AAANNNDDD….. We’re back!!! 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.
Con Season is in full swing, and getting this column out has been tough, but we hope to continue to be in our regular Sunday slot going forward. This week has a great list of comics by a variety of publishers. This is a great time to be reading comics no matter if your jam is superhero action stories or more character driven books. If sci-fi is your thing, we have got that covered too. Whatever you like, go do it, and remember, Read More Comics!!
We reviewed books from DC, Marvel, AfterShock, Boom, Image, Valiant, IDW, and Dark Horse 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
And here are the books we read in alphabetical order:
Action Comics #1011, Animosity #21, Assassin Nation #3, Detective Comics #1004, Faithless #2, The Flash #71, Incursion #4, Invisible Kingdom #3, Justice League Dark #11, Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #2, Middlewest #7, Road of Bones #1, Runaways #21
Action Comics #1011
DC Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Steve Epting
Colors by Brad Anderson
Letters by Josh Reed
Cover art by Epting
The countdown to Bendis’ “Leviathan” event continues in this issue. Epting’s art is beautiful. Anderson’s colors add a wonderful fullness to the illustration that gives it a very solid feel. The storytelling is definitely well laid out. There are plot-point discoveries interlaced with humorous dialogue and strongly defined character moments. It is a big set up issue but filled with loads of important and excellently crafted story.
Animosity #21
AfterShock Comics
Written by Marguerite Bennett
Art by Elton Thomas
Colors by Rob Schwager
Letters by Carlos M. Managual
Cover art by Rafael De Latorre & Marcelo Maiolo
The content of this book raises lots of spiritual and religious questions. Without getting into the very interesting content, the book itself takes the reader down a trippy trail that leads organically to the conclusion of the issue. Feelings of loss and helplessness are explored and result in some massive consequences. The art in this book, particularly the backgrounds are absolutely fantastic.
Assassin Nation #3
Image Comics
Written by Kyle Starks
Art by Erica Henderson
Letters by Deron Bennett
Cover art by Henderson
Kyle Starks and Erica Henderson keep bringing action-packed, violent hilarity to every issue of this series. Just when you think they couldn’t get any more violent, they find a way to top what they have done in the most crazy way. The beauty of this book is that through all the bizarre over the top carnage, there is an interesting mystery story being told. Character development with the surviving assassins is also an unsung bonus of this book. More clues are revealed in this issue, and we are eager to see where the story leads regardless of how many brains are exploded.
Detective Comics #1004
DC Comics
Written by Peter Tomasi
Pencils by Brad Walker
Inks by Andrew Hennessey
Colors by Nathan Fairbairn
Letters by Rob Leigh
Cover art by Walker, Hennessey, & Fairbairn
The story of the Arkham Knight slows down a bit in this issue for some backstory. The origin of the antagonist to this arc is beautifully rendered by Walker and Hennessey. The page layouts are perfectly suited for this type of story. It is an interesting story, despite some timeline issues. The final battle appears to be set between Batman and the Arkham Knight, and we are looking forward to that.
Faithless #2
BOOM! Studios
Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Maria Llovet
Letters by AndWorld Design
Cover art by Paul Pope with Daniel Semanas
There is an intoxicating quality to this book. As the reader makes their way through the events of the issue, the passion and lust that overcomes Faith is almost palpable. That can be attributed to the perfect marriage of the economical and effective words of Azzarello and the excellent art of Llovet. The use of color in the storytelling is a key for evoking the proper mood.
The Flash #71
DC Comics
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Howard Porter
Colors by Hi-Fi
Cover art by Porter & Hi-Fi
We are loving the Flash: Year One story arc. Williamson and Porter just look like they are having fun telling this story. It is an imaginative and exciting story. Hi-Fi’s colors are eye-popping. The characterization and visual representation of “Old Man” Barry are highlights in this issue. The final page is just glorious. This comic is a joy to read. We cannot recommend it enough.
Incursion #4
Valiant Entertainment
Story by Alex Paknadel and Andy Diggle
Script by Alex Paknadel
Art by Doug Braithwaite
Colors by Diego Rodriguez and Leonardo Paciorotti
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Cover Art by Braithwaite with Rodriguez
We did a preview review of this last week. Check out more here.
Paknadel, a rising star in comics writing, gives us a captivating end to the battle to save the life of Earth’s geomancer. The dialogue is powerful, and combined with Braithwaite’s images, the story his very strong emotional beats.
Invisible Kingdom #3
Dark Horse Comics / Berger Books
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Art by Christian Ward
Letters by Sal Cipriano
Cover art by Ward
This series is one that we have been behind on, but we are now caught up, and you should be too!!! This is a great comic story. There are deep socio-religious questions that are poked and prodded in these pages. The surface story is engaging and captivating. The characters are endearing, and we are absolutely enamored with this series. This issue is definitely the most tense in terms of action, and that makes it even more fabulous.
Justice League Dark #11
DC Comics
Written by James Tynion IV
Pencils by Alvaro Martinez Bueno
Inks by Raul Fernandez
Colors by Brad Anderson
Letters by Rob Leigh
Cover art by Ryan Sook
The game is changing in this series. In the face of destruction, choices need to be made, and Tynion does a fantastic job of navigating the pitfalls with such radical decisions. Mordru is no joke, and the sheer terror that is on display in this issue makes it more than worthy of the Dark in the book’s title. The art in this issue is nothing short of fantastic. This series continues to deliver quality storytelling each issue.
Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #2
AfterShock Comics
Written by Adam Glass & Olivia Cuartero-Briggs
Art by Hayden Sherman
Letters by Sal Cipriano
Cover art by Sherman
This story is crazy. It is an ambitious reimagining of the Mary Shelley “Ghost Story” tale. This issue moves the story forward by going backward. The backstory of the Dr. Frankenstein in this story and her designs on the title character make for and interesting issue. The art by Sherman is amplified by the color washes. There is a certain indistinct quality to the art that adds to the mysterious vibe to the story.
Middlewest #7
Image Comics
Written by Skottie Young
Art by Jorge Corona
Colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letters by Nate Piekos
Cover art by Corona
Do NOT sleep on this series!! The first trade paperback is out. If you haven’t been keeping up, go get it. Skottie Young and Jorge Corona are just killing it on this book. This issue is chock full of drama. The history of the lead character is interesting, and the resolution to his current state is action packed. The closing act to this issue is a bit heartbreaking and ominous. The art, dialogue, pace, and creative choices in this book are all on point. Instead of reading this review, go read the book.
Road of Bones #1
IDW Publishing
Written by Rich Douek
Art by Alex Cormack
Letters by Justin Birch
Cover Art by Cormack
We did a preview review of this last week. Check out more here.
This prison break book is full of tough and rough people. The characterization melds perfectly with Cormack’s art style. His use of limited lighting and a simple color palette are key components in the tone of the book witch is ominous and frightening. Douek is phenomenal as well. The pacing and dialogue in this book are excellently crafted. The subject matter is harsh, but effectively delivered.
Runaways #21
Marvel Comics
Written by Rainbow Rowell
Art by Andres Genolet
Colors by Chris O’Halloran
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover art by Kris Anka
Rainbow Rowell continues her strong storytelling in this wonderful series. This issue is very Chase-centric and that is refreshing. There are some important plot developments, including new characters, but the emotional beats are perfectly placed. The facial acting portrayal of Genolet’s art are an absolute highlight to this issue. It is just wonderfully done. Definitely stick around for the next issue as something is about to hit the fan.
