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.
It’s been a while since we brought you a full list of books to this column, but expect to see new comic book reviews in this space going forward. This week we read a bunch of great comics. There was a theme that I noticed as reading the books. There is some amazing work being done by colorists in comics, and this weeks selection of books has some stunning color displays. . Find the comics you like and remember, Read More Comics!!
We reviewed books from DC, Marvel, Action Lab, Valiant Entertainment, Vault Comics, Humanoids, Inc., and Ahoy Comics this week. As always, we hope you might find what we say interesting enough to try some of these comics. Don’t forget we welcome comments on these and any other comics that you read. Feel free to leave a comment and get the conversation moving.
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 Amazing Mary Jane #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Leah Williams
Art by Carlos Gomez
Colors by Carlos Lopez
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover Art by Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado
Hot #1
This is a solid start to Mary Jane Watson’s first solo series. The script by Leah Williams is a completely inclusive effort. The over arching plot for the multi-issue story arc is introduced and it is intriguing. There are some socio-political points made regarding the depiction of women in media, and there are some very nice character moments. The figure work and panel construction by Gomez are fantastic. Lopez’s clear color work and Caramagna’s lettering round out a very solid comic book. We are interested to see more of this book.
Batgirl #40
DC Comics
Written by Cecil Castellucci
Art by Carmine DiGiandomenico
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by AndWorld Design
Cover Art by DiGiandomenico & Ivan Plascencia
Cecil Castellucci is telling a heck of a story. The “Oracle Rising” arc seems to be approaching a climax, and this issue is a high flying tight-rope walk. The words and pictures in this book create a tense, chaotic environment for the reader. The pace of the book is really perfect as the action moves between simultaneous scenes. Jordie Bellaire’s colors in this fire-filled book are an absolute highlight. Well done by all.
Doctor Mirage #3
Valiant Entertainment
Written by Magdalene Visaggio
Art by Nick Robles
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Dave Sharpe
Cover Art by Philip Tan with Jay David Ramos
This is an excellent book. The story that Mags Visaggio is telling in this book is exciting, and the character development is compelling. Nick Robles’ line work and page layouts bring this story to life in the most wonderful ways. Dave Sharpe’s lettering choices and execution are perfect. However, Jordie Bellaire’s coloring in this book is some next level stuff. It is simply stunning. If the rest of the book was terrible, which it is the opposite of, the colors would be worth the cost.
Going to the Chapel #2
Action Lab Danger Zone
Written by David Pepose
Art by Gavin Guidry
Colors by Elizabeth Kramer
Letters by Ariana Maher
Cover Art by Sweeney Boo
It has been a while since the first issue of this book came out, but the delay is not due to the creative team, so don’t hold it against them. With that being said, the intriguing wedding heist story that began last issue continues to bring the twists and turns. The majority of wide panel layouts and interesting camera angles give a fast paced cinematic quality to the book. Kramer’s limited and soft color pallet brings a consistency to the narrative and highlights the emotional beats in the book flawlessly.
Marauders #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Gerry Duggan
Art by Matteo Lolli
Colors by Frederico Blee
Letters by Cory Petit
Cover Art by Russell Dauterman & Matthew Wilson
Hot #1
I really like this book. This is the Kitty, (my apologies) Kate Pryde book that we have been waiting for. There are significant upcoming story points that are teased. The plot of this book is well laid out, and the team roster has a very organic development. Lolli and Blee do an excellent job of delivering an interesting visual narrative to this book. My interest in this iteration of X-Men continues to surprise me. I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. Fantastically crafted.
Money Shot #1
Vault Comics
Written by Tim Seeley and Sarah Beattie
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
Colors by Kurt Michael Russell
Letters by Crank!
Cover Art by Isaacs
Hot #1
The “space porn” book is finally here. Ok, it is not really “space porn”. It is a clever socio-political, raucous romp disguised as a T&A book. Sure, there are plenty of sexy gags and titillating images, but at its heart, this book wants you to think about the world we live in. Perhaps, it wants you to think about how we might live on other worlds. Seeley and Beattie’s dialogue is smart and funny. Rebekah Isaacs’ line work in this book is nothing short of stunning. Russell’s tones keep the mood of this book at the perfect balance. Crank!’s lettering is also a high quality performance. This book is definitely recommended, and we cannot wait for issue #2.
Omni #3
Humanoids, Inc.
Written by Devin Grayson
Art by Alitha E. Martinez & Chris Eliopoulos
Colors by Bryan Valenza
Letters by A Larger World Studios
Cover Art by Dave Johnson
This book is smart and engaging. It is well drawn to lead the reader through interesting reveals. The color work is critical to the excitement of the story. The dialogue is perfectly designed, and the character voices are wonderfully developed. This individual issue is excellent, but even better than that is the methodical and consistent pace of this series. Grayson is telling a great story here. Don’t miss it.
Second Coming #4
Ahoy Comics
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Richard Pace
Finishes by Leonard Kirk
Colors by Andy Troy
Letters by Rob Steen
Cover Art by Amanda Conner & Paul Mounts
This issue continues the clever and irreverent satiric storytelling the Russell and Pace have being delivering in this series. This issue takes some nice shots at superhero stereotypes and continues to raise questions on the role of compassion and justice in our society. It manages to do all of that while crafting a beautiful and funny comic book. The final page is a beautiful three panel setup for the next issue.
Strikeforce #2
Marvel Comics
Written by Tini Howard
Art by German Peralta
Colors by Miroslav Mvra
Letters by Joe Sabino
Cover Art by Andrea Sorrentino & Dean White
This book is another example of a less celebrated Marvel series producing quality storytelling. Tini Howard and German Peralta produce a tight, compelling story and continue to develop the larger narrative to this initial arc to this series. The characters are well developed. The use of shape-shifters in a story has potential for confusing the reader, but the creative team uses some interesting techniques to avoid that. Mvra’s colors, particularly the bright ones, are a great asset to this book.
