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 a lot of good books out this week. We reviewed a bunch of them below. We reviewed books from DC, Marvel, Image, Lion Forge, Albatross, and AHOY. Make sure you go find some comics to read. Hopefully, you might find what we say interesting enough to try some of these comics. Keep in mind this big list is still not all the books we have on our list, just what we have read.
This week Marvel Comics did a tribute to Stan Lee for all the covers of the week. There is minimal dressing on the cover and the opening two pages are black. They are followed by lovely Phil Noto portrait sketch of Stan. It is a touching effort to remember all that Stan did for Marvel.
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 #12
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
There are times when a recap sequence is useful in a comic book. It can serve to slow down the action and also to bring newer readers up to speed on character histories. This comic is mostly a retelling of J. Jonah Jameson’s history, and it doesn’t feel all that useful. Laura Martin’s coloring of the flashback panels is a high point of the issue. Ottley’s choreography of the fight sequences between the flashbacks is also excellent.
Aquaman #43
DC Comics
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Pencils by Robson Rocha
Inks by Daniel Henriques
Colors by Sunny Gho
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Rocha, Henriques, & Gho
Kelly Sue DeConnick begins her run on Aquaman with this isssue. Following the “Drowned Earth” event, Aquaman is lost and suffering from amnesia. The story-building is very well done. There is an immediate emotional reaction to the characters that are introduced. The art in this book wonderful, and the lettering by Clayton Cowles really adds to the storytelling in a big way. We look forward to the rest of the “Unspoken Water” arc.
Batman #61
DC Comics
Written by Tom King
Art by Travis Moore
Colors by Tamra Bonvillain
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Tony S. Daniel & Tomeu Morey
This is a head spinning, trippy issue. King brings back a character whose madness is growing and becoming more dangerous. The storytelling raises a lot of questions throughout the issue, and the conclusion delivers the answers in a satisfying fashion. Moore’s art is well done and results in this being a high quality comic book.
Domino #9
Marvel Comics
Written by Gail Simone
Art by David Baldeon & Michael Shelfer
Inks by Roberto Poggi
Colors by Guru-eFX
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Gang Hyuk Lim
Gail Simone is having fun on this book, and it shows. There is some solid story explanation, nice humor, good fight sequences, and intriguing plot development. Put that together with Baldeon and Shelfer’s excellent art, and you have a really good comic book. It is refreshing to have Gail on an ongoing series as she has time to let the story telling stretch its legs through multiple arcs.
Exorsisters #3
Image Comics
Written by Ian Boothby
Art by Gisele Lagáce
Colors by Pete Pantazis
Letters by Taylor Esposito
Cover Art by Lagáce & Pantazis
Exorsisters continues to deliver fun and entertaining comic goodness. The main characters are compelling, and the details of their history astonish the audience as they become revealed. Boothby’s method of telling this story is really smart and engaging. Lagáce does a fabulous job of presenting this story visually. This series is a full on hit as far as we are concerned.
Extermination #5
Marvel Comics
Written by Ed Brisson
Art by Pepe Larraz
Colors by Marte Garcia
Letters by Joe Sabino
Cover Art by Mark Brooks
There are times when publisher editorial decisions are obvious to the audience. It has been clear in this series that Marvel editorial made the decision that the “original X-Men” needed to return in time to where they came from. This was a choice. There were other solutions, but with that being the directive, Ed Brisson did an excellent job of telling that story. There is a bit of controversy about Iceman’s fate, and while the circumstances are upsetting, it is the only way to tell the story. Pepe Laraz has done an excellent job all the way through this series. Now that the kids are gone and back where they belong, I kind of miss them, which is something that I never thought I would say.
Freedom Fighters #1
DC Comics
Written by Robert Venditti
Pencils by Eddy Barrows
Colors by Adriano Lucas
Letters by Deron Bennett
Ink by Eber Ferreira
Cover Art by Barrowws & Lucas
Hot #1
This is a rough story. There are Nazis and executions of heroes. It is beautifully illustrated and the story is intriguing. This is labelled as a 12-Issue Maxi-Series, which gives the storytellers some room to flesh out the interesting universe that they have created. This is a solid start.
Grumble #2
Albatross Funny Books
Written by Rafer Roberts
Art by Mike Norton
Colors by Marissa Louise
Letters by Crank!
Cover Art by Norton & Louise
This is another fun new series. The creative team picks up where they left off in the first issue. There are new interesting characters and settings that Norton does a great job of realizing. There is a lot that we don’t know about the main characters, but we are looking forward to finding out what is in their backstories. This is a well orchestrated issue in a very good comic series.
Hardcore #1
Image Comics
Written by Robert Kirkman & Andy Diggle
Art by Alessandro Vitti
Colors by Adriano Lucas
Letters by Thomas Mauer
Cover Art by Dan Panosaian
Andy Diggle and Alessandro Vitti have both developed reputations for making good comics. This comic was not something that I was necessarily looking forward to, but I was immediately drawn into the story and beautiful lines of this book. There is a high stakes anxiety being developed in this new series, and we are going to have to see how it gets addressed.
High Heaven #4
Ahoy Comics
Written by Tom Peyer
Art by Greg Scott
Colors by Andy Troy
Letters by Rob Steen
Cover Art by Richard Williams
How about that cover by Williams? Beautiful and disgusting at the same time. This is an excellent installment in this story. Peyer and Scott show some interesting explanations to the “afterworld” that they have built. We have developed real sense of appreciation for this story. Sometimes we have been unsure where the storytellers were taking us,, but the revelations in this issue are truly inspired. Scott’s art has been excellent on this series, but in this issue he brings it up to a new level.
Infinity Wars #6
Marvel Comics
Written by Gerry Duggan
Art by Mike Deodato Jr
Colors by Frank Martin
Letters by Cory Petit
Cover Art by Deodato Jr & Rain Beredo
Duggan told an interesting story in this series and the finish is satisfying. Deodato’s images are majestic and powerful. The resolution to this mini-series sets up the new status quo for the cosmic characters in the Marvel Universe and leaves some questions and plot points that can be explored in further titles.
Justice League #14
DC Comics
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion iV
Pencils by Jim Cheung & Stephen Segovia
Inks by Mark Morales & Segovia
Colors by Tomeu Morey & Wil Quintana
Letters by Tom Napolitano
Cover Art by Cheung & Morey
The setting of this series switches to Thanagar Prime in this issue. The art is fantastic. The story develops some new wrinkles in the massive story that is being told in this title. The characterization is mostly very good throughout the issue. Overall this is a strong issue.
Marvel Knights #4
Marvel Comics
Written by Vita Ayala & Donny Cates
Art by Joshua Cassara
Colors by Matt Milla
Letters by Cory Petit
Cover Art by Geoff Shaw & Rain Beredo
This is really a great issue in this series. There are revelations that go a long way to explain what the origin of this story is, and they are very interesting. The main story in this issue deals with T’Challa navigating his surroundings with the amnesia that infects the heroes in this series. As a single issue story, that plot is compelling and well drawn by Cassara.
Middlewest #2
Image Comics
Written by Skottie Young
Art by Jorge Corona
Colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Cover Art by Mike Huddleston
Abel makes a new friend and gets a little information about what is going on with him. There are questions raised and harrowing developments. All in all, it is an entertaining issue in an exciting new series. Corona’s style is executed perfectly for this story. We are looking forward to more from Young and Corona.
Nightwing #55
DC Comics
Written by Fabian Nicieza & Scott Lobdell
Art by Chris Mooneyham & Garry Brown
Colors by HI-FI
Letters by Andworld Design
Cover Art by Mooneyham & Nick Filardi
The story that Niceieza and Lobdell have been telling in this series is heating up. In this issue, bold moves of the villain are startling but make sense. The new “Nightwings” characters continue to be challenged in logical ways. For a superhero comic without the superhero, this is actually a very good story that is being told. Mooneyham and Brown continue to be complementary to both the story and each other in the scenes that their art appears.
Runaways #16
Marvel Comics
Written by Rainbow Rowell
Art by Kris Anka
Colors by Matthew Wilson
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover Art by Anka
This issue feels like there are big events coming. The issue itself purports to be a Christmas interlude, but it is much more than that. There are serious developments and plans being made. Anka’s art is so perfect for this family of orphans. This series has been wonderful, but there is a significant sense of foreboding as we continue along. Rowell is doing a great job writing this story.
Summit #11
Lion Forge Comics
Written by Amy Chu
Art by Marika Cresta
Colors by Jessica Kholinne
Letters by DC Hopkins
Cover Art by Jess Taylor
Val is on the run in this issue. Amy Chu’s dialogue and plot developments are well crafted. This is one of the best single issue in a very good series. Cresta’s art is just a beautiful complement to the story and raises the level of quality in this comic. The last scene leaves the main character in tough situation that we will eagerly await the resolution of.
Uncanny X-Men #6
Marvel Comics
Written by Matthew Rosenberg, Kelly Thompson & Ed Brisson
Art by Yildiray Cinar
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover Art by Elizabeth Torque
This series is the massive reset of the mutant community in the Marvel Universe. Let us not forget that. Because of that, there will be character changes that serve future storylines. Some of those things happen in this issue and they do not always feel natural. The over arching story feels slow developing. Cinar’s art is wonderful. Drawing X-Men is a strength of his and we enjoy looking at it. Overall this is an uneven issue and we are looking forward to the story moving ahead in the next issue.
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.
