27 #1 – Review

By: Charles Soule (writer), Renzo Podesta (art), Shawn DePasquale (letters) & Kristen Simon (editor)

The Story: A young guitarist makes a Faustian bargain to get his playing ability back.

What’s Good: This is a very original comic book that has lot “WTF?” moments.  To put things in context, the biggest thing that I demand from my non-Marvel/DC comic books is that they be something different.  I want to see creators tossing off their corporate shackles and doing the equivalent of running naked in the hallway by giving us something new and unique with the artform of comics.  27 really scratches that “different” itch pretty well.

The story is pretty cool.  We meet a young guitarist who has recently made it BIG.  He gets a taste of fame and fortune, but mostly…he just likes to play.  So, it is cruel when in the first couple of pages he is struck down by some kind of carpal tunnel syndrome and it becomes painful for him to pick up a guitar.  [SPOILERS] Desperate, he visits a whole manner healers before going through a procedure in this creepy, dark basement lab with a Brad Douriff-type scientist that is just full of “WTF?” moments.  Literally, each panel has you saying…..”What the hell is going on with that talking rat all of a sudden?  WTF?”  And you know there is going to be a steep price to be paid for getting his ability to play back.  He is successful and the solution is whacky as hell.  By the end of the issue, you are left with many more questions than answers (in a good way).

The presentation of the comic is in Image’s Golden sized format and the art really works for this type of dark, Faustian tale.  Podesta’s art doesn’t really remind me of anyone else.  It is very dark, muted, basic and really sells the emotional story notes that the creators are going for.  Sometimes I like elaborate backgrounds, but Podesta is showing us what we need to see to advance the story.  Aside from the intentional WTF moments, I never was confused by the storytelling.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: American Vampire #9 – This is becoming the Scott Snyder award after his win (for me) with Detective #871 last week, but it is impossible to ignore the artistic and story excellence of AV.  Endings to story arcs are very difficult to pull off and this was an outstanding one.

Most Anticipated: Lady Mechanika #1 – With art and story by Joe Benitez the #0 issue was very promising and featured a steampunky, attractive cyborg-ish lady who is trying to figure out her role in the world.  Definitely interested in seeing where this goes and enjoying more of Benitez’s art!

Other picks: 27 #1, Starborne #1, Batgirl #16, Red Robin #18, Chaos War Ares #1

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Sweet Tooth #16 – This was an issue that proved that Jeff Lemire can right the loud issues just as well as the quiet ones.  The action flows and so does the excitement, leading to an issue that was downright thrilling.  Really cool layouts are the icing on the cake, making this an easy pick of the week.

Most Anticipated: Fables #100 – Yeah, this is another great week for comics, with the second issues of THUNDER Agents and Superboy coming out, not to mention a new installment of Matt Fraction’s Thor.  But I simply cannot deny Fables #100, an absolute behemoth of a floppy and a landmark achievement for not only a Vertigo comic, but a creator-owned comic, period.  I can’t wait to see what Willingham and co. have in store.

Other Picks: Superboy #2, THUNDER Agents #2, Thor #618, New Avengers #7, The Flash #7

DS’ Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Adventure Comics #521 – I had totally expected Brightest Day #15 to take this week’s crown, but the intense suction happening there caused me to dump even WCBR’s spoiler-free policy to trash it, leaving Adventure Comics #521, a pretty classically-styled Legion story to take the lead.

Most Anticipated: Batgirl#15 –  While I am always eager to see the Man with the Plan (Red Robin) and the Detective Comics Annual is tempting, I have to say, the cliffhanger ending of Batgirl #15, leaving her framed for a crime she didn’t commit, has the out-of-the-gates tension that will drive Batgirl #16 to the top of my pull list. Bryan Q. Miller delivers consistently satisfying stories and I’m waiting to see how my next exposure to Nguyen and Fridolfs works for me on Batgirl.

Other Picks: Red Robin #18, R.E.B.E.L.S. #23, Detective Comics Annual #12, Queen Sonja #12