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 is an abbreviated edition of EWRTW. We picked the top 8 books that we wanted to read from our pull list and are bringing them to you. There are a bunch of New Number ones in the list and some other really good books. There are plenty of other great comics that were release this week. Make sure you go and find them.
We reviewed books from DC, Marvel, Image, AfterShock, Dynamite, and Boom! Studios 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:
Batman #68
DC Comics
Written by Tom King
Art by Amanda Conner, Dan Panosian, John Timms, & Mikel Janin
Colors by Paul Mounts, Timms, & Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Conner & Mounts
This issue of Batman is fun, humorous, and light-hearted. It is difficult to read this book without a smile on your face. If you enjoyed the “Double Date” storyline even just a little bit, you will love this issue. Amanda Conner is a sensation, and her work in this book is glorious. What makes this book excellent is that while it is fun and full of jokes, the last three pages bring it all together and hit your right in the feels. That is where King’s talent shines above.
Age of Conan: Bêlit #2
Marvel Comics
Written by Tini Howard
Art by Kate Niemczyk
Colors by Jason Kieth
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover Art by Sana Takeda
If you describe this book in one word it is “Fierce”. That encapsulates the main character perfectly. Niemczyk’s art is gorgeous. This is a fantastic tale of clever piracy and determination. Howard has developed a compelling character in Bêlit and we are in love with this series. The Conan franchise return to Marvel has been a success so far and they have the right people steer the ships in each series.
FairLady #1
Image Comics
Written by Brian Schirmer
Illustrated by Claudia Baldoni
Colors by Marissa Louise
Letters by David Bowman
Cover Art by Baldoni & Louise
Hot #1
The first New Number One on our list this week is a wonderful detective story set on a strange world in a strange time. The introduction to this world is quick and the story unfolds quickly. The art is wonderful and fleshes out the foreign world excellently. Marissa Louise’s colors are lovely and her work with light sources is important to the feel of this book. We are looking forward to more from this team of storytellers.
Faithless #1
Boom! Studios
Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Maria Llovet
Letters by AndWorld Design
Cover Art by Paul Pope with colors by Daniel Semanas
Hot #1
Another debut issue on our list comes from Brian Azzarello and Maria Llovet. It is a well crafted tale of magic, sex, and weirdness. The art is gorgeous and the visual narrative is compelling. We are certainly intrigued by this first issue and will be looking to see where this bizarre story goes next.
Kiss: The End #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Amy Chu
Art by Edu Menna
Colors by Jorge Sutil
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover Art by Stuart Sayger
Hot #1
Amy Chu’s ability to tell a story around Kiss is remarkable. The story being told is interesting and the characters that are introduced are nicely defined. The scale and detail that Edu Menna uses to define the setting is phenomenal. Sutil’s colors are stunning. This is a wonderful kick off to this series.
NOTE: The comic is meant to coincide with the band’s final tour, and of course Amy Chu is bringing something extra.
Orphan Age #1
Aftershock Comics
Written by Ted Anderson
Art by Nuno Plati
Letters by Joao Lemos & Marshall Dillon
Cover Art by Plati
Hot #1 Favorite Book of the Week
This book is a hit. This story takes place 20 years after a cataclysm and the survivors have attempted to rebuild society as best they can. It has unavoidable but favorable feels to books like Walking Dead and Y: The Last Man, but there is something inside this book that sets it apart. We had a visceral reaction to the events of this first issue. The art is truly wonderful. Panel layouts let the story play out with just the right pace. Issue #2 cannot get here fast enough and this book is unquestionably our Favorite Book of the Week.
Superman #10
DC Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Ivan Reis & Brandon Peterson
Inks by Oclair Albert & Joe Prado
Colors by Alex Sinclair
Letters by Josh Reed
Cover Art by Reis, Prado & Sinclair
The story of Jon Kent’s time away wraps up in this issue. The story is exciting and well designed. The visuals are bright, clear, and dynamic. This is a very good comic story, and it seems to lead to another big adventure. A side note here: It is still disappointing that the mysterious Mr. Oz turned out to be cranky old Jor-El, but Bendis is using the character the way that he has been defined.
Wonder Twins #3
DC Comics
Written by Mark Russell
Illustrated by Stephen Byrne
Letters by Dave Sharpe
Cover Art by Byrne
This book is everything you want it to be. The not so subtle message of kindness being the key to saving the world is an excellent message. You can envision that being the lesson for WT short from a Saturday Morning Super-Friends episode. Byrne’s art is perfect for the tone created in this story. It is funny, campy, and heartfelt. This book has an audience that it is targeting and it is speaking that audience’s language. Well done.
