This week we reviewed a couple of New Number Ones for this column. We enjoyed them both and highly recommend them.
The books on today’s list are Black’s Myth: The Key to His Heart #1 from Ahoy Comics and Wild’s End #1 from Boom! Studios.
Our reviews are spoiler free and focus on the positive aspects of comic storytelling in each issue. You can find all of these books at your Local Comic Shop now or wherever you get your comics.
Black’s Myth: The Key to His Heart #1
Ahoy Comics
Written by Eric Palicki
Art by Wendell Cavalcanti
Letters by Rob Steen
Cover Art by Liana Kangas
Original Solicitation:
It’s back, the “moody tale that smartly blends familiar supernatural elements with the trappings of classic pulpy crime stories” (Comics Beat). In this new case, werewolf private eye Janie “Strummer” Mercado tries to prevent a young girl from becoming a monster, with the aid of her suave djinn assistant Ben Si’lat. But will Strummer gain an intern instead? And why is an old enemy sending mysterious packages to her house? Featuring a cover by Liana Kangas and an incentive cover by Tim Seeley.
PCS Review:
One of my favorite books of 2021 returns with a new arc, and it is “straight fire”, as the kids say, or as they said until I had to go ruin the saying like that. Eric Palicki and Wendel Cavalcanti have created a fantastic character and put her in the ideal setting for her.
This new arc adds some new characters and, boy, aren’t they interesting? The writing and delivery of fantastical supernatural elements in modern Los Angeles is one of the most interesting and endearing aspects of the book. Palicki definitely brought his “A” game with plot and dialogue in this first chapter, and Cavalcanti delivers a wonderful black and white visual narrative.
The first issue of a second arc is really important to see if what you loved about the first arc translates to a different story, and this book checks every box. Don’t miss it.
Wild’s End #1
Boom! Studios
Written by Dan Abnett
Art by I.N.J. Culbard
Colors by Culbard
Letters by Culbard
Cover Art by Culbard
Original Solicitation:
Journey to alien-occupied interwar England, courtesy of the award-winning creative team of Dan Abnett (Warhammer 40K, Immortal Red Sonja) & I.N.J. Culbard (Salamandre, Tales From The Umbrella Academy), with Nik Abnett providing additional material!
Out at sea during the invasion, our intimate crew of unlucky voyagers returns to a world they once knew, their once-cozy seaside home now occupied by alien invaders.
Combining a rich cast of anthropomorphized characters in the tradition of Blacksad and aliens unlike any you’ve ever seen in the spirit of War of the Worlds meets Wind in the Willows! Wild’s End is a world unlike any other… one you won’t want to leave.
PCS Review:
The opening issue of this new series is packed with characterization. The reader is exposed and engulfed in a fairly normal seaside fishing port with an eclectic cast of characters. Dan Abnett does a masterful job of setting the status quo with each of them in a meaningful way.
While a slightly out of the ordinary series of events go on, there is a rising tension in the book and Abnett and Culbard deliver a shocking ending that sets the stage for the next issue(s). Culbard’s art and lettering are excellent. His ability to make animal-headed human acting characters seem normal is fantastic.
This book sneaks up on you and leaves you excited for the next issue.
