to plot lines, hints at others, and beginnings of new challenges. The characters are developed in natural ways. The art is clear and well laid out. Just solid work all around. Also there is important touch points to the larger DC Universe that are addressed in this series consistently.
X-23 #7
Marvel Comics
Written by Mariko Tamaki
Pencils by Diego Olortegui
Colors by Chris O’Halloran
Letters by VC’s Cory Petit
Inks by Walden Wong
Cover Art by Ashley Witter
The adventures of Laura and Gabby continue. They are fun and exciting together. Tamaki really gets them, and it shows. There are serious developments in this action packed issue. Olortegui’s art is a major factor in the overall goodness of this comic. If you like these cloned sisters, you will like this comic.
X-Men: Red #11
Marvel Comics
Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Roge Antonio
Colors by Rain Beredo
Letters by VC’s Petit Letterer
Cover Art by Jenny Frison
While this is not the last issue of this series, it is the finale of the conflict that has run through the entirety of the previous issues. Taylor’s epic battle between Jean Grey and Cassandra Nova has a satisfying resolution. The comic itself is attractively drawn and full of well scripted dialogue.
Well, that is it for this week. Thanks for reading, and let us know what you think about these books or any books you are reading in the comments.
