Hey There Folks!! This column is designed to bring you reviews of new comic book series that came out this week. We will try to focus on independent and original series for the most part. Despite that intent, this first week is light on new series and we have three Marvel Comics series for you along with a new book from IDW Publishing.
You will usually find the books that we review in this space on our month list of New Number Ones. You might want to check over there to see what you can expect for the rest of the month.
This week we will bring you our thoughts on four books: Hawkeye: Freefall #1, I Can Sell You a Body #1, Star Wars #1, and Thor #1
Check out the reviews below in alphabetical order:
Hawkeye: Freefall #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Art by Otto Schmidt
Letters by Joe Sabino
Cover art by Kim Jacinto & Tamra Bonvillain
It looks like Matt Rosenberg and Otto Schmidt had a great time making this book. It is fun and exciting. It has a perfect mix of quiet character moments and high flying action. The characterization is excellent. Rosenberg has a great handle on Barton and the other heroes in the book. The plot to this initial story is intriguing, and we are looking forward to more.
Schmidt’s visuals are just beautiful. The movement of the characters is sublimely and exceptionally executed. The panel layouts are another strong point to the flow of this book. Joe Sabino does a flawless job lettering this book. The techniques he uses are critical to the success of the story. This is a great start to this series.
I Can Sell You a Body #1
IDW Publishing
Written by Ryan Ferrier
Art by George Kambadais
Letters by Ferrier
Cover art by Kambadais
Ferrier and Kambadais created an interesting story with this series. The interplay of supernatural spirits with a gifted con-man in debt to mobsters makes for a fair amount of chaos. The dialogue is well crafted and organic sounding. The visual layout of the book, with five to six panel pages, allows for the reader to have a comfortable pace to absorb the story. The protagonist is intriguing in his flawed morals, but the creative team makes him compelling enough for the audience to be interested in his fate. This is a solid start to this four-issue series.
Star Wars #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Charles Soule
Art by Jesus Saiz
Colors by Saiz & Arif Prianto
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover art by R.B. Silva & GURU-eFX
This new Marvel Star Wars series picks up immediately after The Empire Strikes Back, and it is a very well done comic book. This is a story that can be portrayed in really any medium, but Soule and Saiz do a fantastic job of picking up where things left off in a well-known story. The exploration of the emotional fallout of the events immediately preceding this story is fascinating.
It is not a simple task to be the artist on a fan favorite property where the audience has existing photographic reference for the characters’ likenesses. Saiz does a great job of rendering the actors that we know without it becoming a distraction. The flow of this book and the new crises that are presented are a great way to move forward with this story. We are looking forward to more.
Thor #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Donny Cates
Art by Nic Klein
Colors by Matthew Wilson
Letters by Joe Sabino
Cover art by Olivier Coipel & Laura Martin
This is a great comic book. It is very much a Donny Cates book, and there is nothing wrong with that. Let’s first take a moment to admire the work of Nic Klein and Matthew Wilson in this comic. The vast majority of the story takes place in Asgard, and the tight camera focuses combined with the rarer grand splash scenes definitely give the feel of an otherworldly locale. Interesting panel layouts and bordering add to the enjoyment of the artistic component of this issue. Wilson does of wonderful job of focusing the reader’s eye to the characters in the book, while also rendering magnificent backgrounds.
This story, which follows a years long Jason Aaron Thor epic, is off to a rip-roaring start. The issue itself is full of massive surprises that are delivered with appropriate gravity. Cates has a letter included at the back of the book explaining the magic of comics and what it means to different people. He absolutely nailed the magic in this book. Besides the jaw-dropping developments in the plot of this book, the writing is excellent, and I did not want this issue to end. Well done by all.
DISCLAIMER:
We use a 4 star rating system. It is simple and not to be taken too seriously. Everyone has 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:
OK
Not Good
