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 / nevertheless persisting puppy Tulip (my dog, Reverse Obie’s sister). <sigh> I would say everything is awful, but seeing as how Amy the intern (my wife) returned from her northernly work conference with a 12-pack of Russian River Brewing Co’s
Pliny the Elder, I really can’t say
everything is bad. Right? We also bought four comics this week, read three of them, but only one made it in this week’s post, so we beefed-up all things heavenly with two amazing trades we just read. Anyhow, we at Donist World need to not fall into hopelessness and will thus continue to focus our energies on maintaining our status as a Fortune 320,000 company. So take a deep breath, stay warm, stay positive, have a beer or a strong ginger ale, RESIST, take care of yourself, and while you’re at it check out some great comics. 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 Rick Remender, illustrated by Matteo Scalera, colored by Moreno Dinisio, lettered by Rus Wooton, edited by Sebastian Girner, published by Image Comics. Boy howdy, the creators of
Black Science were right when they said their comic is a mix of
Lost in Space and
Indiana Jones, but as of late it has actually morphed into so much more. It is no longer solely a sci-fi rollercoaster ride of parallel universe-hopping weirdness. Since its beginning, the story has evolved into a family drama of damaged relationships, disappointments, and Grant McKay’s numerous attempts to fix the damage he has wrought. But then there’s also the trans-Eververse threat of malicious ghosts, wicked witches, swords and sorcery, and now superheroes. It’s all a bit much to handle, but this is Remender we’re talking about; juggling this many genres in a single book ain’t no hassle. The funny thing about the current arc is that we haven’t even seen the
main character for the past couple issues as we follow Grant’s recently reunited children, Pia and Nate, and the story remains as compelling as ever. This is especially true now that we have the addition of the cool superhero twist. Scalera’s art is simply incredible — it always is — but where I usual extol the character acting and storytelling, this issue stands out because of the detailed backgrounds, cool technology, and stunning character designs. As a black and white comic, this issue is worth your time, but it is a marvel with Dinisio’s colors, especially during the near-psychedelic scenes involving the witch.
Black Science is a fantastic series that fans of sci-fi, Remender, Scalera, or just great stories in general
must check out. You can jump in with the
five available trades, or go bigly with the
oversized hardcover. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Written by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason; illustrated by Patrick Gleason, Doug Mahnke, Jorge Jimenez, Mick Gray, and Jaime Mendoza; colored by John Kalisz, Wil Quintana, and Alejandro Sanchez; lettered by Rob Leigh; published by DC Comics. Okay, Denizens, when was the last time I mentioned a Superman comic book of some sort? Well, I did a quick search and found that it was in 2011. Over five years ago. I read a couple issues of
Action Comics and a heartwrenching issue of
Superman starring Krypto, but after that…nothing really jived. The Man of Steel and I just weren’t meant to be; that was until I received a surprise copy of this trade paperback from a good friend. I read it in one sitting. I had no idea of what went down with the New 52 version of Superman, and I honestly really didn’t need to know. This seven-issue trade immediately clues you in that the new Superman is dead, the old Superman is back, and that Clark and Lois have a young son. Why is the old Supes back? How did he come back? Yeah, I’m not totally certain, but I also stopped caring once I became immersed in the story after but a few pages. The Eradicator, or rather
an Eradicator, made a great enemy to Clark and his family. The story is thrilling, has actual stakes, and most important of all is fun. I wasn’t even irritated by the addition of a kid to this superhero comic, which is something that usually comes off as cheesy, but not here; the family theme feels right at home. The art is solid, the colors vibrant and — I never thought I would ever say this — I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of
Superman. If you are a lapsed Superman fan like I was, then there is no better time to jump aboard than with this super “Rebirth” title. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Written by Keith Giffin and J.M. DeMatteis; illustrated by Howard Porter, Dale Eaglesham, Welllinton Alves, and Scott Hanna; colored by Hi-Fi; lettered by Nick Napolitano and Travis Lanham, published by DC Comics. I believe my initial thought upon seeing the first issue of this comic on the stand was,
Absolutely no freaking way will I ever read that stupid book. Then I read some things. Then I heard some things. Those “things” were praise for this comic. Being a huge
Scooby Doo cartoon fan as a kid, I broke down and decided to give the first trade a shot. Holy Pliny the Elder, Denizens, am I glad I did. I love everything about this book. Porter’s reimagining of the characters was a bit shocking at first, but a few pages in and I was 100% fine with Shaggy’s beard and tattoos, Daphne’s mercenary outfit, and Scooby’s headgear. The Mystery Machine as a heavily-armored assault vehicle? Heck yeah, sign me up. The monsters, though, daaaaaang…Porter delivers some groovy-as-heck monsters, but they positively spring from the page once graced with Hi-Fi’s lively colors. Beautiful visuals aside, if someone is going to mess with my
Scooby Doo, they’re going to have to do a dang fine job of it, and Giffin and DeMatteis do not disappoint. I adore the new personality traits of the characters and the crazy events that bring them all together. I also like that the creators are taking a risk by bringing us a slightly more mature book — kids can read this comic, but there is extreme violence and death, so parents should be aware — one that succeeds in making you laugh while stepping up the ol’ heart rate during the more intense sequences. I love love love
Scooby Apocalypse and I cannot wait for volume two. Hanna-Barbera is killing it with
The Flintstones,
Future Quest, and now this fine comic. Zoinks! Jeepers! Give this a read! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Slice into the Woods
President-Neglect Donald Drumpf - GOP…even with all your gerrymandering and machinations, has it occurred to you yet that every day you allow Drumpf to pretend he is President and allow Bannon to even set foot in the White House you are not just shedding future votes by the day, but possibly setting us all up for some very scary and dangerous times? I’m talking more than just lost seats, I’m talking even more pissed off, nuclear type threats. Impeach his ass. Get Drumpf and Bannon out of there now. Do something right for a change.
DeVos and Her Recently Purchased Position as Education Secretary - To the corrupt, Republican senators who voted in Betsy DeVos: go fuck yourselves. Now we actually really need to make America great again.
Friday Slice of Heaven, Slice into the Woods 2/10/2017
