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.
We spent most of this weekend at All-Star Comic Con in Virginia, but we were able to get to read some great books this week. 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, and Image 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:
Batman #72
DC Comics
Written by Tom King
Art by Mikel Janin & Jorge Fornes
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover art by David Finch & Bellaire
There is a lot of revelation in this issue that is told in the form of a recap. King uses a narration method as Fornes and Janin take turns retelling the previous seventy-one issues. The visuals are really gorgeous, and while there is a decent amount of catchup for newer readers, there is definitely some new revelations in the narration. King is setting up a massive conflict, and Batman is extremely vulnerable. The next six months of Batman should be a heck of a ride.
Descendent #2
AfterShock Comics
Written by Stephanie Phillips
Art by Evgeniy Bornyakov
Colors by Lauren Affe
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover art by Juan Doe
Mystery, conspiracy, humor. This book has it all. The storytelling is well crafted. There is a patience by the creative team that is felt by the reader. The pace is a slow build, but that is appropriate as character development is occurring in a very unforced manner. The sequential art of Bornyakov is excellently done. We are thrilled with this series and are looking forward to where Phillips takes us from here.
Female Furies #5
DC Comics
Written by Cecil Castellucci
Art by Adriana Melo
Colors by Hi-Fi
Letters by Sal Cipriano
Cover art by Julian Totino Tedesco
Adriana Melo is doing amazing work on this book. Every issue of this series gets better and better. The visual narrative of this issue is top notch. Hi-Fi’s color work is just fantastic. There are complex plots and character plans that are able to mature in clear and logical manners. Castellucci is doing an amazing job of telling an important story within the context of an already known tale. Did I mention how beautiful this book is?
Man-Eaters #9
Image Comics
Written by Chelsea Cain
Art by Elise McCall
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Ads, Supplemental Art by Lia Miternique
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover art by Miternique
The societal commentary is enough to make this is book interesting enough to be required reading, but Cain and the rest of the team are telling one hell of a great story as well. The art is phenomenal and so complex that it requires strict attention of the reader. The narration in this issue is ominous and the dialogue is at times heartbreaking. This is the book we need. I only hope we deserve it.
Red Sonja #5
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Mirko Colak & Robert Carey
Colors by Dearbhla Kelly
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover art by Amanda Conner & Paul Mounts
The cost of war is great, and Mark Russell is crafting a tale that illustrates that fact clearly. This series has been nothing short of spectacular. Sonja’s struggles of leadership lead her to unbearably difficult choices. The character development is a very strong attribute of this series and, in this issue, leads the audience to heartbreak. The art in this book is transcendent, and the vastness of a cityless landscape that Colak illustrates is breathtaking.
Stronghold #4
AfterShock Comics
Written by Phil Hester
Art by Ryan Kelly
Colors by Dee Cunniffe
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover art by Kelly & Cunniffe
It is hard to describe this book without spoilers, but also without being wrong about the description. Hester has done a fantastic job of keeping the key plot secret vague and mysterious. The art is excellent. The color work is critical to setting the mood of the scenes. This is a very good comic, and we are looking forward to more.
Uncanny X-Men #19
Marvel Comics
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Pencils by Carlos Villa, Carlos Gomez, & Bob Quinn
Inks by Juan Vlasco Adriano Di Benedetto, Michelle Delecki, Gomez, & Quinn
Colors by Guru-eFX
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover art by Whilce Portacio & Erick Arciniega
This is a book that is a good comic book. I don’t necessarily like it, but it is good. The story makes sense. The art is well done, despite the army of talent engaged to create it. I personally want to hate Emma Frost all the time, but this story doesn’t make me hate her, and I really want to!!!! Most of all, this book is difficult to get behind because we know that the series is coming to an end, and we have enjoyed the series.
War of the Realms #5
Marvel Comics
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Russell Dauterman
Colors by Matthew Wilson
Letters by Joe Sabino
Cover art by Arthur Adams & Matthew Wilson
This event has been excellent. Even for those who have not followed Jason Aaron’s Thor run, this book is telling a vast mytho-cosmic war epic in an understandable and compelling fashion. There are incredibly poignant moments and massive battle scenes. The art team is outstanding. Matthew Wilson’s fire evokes an almost perceptible heat. There is something captivating about the way that Dauterman draws the all-seeing Daredevil. This series is really good.
Young Justice #6
DC / Wonder Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by John Timms
Colors by Gabe Eltaeb
Letters by Wes Abbott
Cover art by Timms & Alejandro Sanchez
This book is officially on a roll. It is a solid team book. The characters are enjoyable and there was a good bit of character explanation if not exploration in this issue. The end of the first arc is eminently satisfying and encouraging for what comes next.
