WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #2 – There was a LOT of excellent material published last week and AV:LoN #2 was just a little better than its competition.  What set it apart was that Dustin Nguyen wasn’t just GOOD on art, he was also diverse with his styles.  And, the story of how the Soviets are trying to steal “Dracula” is very compelling.  Runners-up: Batman #11, Punk Rock Jesus #1, The Walking Dead #100 and Planetoid #2.

Top picks this week: 1). Saga #5 – You know this will be wonderful.  Even before this series started, Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples had rarely done work in comics that could even be called “meh”.  Now – after they’ve pumped out 4 great issues of Saga – we expect and anticipate greatness from them.  There’s so much to be said for a comic where you’re 99.9% sure it won’t suck and also has enough talent that it could be transcendent.  Saga brings that potential with every issue and that’s why it is among my favorite series right now.  I love the science fiction and world-building, but also love the well-grounded story of two young people in love and on the run.

2). Rachel Rising #9 – This story is starting to get really trippy.  In the last issue, a snake erupted from a woman’s mouth and killed a guy!  Whoa!  And that was probably only the second most disturbing thing in the issue.  This is a great, wholly original story with wonderful art.  If you’re behind, check it out digitally or go buy the trade.

3). Fantastic Four #608 – I love these issues as Jonathan Hickman winds down his run on FF.  He’s really just screwing around at this point and telling done-in-one stories.  Each has been outstanding.  Plus, enjoy your FF now because the rumored team to take over this title in the fall is NOT encouraging.

4). The Unwritten #39 – Honestly, this series has been spinning its wheels a little since the War of the Words storyline ended.  The central threat seems to be that the world is losing its stories.  I might just be too literal-minded to embrace this concept.  But, when a series has given me ~40 issue of excellent material, they’ve earned some slack time.

5). Fatima: The Blood Spinners #2 – I didn’t love the first issue, but it was pretty good.  Basically, all the first issue showed us was the central character and how she ended up on the streets, killing “spin addicts”.  Still, story and art by a Rodriguez brother is always worth checking out.

Others: Cobra #15 (I’ve switched to digital on the Joe books, let’s see if they still compel me to press “Buy” every time), Avengers vs. X-Men #8 (this is “important”, but it is not remotely “good”), The Secret Service #3 (enjoyable, but not excellent yet), Uncanny X-Men #16 (Don’t like art changes, don’t enjoy Sinister as a villain, unnecessary AvX tie-in).

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week: Wolverine and the X-Men #13 – Really a surprise, as I expected this title to keep on underwhelming until AvX ended.  Instead, Jason Aaron wisely throws the event stuff in the backseat in favour of some fantastic character-work focused on of the new folks he’s created for this series.  The result is a book that has heart for days.  Oh, and Nick Bradshaw drew it.  That’s always wonderful.

Most Anticipated:  Invincible Iron Man #521 –I keep talking about how good Fraction and Larroca’s Iron Man has been for the last few months and I won’t stop now.  The series has never been better, driven by a layered plot and fantastic character work.  As has been the case in every issue for some time now, Fraction left us with a huge development at the end of last issue and I look forward to see where he’s going with it.

Wonder Woman #11 – A new story starts here in what may be the most surprisingly awesome series of the new 52.  Grim, dysfunctional mythology with a fun ensemble cast, Azzarello continues to redefine the Wonder Woman comic.

Saga #5 – It’s Vaughan, so it’s an instant pull.  It continues to amaze me just how much Vaughan and Staples have accomplished in four issues, already creating a fully realized, unique universe and strong, sympathetic characters.  Given this, every single issue of Saga is extremely valuable and a true immersive experience.

Avengers vs. X-Men #8 – I’m still reeling a little at just how much this series as changed in narrative and tone since the emergence of the Phoenix Five.  As such, I’m anxious to see where Marvel’s Architects are going with things.

Daredevil #15 – While I’m admittedly a little bummed that Khoi Pham is on art duties again, I was really taken with the surprisingly effective horror element Waid introduced last month and look forward to Waid’s continued expansion of what constiutes a Daredevil story.

Previews – May 2012

Maybe we’ll start this as a new feature?  I’ll flip through Previews, tell you what I think is worthwhile and you can tell me I’m a moron.  Sound like fun?

DARK HORSE

– Axe Cop: President of the World #1 – At some point, this odd comic that is written by 8 year old Malachai Nicolle and illustrated by his brother, 31 year old Ethan, will lose it’s magic.  Someday Malachai will probably “grow up” too much or become too self-aware, but until that happens we should enjoy the ride.  Here’s a link to my review of last Spring’s Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1.

– Early issues where you can hop on before it’s too late.  Fatima: The Blood Spinners #2 by Gilbert Hernandez, Mind Mgmt #3 by Matt Kindt and The Massive #2 by Brian Wood.

– Eerie Comics #1 brings back the beloved old Warren Publishing title.  It’s really hard to go wrong with a horror anthology in black and white.  Of course, don’t miss the big brother: Creepy Comics #9.