Welcome to the latest installment of Preview Reviews. This is where we give advanced glimpses at some of the comics that will be coming out this Wednesday.
Here at Pop Culture Squad, we are decidedly Anti-Spoiler. We feel that ruining someone’s experience with something for the sake of getting a scoop or clicks is the wrong thing to do. Therefore, we have decided to publish this column, as necessary, with mostly spoiler-free reviews of upcoming issues. Hopefully, the information that we share with you will increase your excitement for these books.
This week we have two great new books to preview. The first is a new series called Getting It Together from Image Comics, and the second is a one-shot from Storm Kids (the young adult imprint of Storm King Comics, called Stanley’s Ghost
You can find these books at your LCS on October 7, 2020.
Getting It Together #1
Image Comics
Written by Sina Grace & Omar Spahi
Art by Jenny D. Fine & Grace
Colors by Mx. Struble
Letters by Sean Konot
Cover Art by Fine
Original Solicitation:
SERIES PREMIERE! Newcomer artist JENNY D. FINE shines alongside Marvel Comics’ Iceman writer SINA GRACE and co-creator OMAR SPAHI in the all-new modern dramedy you didn’t know you needed! Sam and Jack are best friends, and Sam is dating Lauren, Jack’s indie rocker sister and roommate. When Sam and Lauren open up their long-term relationship, skyrocketing tensions send social shockwaves through their friend group and the entire Bay Area. And Jack, caught in the middle of it all, may be forced to take sides in a conflict he never wanted to be a part of. Life gets pretty messy when you’re in your 20s and your friends are your family.
PCS Review:
This book is just lovely. I often find myself enthralled with the writing of Sina Grace. The casual relaxed nature of his dialogue is mesmerizing. There is an immediate attraction to the characters in this book and the opening sequence probably has a lot to do with that. The collaboration with Omar Spahi is wonderful. The two combine to tell a compelling story about relationships that are damaged and have a very real-life feel to them.
Jenny D. Fine does a phenomenal job in realizing the essence of this story and generating a wonderful visual narrative. While there is a cartoony aspect to the art, the facial expressions, background details, and character interactions are spectacular. The color work by Mx. Struble is excellent, particularly the textured backgrounds and the lighting elements. With a book that is mostly conversational the letterer needs to be extra careful to get the dialogue in without obscuring the art, and Sean Konot takes advantage of panel borders in an fantastic way to do exactly that.
I am very excited for this book and and looking forward to the next issue. Don’t miss it.
John Carpenter Presents Stanley’s Ghost: A Halloween Adventure #1
Storm King Comics / Storm Kids
Story by Jeff Balke & Paul Storrie
Written by Paul Storrie
Art by Dave Alvarez
Colors by Jeff Balke
Letters by Janice Chiang
Cover Art by Alvarez & Balke
Original Solicitation:
Oh no! Who’s been stealing fruit from all the gardens in Arbordale? Was it the prankster Chester Chipmunk? Or maybe Baby Fang? Accusations fly until someone suggests that maybe it was the Ghost of Bunnyburrow Manor! Neighbors have claimed to have seen it flying around, but are ghosts even real? And if they are, why would they be stealing fruit? Stanley Squirrel offers to lead an expedition into the house to see if it really is haunted and find out just what’s been going on. But as the gang creeps around the house looking for answers, what they find isn’t what any of them were expecting!
PCS Review:
Sometimes there is a book that just fits the time and this book does in unconventional ways. This is a fun cartoony adventure that fits the spooky season. It is a breath of fresh air in world of chaos. Paul Storrie and Jeff Balke crafted a lively tale that has a bunch of anthropomorphic cartoon friends investigating a mystery that turns scary. The dialogue in this book is engaging and charming.
The line art by Dave Alvarez is joyfully sweet, and he does a great job with expression and characterization. The colors by Jeff Balke are vibrant, and Janice Chiang is just a fantastic letterer who always bring high quality work to everything she does.
This book is a perfect gift for young readers, but also a wonderful Halloweeny comic experience for every age.
