Welcome back to Everything We Read This Week. This is the place that we make our weekly trip through this week’s pull-list. It features mostly spoiler-free brief analysis and commentary of each book.
This was a fantastic week for comic books. There were some very high quality books out there for all types of readers. There were some great new series that started and a couple that ended. Remember to find what you like, GO OUT AND FIND SOME COMICS TO READ!! They are good for you.
We reviewed books from DC, Marvel, Image, Ahoy, Dark Horse, and Dynamite this week. As always, we hope you might find what we say interesting enough to try some of these comics.
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 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
Also look for the book we deemed Favorite Book of the Week. It is the comic that we like the most this week. The criteria are difficult to pin down, but suffice to say it is a book that moved us.
And here are the books we read in alphabetical order:
Avengers #14, Batman #64, Cemetery Beach #6, Champions #2, Conan the Barbarian #3, Daredevil #1, DIE #3, Female Furies #1, The Girl in the Bay #1, The Green Lantern #4, Justice League #17, Red Sonja #1, Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion #5, Uncanny X-Men #11, The Wrong Earth #6, Young Justice #2
Avengers #14
Marvel Comics
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by David Marquez
Colors by Justin Ponsor & Erick Arciniega
Letters by Cory Petit
Cover Art by Marquez & Ponsor
The Avengers intervene in a vampire civil war in this issue. It is intriguing. The dialogue is engaging. There are some very interesting character insights that serve to define motivations very well. The art by Marquez and Ponsor is excellent. The lighting of each scene is critically important to setting the appropriate tone for each section of the story. This is a solid comic read all the way around.
Batman #64
DC Comics
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Guillem March
Colors by Tomeu Morey
Letters by Steve Wands
Cover Art by Chris Burnham & Nathan Fairbairn
A new four part crossover event with The Flash has begun. This story is very much set within the Heroes in Crisis event, and while there is an editor’s note that sets this before the Knightmare arc, having knowledge of what is going on in HIC is pretty important to the story. Despite that, Josh Williamson does a fantastic job hitting strong character tones. Guillem March’s artwork is strong. The dynamic action scenes are riveting. The mystery that is the conflict is interesting. The emotional stress of both Batman and Flash is almost palpable. Very well done opening salvo in this month-long event.
Cemetery Beach #6
Image Comics
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Jason Howard
Colors by Howard
Letters by Fonografiks
Cover Art by Howard
Ellis and Howard’s raucous chase comic takes some strong story turns. The main character’s development makes definite strides as his morality begins to come to the surface. Having a character submerged in oppressively stressful scenarios where he is struggling for survival leads to a boiling point of emotion in this issue. It is incredibly patient and smart storytelling that allows it to occur. As crazy and stressful as this series has been, it is getting more emotional and the danger is amazingly rising. Howard continues to bring fantastically vivid action sequences to this captivating story.
Champions #2
Marvel Comics
Written by Jim Zub
Art by Steven Cummings
Colors by Marcio Menyz
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Kim Jacinto & Rain Beredo
For a fun teen heroes book, this got serious fast and hard. Major heartache and massive consequences by the bucket load. Zub’s dialogue and plot are excellently done. Cummings and Menyz did a wonderful job with the visual narrative. The flashback panels that are interwoven with current time panels are cleverly done to be easily discernible. This is a very good, exciting, and emotional comic.
Conan the Barbarian #3
Marvel Comics
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Mahmud Asrar
Colors by Matthew Wilson
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover Art by Esad Ribic
Jason Aaron’s Conan story is building nicely. The patient telling of backstories as single adventures is a clever way to build depth of character and audience investment. The larger conflict is intriguing and keeps the reader coming back for more of these interesting historical vignettes into Conan’s past. The art in this book is perfectly executed. A very good effort by everyone involved.
Daredevil #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Art by Marco Checchetto
Colors by Sunny Gho
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Julian Totino Tedesco
Hot #1
Chip Zdarsky is a damn good writer. This is a wonderful kickoff to his new run on Daredevil. The intelligent exploration of Matt Murdock’s motivations and current status is compelling. Checchetto does a fine job of rendering a beautiful visual display for this story. There are significant religious overtones that are in this book, but they are not preachy, and they feel natural to the character’s history. This is a great opening for this series reboot. We are total hooked.
DIE #3
Image Comics
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Stephanie Hans
Colors by Hans
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Hans
This hit series keeps bringing it every issue. The narrative is deep and heartbreaking. The danger threatening the playable characters is realistic, and the solutions are as logical as can be. Stephanie Hans’ images are gorgeous, and the colors are perfectly designed to capture the various moods presented in each different scene. The comic and series at face value are compelling and wonderful, but there is so much subtext into the human condition, and Gillen’s essay at the end of the book is a fantastic read. Keep this book coming.
Female Furies #1
DC Comics
Written by Cecil Castellucci
Art by Adriana Melo
Colors by Hi-Fi
Letters by Carlos M. Mangual
Cover Art by Mitch Gerads
Hot #1
Cecil Castellucci has done what I thought was impossible. She made me feel sympathetic toward Granny Goodness. Crazy! I know, right? Adriana Melo is on fire with the linework in this book. The facial acting and fight scenes are equally amazing. The bold lines evoke just the right amount of Kirby in homage, but this is some fantastic Adriana Melo art. The plot is in your face. There is no hiding the theme of this book in nuance. It is refreshing, and if you don’t like the theme, I am sure Castellucci and Melo couldn’t care less. Viva Las Furies!!!
The Girl in the Bay #1
Dark Horse / Berger Books
Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Art by Corin Howell
Colors by James Devlin
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover Art by Howell
Hot #1
This is a beautiful comic. Howell’s art sings and guides the audience through DeMatteis’ plot in the most fabulous ways. And that plot? Whoo Boy! Riddles are presented, and answers are few and far between in this debut issue. The Berger Books imprint has another series that has hit the ground running. This metaphysical mystery has us hooked. We are eagerly looking forward to the next installment.
The Green Lantern #4
DC Comics
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Liam Sharp
Colors by Steve Oliff
Letters by Tom Orzechowski
Cover Art by Sharp & Oliff
This series keeps getting better as it goes on. To be honest, I did not expect that from a Grant Morrison book, but it is true. The art that Liam Sharp is delivering is fabulous, and the panel layouts and design are inspired. This issue’s plot involves characters telling separate tales to each other, and therefore, there are three plotlines that are all successfully delivered to conclusion. That is not an easy feat. The characters that are being developed in this book are complex and the plotlines illustrate that perfectly.
Justice League #17
DC Comics
Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils by Jim Cheung
Inks by Cheung, Mark Morales & Walden Wong
Colors by Tomeu Morey
Letters by Tom Napolitano
Cover Art by Cheung & Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Snyder brings the noise down in this issue. Martian Manhunter and Lex Luthor star in this installment of Justice League. It is a very personal story with massive ramifications for the two main characters. The story is captivating, and Jim Cheung’s art is powerful. This is easily one of the best issues in this series, and the content of the plot is totally mind blowing.
Red Sonja #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Mirko Colak
Colors by Dearbhla Kelly
Letters by Hassan Osmane-Elhaou
Cover Art by Amanda Conner & Paul Mounts
Hot #1
Man. That Mark Russell can sure write some good comics. This relaunch of Red Sonja is a strong opening statement. Colak’s vision of the sandals and sorcery time period is fantastic. The layouts are done well. The lettering is excellent. The colors bring it all together. This is a great comic book. Russell’s setup for the conflict in this story is wonderful. The audience has no choice but to be all in on Sonja’s behalf. A truly great book and our Favorite Book of the Week
Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion #5
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Gerard Way
Art by Gabriel Ba
Colors by Nick Filardi
Letters by Nate Piekos
Cover Art by Ba
The disparate plotlines that have been running through this series are starting to come together. The overall tone of this issue is one of rising action. Ba’s art and cartoonish figures are the perfect compliment to the story in this issue along with Filardi’s simplistic coloring effects . We are eager to see where the Academy ends up in this series.
Uncanny X-Men #11
Marvel Comics
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Art by Salvador Larroca, John McCrea, & Juanan Ramirez
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg & Mike Spicer
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover Art by Larroca & Rachelle Rosenberg
In the aftermath of X-Men: Disassembled, Rosenberg has developed and intriguing quest story. This oversized comic involves some of the remaining mutants, but it centers on the newly resurrected Cyclops, Wolverine, and Multiple Man. The last Blindfold story also appears here. It is a very well done tale. The first, and longest, chapter would have been enough to get things going, but the additional chapters that retell the events from other perspectives are both helpful and entertaining. All the artists do a fantastic job. Larroca does some particularly wonderful work in the main chapter. This looks like it will be a fun ride.
The Wrong Earth #6
Ahoy Comics
Written by Tom Peyer
Art by Jamal Igle
Inks by Juan Castro
Colors by Andy Troy
Letters by Rob Steen
Cover Art by Igle
Tom Peyer and Jamal Igle have spent six issues entertaining us with this dual fish out of water story, and it has been a treat. This marks the end of season one of The Wrong Earth, and we are sad to see it go for now. In this final issue, the switched main characters start to adapt in meaningful ways to their new environments, and there are stages set for new adventures. The storytelling and pacing of the book are excellent. The art is wonderful. We look forward to Season Two.
Young Justice #2
DC Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Patrick Gleason & Emanuella Lupacchino
Colors by Alejandro Sanchez
Letters by Josh Reed
Cover Art by Gleason & Sanchez
This comic is well illustrated. It is interesting to read. I have no idea what is happening in this story. There are so many hints and allusions that are, as yet, unexplained. I think it is going to be a good story, but I am not sure yet. As a comic, it is good and worth reading.
