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.
Due to travel and the holiday weekend, this weeks review list is a little light in my opinion, but don’t let that stop you from finding some great comics to read. We did get to read some excellent comics by a variety of publishers. Find the comics you like and remember, Read More Comics!!
We reviewed books from DC, Marvel, AfterShock, Albatross Funnybooks, Action Lab, and Archie Comics 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:
The Flash #72
DC Comics
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Howard Porter
Colors by Hi-Fi
Letters by Steve Wands
Cover Art by Porter & Hi-Fi
“The Flash: Year One” storyline has been excellent, and this issue continues that trend. The growth of a hero that Williamson is crafting is refreshing and fun. Howard Porter and Hi-Fi do a fantastic job with displaying the nascent Flash. The electricity and power that are present in each scene are captivating. We are totally loving this arc.
Grumble #7
Albatross Funnybooks
Written by Rafer Roberts
Art by Mike Norton
Colors by Marissa Louise
Letters by Crank!
Cover Art by Norton & Louise
This team just keeps knocking it out of the park every issue. The plot to this magical chase story had some interesting wrinkles in this issue, but then Roberts had to go ahead and slide in some non-linear storytelling that really spiced it up. Norton is, as usual, spectacular on the interior art, and I get excited every time this series comes out to see what amazing colors Marissa Louise has in store for us. I was not disappointed. This is a an excellent series and a terrific issue.
Jughead’s Time Police #1
Archie Comics
Written by Sina Grace
Art by Derek Charm
Colors by Matt Herms
Letters by Jack Morelli
Cover Art by Charm
Hot #1
The debut issue to this time romp is a great introduction to the conflict. Sina Grace lays out a fun story involving pies, fish oil, and time travel. The characterization is great and the dialogue is smart. Charm’s are is charmingly perfect. (Ok, I had to. I won’t do that again. Ha.) We are excited to see where this goes, as it appears Jughead has made a boo boo.
Orphan Age #3
AfterShock Comics
Written by Ted Anderspn
Art by Nuno Plati
Colors by Joao Lemos & Plati
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Cover Art by Plati
In today’s environment post-apocalyptic stories need to stand out. This comic is fantastic. It is so well laid out. The art by Plati is mostly clean lines and there are mostly five or six panel pages. At a glance, it is a simplistic visual, but this is a deeply complex comic with excellent characterization and an advanced plot. The pace of this series is comfortably slow. It feels like the creators are giving the audience time to digest all that happens in each issue. Definitely pick this up.
Silver Surfer Black
Marvel Comics
Written by Donny Cates
Art by Tradd Moore
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Moore
Hot #1
It is difficult to put my feelings about this book into words. It is a psychedelic, trippy dive into what makes the Surfer tick. This is a cosmic adventure with crazy visuals and dramatic action, but what Cates and Moore are doing on this book is so much more than that. The opening salvo to this mini-series hit is mark with fantastic accuracy. This is one hell of a comic.
Spencer & Locke 2 #3
Action Lab Entertainment
Written by David Pepose
Art by Jorge Santiago Jr.
Colors by Jasen Smith
Letters by Colin Bell
Cover Art by Santiago Jr.
Pepose and Santiago are at it again. The art in this book is wonderful. The changing styles that Santiago is a master of make this book incredibly engaging from a visual perspective. The storyline that has been building is full of intriguing revelations, and the personal reflective sequences that Locke experiences in this issue are critically important and inspired work from the creative team.
Trust Fall #1
AfterShock Comics
Written by Christopher Sebela
Art by Chris Visions
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Art by Visions
Hot #1
The newest AfterShock Comics book is a visual treat. The amazingly detailed backgrounds are a fascinating juxtaposition to the slightly cartoony character designs that Visions delivers. The writing techniques that Sebela uses are clever and help to bring a consistent feel to each scene. You can check out the New Number Ones for June to see what this book is about, but it is a excellent first issue, and we are looking forward to more.
