Welcome back, Donist World Denizens! For those of you new to our site, I’m Donist, and I am joined by Donist World CFO the Reverse Obie* (my friends’ Boston terrier whose fur recently swapped colors) and by our marketing director / administrative assistant / party planner / pumpkin chocolate chip cookie administrator (my dog, Reverse Obie’s sister). Although my puppy executive team cannot eat chocolate, that doesn’t stop them from baking some dang-fine pumpkin chocolate chip cookies…my personal weakness. Beer is probably my second weakness, but it’s a work day, and we need to focus on maintaining our Fortune 320,000 company status. This week, we look at four new comics and prepare to take a company outing to the back porch of our office (Mom’s basement) where we’ll enjoy the cooling weather, read some old and new comics, and maybe make a pumpkin chai latte (it’s a Trader Joe’s powdery thing). So, pour yourself a pumpkin drink, or a
Stone Brewing Xocoveza (or a coffee, if beer ain’t your thang), go see
Doctor Strange, vote for Clinton on Tuesday, and most of all read some great comics. Take care. Thank you for reading!
*Obie, through his dabbling in arcane magics mixed with ancient corrupt business practices, has had not just the colors of his fur switched, but a complete overhaul of his work ethic as well…I think I’m kinda okay with the mishap.
***Possible Spoilers Below***
Friday Slice of Heaven
Written by Mark Russell, illustrated by Steve Pugh, colored by Chris Chuckry, lettered by Dave Sharpe, published by DC Comics. How the heck can a single comic be hilarious, heartbreaking, uplifting, and heartwarming all while being set way way way in the past, yet deeply relevant to today? Trust me, Denizens, it ain’t easy, but the tremendous
The Flintstones succeeds on all fronts while being entertaining to boot. In this lone issue, Russell and Pugh tackle family, war, being tricked into going to war, elections, bullies (schoolyard and political), standing up not just for yourself but for the “little guy,” disappointing those you love, horror, and triumph. Pugh’s art is gorgeous — especially when it comes to Wilma and Betty — and the site gags mixed with the designs of dinosaurs and characters brings it all to life in a way that needs to be seen to be believed. I love this series, Denizens. Everyone with a sense of humor and an appreciation of satire needs to give it a chance. Although I am still quite bummed about Russell’s fantastic
Prez being cancelled (right before a huge election, no less!),
The Flintstones is a great follow up…and if anyone says otherwise, I’ll punch ’em in the beef. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Written by Jason Aaron, illustrated by Jason Latour, lettered by Jared K. Fletcher, edited by Sebastian Girner, published by Image Comics. Okay, yeah, it’s been a real long while since we last saw an issue of the great
Southern Bastards comic…May to be exact. The brutal thing about issue 14 was the way that issue left us hanging with Roberta Tubb finally arriving in Craw County to kick ass and enact vengeance upon those who killed her father. Although this issue focuses primarily on Coach Boss after the humiliating loss the Running Rebs suffered at Homecoming, Roberta does appear throughout the issue to ratchet up the tension to eleven, as Boss’s world begins to unravel. If you love this crime / college football comic as much as I do, then the cover alone is enough to remind you that a five month wait is worth it for story and art of this caliber. And, hey, I’m pretty sure the delay had something to do with the creators bringing this beautifully-ugly series to television. Whether comics or TV, I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Three trades and a awesome
hardcover are available. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Written by Rick Remender, illustrated by Wes Craig, colored by Jordon Boyd, lettered by Rus Wooton, edited by Sebastian Girner, published by Image Comics. The previous arc of
Deadly Class was freakin’ intense. Not only was it a nerve wracking thrillride, but it threw in a curveball that I was in no way expecting (not spoilin’ either). In fact, I was kind of messed up after reading it. But life goes on, even if many of the characters through issue 21 do not. The thing about Remender and Craig that is so amazing is that they introduced a whole mess of new characters last issue and I already adore them. This issue introduces four freshmen to the still-grieving, sophomore Saya, and sees them all bond over a game of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and it is truly awesome. Craig’s art always stands out, but when he delves into the fantasy world…holy moley, Denizens, it’s glorious. Those knockouts, analogous and monochromatic color schemes, and halftone dots by Boyd are all sortsa dang fine, too. Phew, I can’t wait for the next issue, especially since it looks like Helmut and Victor are going to square off.
Deadly class never fails to thrill. You can easily catch up with the
four trades, or the lovely
hardcover. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, illustrated by Valentine De Landro, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick, lettered by Clayton Cowles, cover and logo design by Rian Hughes, backmatter designed by Laurenn McCubbin, edited by Lauren Sankovitch, published by Image Comics. Okay, speaking of long-delayed comics…
Bitch Planet finally returns after last gracing our peepers in June. Oh well, I know DeConnick is doing quite a bit of stuff for her and Matt Fraction’s television show development arm, Milkfed Criminal Masterminds. Still, these delays are kind of a bummer given how insane of a cliffhanger we were left with after the amazing previous issue. In spite of the wait,
Bitch Planet continues to be a great comic, especially given the current political climate a certain orange sociopath is inflicting on our country. That said, this 24-page issue (not counting essays) moves
very fast. Characters we recently met all come together, which is great, but I would have liked to have seen the last two issues expanded across four or five…but maybe that’s just me.
Bitch Planet is a fantastic sci-fi / dystopian tale of a patriarical society where outspoken women, women who don’t adhere to certain physical standards, lesbians, and so on are deemed “Non-Compliant,” and shipped off to a prison planet for the rest of their lives. This is the story of when they take the power back, and it’s a series us non-deplorables should love. The
first trade is currently available, with the
second trade dropping January 2017. RECOMMENDED!
Slice into the Woods
Steve Dillon Died - I should have mentioned this last week, but I didn’t have the time to properly say how much Dillon’s work affected me throughout the years. Criminy. I just talked about the books I return to year after year, and Dillon and Garth Ennis’s Preacher is a solid on that list; I just reread it again this past summer. I also have been meaning to drag out all my Punisher Max books…looks like I know what I’ll be reading this month. Dillon was a master storyteller, and a master of character acting, and this Donist will always treasure the work he has done. He will be missed. My heart goes out to his friends and family.
Too Many of My Heroes Have Died this Year - Prince, David Bowie, Darwyn Cooke, Gene Wilder, and now Steve Dillon. <sigh> Suck it, 2016…this is not fair.
Donald Trump - Well…he can go and suck it, too. Be sure to vote this coming Tuesday, and be sure you DO NOT VOTE FOR THE ORANGE SOCIOPATH!
Friday Slice of Heaven, Slice into the Woods 11/4/2016
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