*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
Silver Surfer Black #1
(Written by Donny Cates, illustrated by Tradd Moore, colored by Dave Stewart, lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles, published by Marvel Comics)
You know I’ve been vibing on pretty much every-gosh-darned-thing Donny Cates has been writing and written (I still need to jump on Babyteeth, though), but I somehow neglected to add this powerhouse, must-buy comic to my pull. I am so thankful I secured a copy. Holy. Cosmic. Glorificusness! This comic is not only up there with my favorite Marvel cosmic adventures by way of the story, but the art is not just amazing, it is simply out of this world. This comic is like a time jump back to the ’70s with psychedelic art that is destined to flip your dome and send you on a trip from which you never want to return. All we need is for an oversized reprint of this issue as a velvety blacklight poster…or at least the next issue in my grubby mitts ASAP. Plus, this issue includes a fantastic twist I did not see coming. C’mon, Marvel, blacklight posterize this sexy beast!!!
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
The Immortal Hulk #19
(Written by Al Ewing, illustrated by Joe Bennet, inked by Ruy José and Belardino Brabo, colored by Paul Mounts and Rachelle Rosenberg, lettered by VC’s Cory Petit)
The last time I really enjoyed a Hulk comic was back when I was living in Ohio as an eight-year-old. Yes, I admit that Peter David’s highly-regarded run is a blind spot I mean to fix at some point, but Ewing and Bennet’s horror take on ol’ jade jaws is one of the best things Marvel has put out in quite some time. The Abomination is exactly that, a complete and utter abomination that might just find his way into your worst nightmares and ends up being the most unnerving adversary the Hulk has had to face thus far in this phenomenal series…which is saying something. The Immortal Hulk is a scary thrill-ride that 100% warrants the rave reviews it has received since its first issue. If you aren’t reading this unique, experimental run of the Hulk, then you need to correct that through the three available trades!
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1
(Written by Donny Cates, Al Ewing, Tini Howard, and Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler; illustrated by John McCrea, Yiloirry Cinar, Ibrahim Moustafa, and Filipe Andrade; colored by Mike Spicer, Rain Beredo, and Jay David Ramos; lettered by VC’s Cory Petit; published by Marve Comics)
This somehow missed my pull a couple of weeks ago and given my decades of experience of being let down by annuals, I was okay with missing this issue; then I saw this copy sitting on my LCS’s shelf and I caved; I’m glad I picked it up. You essentially get four stories: one with the Universal Church of Truth showing they will be around to plague the Guardians in the future (more Adam Warlock?!), a great story about Nova and the mental health issues caused by war, another cool one with Adam Warlock taking on a false god, and one about Darkhawk that I don’t really get. All and all, this annual breaks the “disposable” trend of most annuals by providing a highly enjoyable preview of where Guardians of the Galaxy might be headed next.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Little Bird #3
(Written by Darcy Van Poelgeest, illustrated by Ian Bertram, colored by Matt Hollingsworth, lettered by Aditya Bidikar, designed by Ben Didier, published by Image Comics)
After reading yet another heavenly issue of this fantastic comic, I am now aware of the devastating truth that we have only two issues left of this haunting, violent, impeccably-illustrated series. Yes, there will eventually be a hardcover collection, but I strongly recommend getting the issues first—if you can find them—so that you will appreciate the need to double dip once the collection drops.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Ascender #2
(Written by Jeff Lemire, illustrated by Dustin Nguyen, lettered and designed by Steve Wands, published by Image Comics)
You all know that Lemire and Nguyen’s exceptionally gorgeous Descender has been my favorite series of the past five years. Now, two issues into the second half of this grand epic that has shifted from sci-fi to fantasy, Ascender looks to be my favorite series of the next five. In this issue, technology returns after ten years of its near absence as Bandit appears (I’m not spoiling a thing, he’s on the cover of the first issue for Pete’s sake) and in true Lemire fashion, the robot dog’s reunion with Andy left a couple tears streaming down my cheek. Issue three can’t come soon enough for this awesome series. I guess it’s time for a Descender reread.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Doomsday Clock #10
(Written by Geoff Johns, illustrated by Gary Frank, colored by Brad Anderson, lettered by Rob Leigh, published by DC Comics)
Although this title is slow in its release schedule—almost to the detriment of the flow of the story—I am still loving every page of this twelve-issue maxi-series. This issue setups up the foreshadowed confrontation between Dr. Manhattan (the man of inaction) and Superman (the man of action) as Dr. Manhattan jumps between parallel worlds and shows his connection to the DCU and how there can be so many slightly different iterations of the Man of Steel. I have no idea how it will all end with the final two issues, which is fine by me as that is exactly where I want to be. I look forward to reading the entirety of Doomsday Clock once it’s all done…whenever that might be.
X-Men Grand Design - X-Tinction #1
(Everythinged by Ed Piskor, published by Marvel Comics)
I’m as stunned as you are, Denizens, by the volume of Marvel titles that I have been picking up and loving over the past couple of months, and I guess you can say that Piskor’s intricately researched, planned, and executed retelling of decades of X-Men stories—mindbending continuity and all—is exactly the type of experimentation and risk-taking by Marvel that brought me back into the fold. The cool thing about the third, and final, two-issue chapter is that this era is exactly when I had decided enough is enough and bounced from all things involving the X-Men, so it is refreshing to get caught up on what all went down during the “X-Tinction” years as only the infinitely talented Piskor could deliver. This series is one you need to read in paper format to get the full experience of the textured paper and to experience The X-Men in the manner this creator intended.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Green Lantern #8
(Written by Grant Morrison, illustrated by Liam Sharp, colored by Steve Oliff, lettered by Tom Orzechowski, published by DC Comics)
I somehow missed issue #7—don’t worry, a copy is on its way!—which everyone on the internet was freaking out about, but I broke my habit of refusing to read issues out of order as the promise of a Green Lantern/Green Arrow team-up to fight intergalactic drug cartels was just too much for me to resist. I have no idea what the hell “Xeen Arrow” is or where it comes from, all I know is that this issue was so delightfully weird that I loved every page of it. It also doesn’t hurt to have Sharp’s oh-so-gorgeous art to guide you on this insane trip. Oh, looky there…issue #7 just arrived; I know exactly what I’ll be reading next.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
There were a ton of other fantastic comics I read since I last checked in, but these were the ones that stood out and wowed me the most. Thank you for reading and see you next time!
(Written by Jeff Lemire, illustrated by Dustin Nguyen, lettered and designed by Steve Wands, published by Image Comics)
You all know that Lemire and Nguyen’s exceptionally gorgeous Descender has been my favorite series of the past five years. Now, two issues into the second half of this grand epic that has shifted from sci-fi to fantasy, Ascender looks to be my favorite series of the next five. In this issue, technology returns after ten years of its near absence as Bandit appears (I’m not spoiling a thing, he’s on the cover of the first issue for Pete’s sake) and in true Lemire fashion, the robot dog’s reunion with Andy left a couple tears streaming down my cheek. Issue three can’t come soon enough for this awesome series. I guess it’s time for a Descender reread.VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Doomsday Clock #10
(Written by Geoff Johns, illustrated by Gary Frank, colored by Brad Anderson, lettered by Rob Leigh, published by DC Comics)Although this title is slow in its release schedule—almost to the detriment of the flow of the story—I am still loving every page of this twelve-issue maxi-series. This issue setups up the foreshadowed confrontation between Dr. Manhattan (the man of inaction) and Superman (the man of action) as Dr. Manhattan jumps between parallel worlds and shows his connection to the DCU and how there can be so many slightly different iterations of the Man of Steel. I have no idea how it will all end with the final two issues, which is fine by me as that is exactly where I want to be. I look forward to reading the entirety of Doomsday Clock once it’s all done…whenever that might be.
X-Men Grand Design - X-Tinction #1
(Everythinged by Ed Piskor, published by Marvel Comics)
I’m as stunned as you are, Denizens, by the volume of Marvel titles that I have been picking up and loving over the past couple of months, and I guess you can say that Piskor’s intricately researched, planned, and executed retelling of decades of X-Men stories—mindbending continuity and all—is exactly the type of experimentation and risk-taking by Marvel that brought me back into the fold. The cool thing about the third, and final, two-issue chapter is that this era is exactly when I had decided enough is enough and bounced from all things involving the X-Men, so it is refreshing to get caught up on what all went down during the “X-Tinction” years as only the infinitely talented Piskor could deliver. This series is one you need to read in paper format to get the full experience of the textured paper and to experience The X-Men in the manner this creator intended.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Green Lantern #8
(Written by Grant Morrison, illustrated by Liam Sharp, colored by Steve Oliff, lettered by Tom Orzechowski, published by DC Comics)
I somehow missed issue #7—don’t worry, a copy is on its way!—which everyone on the internet was freaking out about, but I broke my habit of refusing to read issues out of order as the promise of a Green Lantern/Green Arrow team-up to fight intergalactic drug cartels was just too much for me to resist. I have no idea what the hell “Xeen Arrow” is or where it comes from, all I know is that this issue was so delightfully weird that I loved every page of it. It also doesn’t hurt to have Sharp’s oh-so-gorgeous art to guide you on this insane trip. Oh, looky there…issue #7 just arrived; I know exactly what I’ll be reading next.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
There were a ton of other fantastic comics I read since I last checked in, but these were the ones that stood out and wowed me the most. Thank you for reading and see you next time!
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