Weekly Comics for 1406.18
Yes, I am still here. Still catching up, but I am making a dent. Snow day today at all area schools, which just begs to be filled with some comic books!
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RE: SPOILERS: I don't have to explain that you read at your own risk, right?
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I have been waiting to catch up to the week that The Wicked and the Divine #1 came out. I am a bit slow on the uptake. Kieron Gillen did not really emerge from the pack of all comic creators for me until he began his Uber series at Avatar, which I have praised before on these pages. Okay, Uber or Young Avengers, I am not sure which came out first. But the anticipation for The Wicked and the Divine really began with Young Avengers, illustrated by Jamie McKelvie, who also did not emerge from the pack of all artists so that I noticed his work until I checked out his beautiful art in the hard cover graphic novel X-Men Season One, written by Dennis Hopeless.
I had been reading comics that Gillen had written for a while, such as Uncanny X-Men, Thor, and Iron Man. But I had missed Phonogram, which means I had also missed McKelvie for a bit. I actually think I first noticed McKelvie in his snarky exchanges with Warren Ellis and how both are active on THIS IS MY JAM, where I am also active as gmrstudios, before I actually saw his art work in a comic. Funny that. Social media first; comics second. I now own Phonogram though I have not read it yet. Still, as a fan of The Young Avengers, I was excited for Gillen and McKelvie's The Wicked and the Divine #1, so it's no surprise that it hits the top of stack for the week.
The Wicked and the Divine has continued to excel in the months since June (remember I am writing this in November of 2014). I cannot do much better than these reviews, so check them out. Or better yet, just go get the recent issues, or the first volume collected edition due out November 25th, which as of this writing is next Tuesday.
WICKED & THE DIVINE - GEEKS OUT
COMIC BOOK RESOURCES REVIEW - The Wicked and the Divine #1
COMICS ALLIANCE REVIEW - The Wicked and the Divine #1
I continue to enjoy the Original Sin series. Jason Aaron is another of these great new-ish writers in comics, along with Gillen, Hickman, Fraction, and others. And as I have mentioned before, having Deodato on art for this book is going to consistently catapult it to the top of my stack. It would have taken first place this week if not for The Wicked and the Divine.
Other good old Marvel Comics that are not going to get much text from me here also take top slots with Daredevil ranking next at third as it has been consistently excellent, Thor: God of Thunder takes fifth only because I have really been loving Alex + Ada, and Uncanny X-Men takes seventh only because an Image trifecta ranks at number one (The Wicked and the Divine), four (Alex + Ada), and then the WONDERFUL Sex Criminals at sixth. I still say that despite all the grousing by comic book fans for all kinds of reasons that are usually ill-conceived, soured by grapes, and often just nonsensical, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS is one of the very best (top five) comic book writers working today. And if we factor out some good writers who are not producing with frequency (Warren Ellis) or consistent longevity (so many to choose from), and then we factor up Bendis' impact on the comic world in the last ten-plus years, he's far and away the Hank Aaron of comics: first ballot Hall of Famer. He's consistent, he has longevity, and he's changed the game: PERIOD.
Okay, I will add a bit more on the brilliance of Daredevil even though it is NOT written by Bendis, whom I was just touting. But it is written by the equally talented Mark Waid, who I was touting in the previous post. Just check this out, though it's as much about the brilliance of Chris Samnee as it is due to Waid in the pages shown below. Still, the team, the comic, Daredevil, has been consistently one of Marvel's best if not its single best superhero comic in publication. I have gone on about the awesomeness of Daredevil before, but in case you missed it, see the following:
WEEKLY COMICS FOR 1405.21
and if you drill back to that posted linked above, you will find my other links from the T-Shirt blog about the awesomeness that is Old Horned Head.
Though as you can see, I am an ardent supporter of DC and Marvel, I also buy a fair number of Image Comics. In fact, my budget does not even allow me to buy all the Image Comics I would like to have. I am acquiring some via trade paperbacks, such as Fatale (which will be reviewed here at some point in the future) and East of West. I have been proclaiming quite loudly in the comic book store for over a year that Image Comics is arguably putting out the best line of comics. Though Marvel and DC have many solid titles, and though other companies like Dark Horse, IDW, Avatar, Dynamite, and even Archie are putting out some decent work, no company has more winners across its line than Image. And one of these winners is Alex + Ada.
Loving Alex + Ada takes some adjustment as it comes from one of the Luna Brothers, a team whose work I have been critical of, though I have bought and read it all. I taught Ultra in my last women's studies class, and I was critical online of both Girls and The Sword. But here Jonathan Luna has dumped a brother and teamed with the marvelous Sara Vaughn, whose sensibility is stamped all over this work. The result is a comic that has been slowly creeping up my stack, such that in the most recent purchase (remember this is November, so 1411.12), Alex + Ada ranked third.
Alex + Ada is about a robot (Ada, a female companion robot, see pictures below) who gains sentience and we watch as she discovers the world for the first time as a sentient being. The story unspools naturally and without extra exposition or encumbrances of heavy narrative. It's brilliant and beautiful.
These reviews tell the story much better than I, and if you don't mind spoilers, check them out, or just go buy the current set of Alex + Ada issues. Volume one of the trade paperback came out in July, and the second volume is due in March.
comic book resources review Alex + Ada #7
GEEKS OF DOOM REVIEW: Alex + Ada #7
ALEX + ADA #7 REVIEW
BLOODY DISGUSTING ALEX + ADA #7 REVIEW
Sex Criminals #6
Another Image comic that I have been enjoying (as have many of the smart readers in the comic shop) is Sex Criminals. It's a story of two people who can make time stop after they have sex. They use this power to steal money to try to keep a library open where one of the main characters, Susie, works. But things get complicated...
Again, these reviews spell out what happened in issue #6 well enough, but you would be better off to go buy the comics. This is great stuff. Definitely, some of the best writing of Fraction's career so far.
SEX CRIMINALS #6 REVIEW
SEQUART - SEX CRIMINALS #6 REVIEW
WEEKLY COMICS LIST
Comics for 1406.18
The Wicked and the Divine #1
Original Sin (#4 of 8)
Daredevil #004
Alex + Ada #7
Thor: God of Thunder #023
Sex Criminals #6
Uncanny X-Men #022
Nova: Original Sin #18
The New 52: Future's End #6
The New 52: Future's End #7
Avengers World #008
Avengers: Original Sin #31
Silver Surfer #003
Iron Man #028
The Punisher #007
BACK LOG
Wonder Woman #32
Batman Eternal #9
Batman Eternal #10
Red Sonja #10
Fables #141
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Ten #4
SPECIAL
Locus Issue # 641 Vol. 72 No. 6
COVER GALLERY
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1411.18 - 19:18
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