WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: The Unwritten #49 – Not the best issue of this series ever, but it’s still more thought-provoking than most other comics.  I like how the stage is pretty clearly set for what should be the final stages of this story.  It’s just really fascinating to see the way Mike Carey and Peter Gross have played with the idea of story vs. reality.  Can’t wait to re-read this series someday.  Let’s just hope that the looming crossover with Fables doesn’t screw things up.  I read Vertigo comics to get away from crossovers…..

Most anticipated this week: 

1). The Wake #1 – Some weeks I don’t know what to place atop my “most anticipated” list, but this one is really easy.  The Wake is written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Sean Murphy, so this comic could probably be about the Care Bears and it would be excellent.  But, the subject matter has me just as intrigued.  It’s something about deep underwater mining platforms and mysteries of the deep.  Knowing the creators a little bit, it wouldn’t surprise me if they hold some affinity for those late 80’s underwater sci-fi/horror movies like The Abyss and the less-highly-regarded Leviathan and Deep Star Six.  This should be awesome.

2). Chew #34 – This is one of the best comics being published.  I can’t think of another comic that makes me laugh so much.  Even some of my non-comic friends quote lines from it just because they’ve heard me say them (even if they don’t know where the funny lines come from).  The story doesn’t even really matter any more than “the story” matters on Saturday Night Live.  Just enjoy and laugh.

3). Elephantmen #48 – Compared to Chew, Elephantmen is a series where “the story” really matters.  Last issue was a real gem that plugged me right back into the narrative.  We now know so much more about how the elephantmen are being manipulated and what was going on with all those Chinese Tiger-men on the moon.

4). Morning Glories #27 – Speaking of series that I need to reread…  It really wouldn’t hurt to spend a little more time getting myself reacquainted with the plot threads of Morning Glories because I’m 99% sure I’d enjoy the series a LOT more if I just refreshed my memory on a few key plot-points.  That being said, I still deeply enjoy the series and respect the long-form storytelling.

5). G.I. Joe #4 – Fred Van Lente has been having a snappy time with the main Joe title since taking over as writer.  Last issue was really kinda clever and showed how Cobra was interrogating a captured Duke into revealing some vital information.  Main-line GI Joe comics aren’t usually going to be great comics, but they can be a lot of fun.

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Hugo’s Top Picks

Pick of the week: Journey Into Mystery #652 – While there was some good things coming out this week, none were as satisfying as Sif’s continued adventure as written by Kathryn Immonen and drawn by Valerio Schitti. Good and satisfying character works is not something that any writer can pull off, yet she did so admirably and this series deserves as much love as it can get just for that.

Most anticipated this week: 1) New Avengers #6 – Even though the main Avengers title has its share of up and downs, this title kept on going up in its quality and this issue should be no different. With this one being the finale of the first arc involving the colliding Earths, I am eager to see just how this will all be resolved and what kind of things will entail from the actions of the Illuminati.

2) Adventures of Superman #1 – I love Superman. I like the character, the mythology around him and the symbol he represents, yet I can’t say that we’re in a particularly good position right now in terms of comics starring the character himself. I hope this title, with people like Jeff Parker, Chris Samnee and others, shall fill out that niche for quality stories about the Man of Steel himself.

3) Transformers: More Than Meets The Eyes #17 – With the first mega-arc being over, I have to say I’m curious to know where this comic will be heading. Still, if it keeps on being the smart, conceptual and funny read featuring interesting character that it kept on being for sixteen issues, there’s no cause for less anticipation for this title.

4) The Wake #1 – While I do like Scott Snyder, I have to see I’m more eager to see Sean Murphy at work here. I love his art and I do want to see him drawing a more horrific story with monsters and the like. If Snyder can channel his American Vampire talent into this, this should prove to be a quality read.

5) Dark Avengers #190 – I have to be honest here: I don’t really think this will be a satisfying conclusion to the whole story that Jeff Parker has written since Thunderbolts. However, I still have some hope that he can brings some closure to some of the characters and I do want to see just how he can close this whole run. Curiosity is more the factor here.