Welcome Back to NEW NUMBER ONES! New comics are BACK!!!
If you are new here, 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. This week we have four books for you. They are from Archie Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, and Image Comics.
You will usually find the books that we review in this space on our month list of New Number Ones. As the distribution of new comics is still getting underway, expect a monthly look ahead for July’s new series.
The books this week are all returns of well-known properties, but eminently worthwhile. They have been out of publication for a while, but we are glad they are all back.
This week we will bring you our thoughts on four books: The Boys: Dear Becky #1, Nailbiter Returns #1, Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Death of Nancy Drew #1, and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch: Something Wicked #1
Check out the reviews below in alphabetical order:
The Boys: Dear Becky #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Russ Braun
Colors by Tony Aviña
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover Art by Darick Robertson
The Boys are back. Garth Ennis returns to the property that has now become hit Amazon series, and it is a good thing. This first issue of the new series reminds readers that The Boys has long been known as a book that pushes the limits of polite discussion to the side and lays bare all the dark sides of humanity that we don’t want to think about. This book jumps right in and challenges the reader’s sensibilities in a way that doesn’t feel like outrageousness for outrageousness’ sake. Russ Braun returns to the art duties, and his storytelling and character depictions are fantastic, as usual. Tony Aviña on colors and Simon Bowland on letters round out an excellent creative team that delivers a wonderful return for The Boys.
Nailbiter Returns #1
Image Comics
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Mike Henderson
Colors by Adam Guzowski
Letters by John J. Hill
Cover Art by Henderson
The second return of fan favorite comic series is Nailbiter Returns. Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson are in perfect form in this book. The story is new and picks up after the original series ended. The methods that Williamson uses to bring newcomers up to speed are effective and not intrusive to the new story. There are some really wonderfully horrifying images that Henderson conjures in this book, and they bring the story to life in the most terrifying ways. Adam Guzowski‘s colors and his ability to set the tone of the scene is crucial to the flow of the story. Believe me. We are in on this book!!!
Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Death of Nancy Drew #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Anthony Del Col
Art by Joe Eisma
Colors by Salvatore Aiala
Letters by Crank!
Cover Art by Joe Eisma
We really liked this book. Anthony Del Col and Joe Eisma tell an intriguing story with familiar characters. They do an excellent job establishing the setting while moving the new story forward. The visual storytelling in this book is wonderful. Eisma’s slightly askew camera angles are inviting and at the same time evoke the feeling of uneasiness. His background “easter eggs” are really good as well; so, don’t sleep on enjoying the totality of each panel. The lettering by Crank! is really well done. The use of mixed case in the narration adds an important feel to the book. This is very entertaining and we look forward to more.
Sabrina The Teenage Witch: Something Wicked #1
Archie Comics
Written by Kelly Thompson
Art by Veronica Fish & Andy Fish
Letters by Jack Morelli
Cover Art by Veronica Fish
What a lovely book this is! It is fun and smartly written by Kelly Thompson. The art by Veronica and Andy Fish is dynamic and vibrant. The story that is being told is engaging. The scene construction in this book is staggered in a way to add a lot of depth to the story. The characters are all accessible and well defined. We are definitely excited to see more in this story.
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
I liked that Sabrina #1 too!