WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: Creepy #11 – To be honest, Batman #17 was probably a better comic, but I expected Batman to be really good.  Creepy had been a little slack recently, so it was nice to get an issue where the modern stories weren’t totally blown away by the obligatory reprinted tale (that is included in every issue).  In a comic market that supports so many Avengers and Batman and X-Men books, it’s nice to see Dark Horse persevering with a classic format like Creepy.  Check it out…

Most anticipated this week: 1). Saga #10 – Saga is a great series and you’re missing out if you don’t read it.  I love seeing how Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples are establishing a familiar social drama against the backdrop of galaxy-spanning science fiction.  On one hand, it’s just the story of a young couple with a kid learning to get along with the guy’s parents, but their doing it in a wooden spaceship and their nanny is a ghost of a disembowel girl (with guts hanging out and everything).  It’s just super smart.  The only reason not to read it is that it’ll make a lot of the other comics in your pile look shabby.  I’m not kidding.  You read “the good stuff” and suddenly you wonder why you’re wasting time on some of this dreck.  

2). GI Joe #1 – Yes, IDW is renumbering GI Joe again!  And….we’re getting a new creative team in Fred Van Lente and Steve Kurth, so I’m looking forward to this. The Joe books can be honest fun when they’re done competently and with Van Lente, I have a lot of hope for the story.  Van Lente tends to be a a clever writer who researches his topics and he usually doesn’t write for the trade (which was a problem with the Joe books).  I’m not the biggest Kurth fan, but he’s better than some of the other artists the Joe books have had.  Joe books needn’t be challenging.  The formula for GI Joe is pretty simple: lots of specialist soldiers, Snake Eyes, sexy Scarlet…..and fighting Cobra.  When you make it too “real world” it loses something.

3). Mind Mgmt #8 – Did you hear the news about Mind Mgmt getting optioned by Sony movies with Ridley Scott as the Director.  Cool, huh?  This is a really good series and I appreciate it’s commitment to being a “comic book”.  Writer/Artist Matt Kindt includes things in the single issues that don’t appear in the collected editions.  And it’s printed on that toothy newsprint that I love instead of this horrid, cheap and glossy paper that everyone else uses today.  It’s nice to have a comic where you can tell that people are sweating the details.  Plus, the story is all about CIA-ish plots and mind control conspiracies.

4). The Sixth Gun #29 – I didn’t love the last story arc of TSG (which ended last issue), so let’s hope for a stronger outing here.  That last story arc felt like what happens in the middle of some of these longer-running, story-driven series where there is a definite beginning and ending, but where the middle can be as long or as short as the creators like.  You know, as long as sales are good and the creators are engaged, they can ad lib and tell fun stories, but once sales slip a little they start telling us the BIG ending story.  That last story felt a little like the creators ad libbing, so I wonder if we get more of the same or if we begin the end-game.

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week:  Powers: Bureau #1 – One week after Scarlet‘s return, Bendis and Oeming’s series also returns and it returns in fine form, finally giving us lots of Deena Pilgrim, and cool “X-Files” type vibe, and great, character-focused read that wears the series’ history on its sleeve while clearly turning the page to a new chapter.  Fantastic stuff.

Most Anticipated:  Thor: God of Thunder #5 – There are some really, really great books out of Marvel this week.  That said, the one I’m looking forward to most is Thor, which has, for me, been the best book of the Marvel NOW relaunch.  This issue promises to fill out the tapestry of Aaron’s series a little more, which should be good.  Epic, gloomy fantasy goodness for all!

Indestructible Hulk #4 – I’ll be honest, the first two issues of Indestructible Hulk didn’t blow me away.  The potential was certainly there, but I felt a little nonplussed, possibly due to the creative team’s pedigree.  Well, all that changed with issue 3, where everything really felt like it came together.  If that’s the sort of thing we’re going to be getting going forward, bring it on!

Captain America #4 – Another one of my favourites of the relaunch, Remender and Romita’s Captain America has been very, very different, a sort of kooky Steve Rogers by way of John Carter that is the closest thing Remender’s ever done to Fear Agent at Marvel.  Given the really bonkers last page last issue, I am very, very curious to see where Remender is going with all of this.

Saga #10 – It’s Saga.  Saga is pretty much always guaranteed a spot on this list.  A full, intricate universe with rounded, human characters.  You know the score by now.

Justice League of America #1 – I’ll be honest, I’m a little uncertain of this one so it’s here largely by virtue of the curiosity-factor.  On the one hand, Geoff Johns’ Justice League has generally been a disappointment, but it HAS improved drastically over the last couple of months.  I also believe that this title will likely be the better one, with Johns writing the characters he chooses to, with greater creative freedom.  That should amount to better comics.

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Hugo’s Top Picks

Pick of the week: Fatale #12 – This was a gem of a comic, featuring a done in one story that not only deepened the main character, but the series as a whole. Seeing Josephine dealing with her powers and how she is perceived in medieval time is nothing short of genius, showing us that Brubaker and Phillips have a great scope for this tale of noir and horror.

Most anticipated this week: 1) Thor: God of Thunder #5 – This series has been nothing short of fantastic, with amazing ideas and concepts thrown at us with lovely art by the talented Esad Ribic. With the conclusion of the first arc set in this issue, I cannot wait to see how Aaron can close this and still tell us where he want to lead this series.

2) Justice League of America #1 – Call me an optimist, but I really want this series to work. Johns can do wonder with smaller characters and I would like to see him channel some of his old JSA magic to give us a team title worthy of the talent I know he possess. It would be delightful to have an actual book with Martian Manhunter in a key role again.

3) Captain America #4 – Ed Brubaker made me fall in love with the character, but I do believe that even though Remender’s take on him is ridiculously different, it can lead to very good stories with the Sentinel of Liberty. The previous issue was not as good as the second one, but Remender is usually very good in the long run and I have faith in this title.

4) Avengers #6 – With the latest issue focusing a bit more on the cosmic side with the Imperial Guard and the Shi’ar, I am eager to see what Hickman will do with Captain Universe. Bring on the cosmic goodness and you will have a fan, Mr. Hickman.

5) Action Comics #17 – I love Superman, I love Grant Morrison, but I have to admit that this run was not the most solid thing the amazing author has ever done. Still, there were some very great concepts and stories told and I am curious to see just how he can close all of this, starting with the first part of the two-part conclusion shown here.

 

WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Scarlet #6 – Not only was I really looking forward to this comic and pleasantly surprised to see its anti-establishment message back, it reappears against a real world backdrop of Christopher Dorner proving that police aren’t all nice guys.  Even the photorealistic art by Alex Maleev doesn’t bother me because Maleev does it so well.  This comic is smartly written, looks great and has something to say.  Bravo!

Most Anticipated: 1). Batman #17 – Well….the last issue was a masterpiece, so I expect great, great things from this conclusion to the Death of the Family story.  Enjoy this run by Snyder, Capullo, Glapion and Plascencia because it could be a long time before a Bat-book is this consistently excellent again.

2). The Walking Dead #107 – TWD usually tops my “Most Anticipated” list, but the last issue was a bit of a non-event.  Hopefully, Robert Kirkman can get the story into gear in this issue and help wash away the bad aftertaste of Sunday’s dreadful TWD episode.  At least we’ll get to see what Negan has done with little Carl.

3). Star Wars #2 – I was pleasantly surprised by the first issue of Star Wars.  It wasn’t an awesome comic book or anything, but it was nice to see a Star Wars story about the characters I grew up enjoying instead of all that “Old Republic”, ancient Jedi Knight stuff I’ve never been about to get into.  I don’t expect this comic to be great; I just want it to be enjoyable.

4). Uncanny X-Men #1 – Brian Bendis has been doing a wonderful job on All New X-Men, so I expect that his Uncanny X-Men will probably be solid too.  It’s funny how the last few years of Avengers made people forget that Bendis is a pretty good writer.  I think his chatty style of dialog is actually more appropriate for the X-Men than it ever was for the Avengers (who don’t seem like “chatty” people to me).  Plus–Chris Bachalo artwork!

5). Morning Glories #24 – This is the next to last issue before #25 concludes “Season One” of Morning Glories.  I’m expecting a few answers that help me make sense of the story so far.  I really appreciate the commitment to long-form storytelling that Nick Spencer has shown with Morning Glories.

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week: Green Arrow #17 – I’ll be honest, nothing really blew my socks off this week.  That said, there were several really, really solid reads (Dial H, Secret Avengers, and New Avengers were all very good).  Of these, I’ll give the prize to the first issue of Lemire/Sorrentino’s Green Arrow.  No, it’s not Hawkeye, but it’s nonetheless a breath of fresh air for the book and one that is very distinctive in both its art and its general tone from anything else DC is putting out, and that sort of distinctiveness is something DC is definitely in need of.

Most Anticipated:  Powers: Bureau #1 – Last week, I expressed my complete and utter amazement at Scarlet‘s return.  Now, to challenge the limits of reality once more, as if that wasn’t enough, Powers: Bureau is out…and only one week after Scarlet!  What he hell is going on?  Craziness, that’s what!  I am a big, big fan of Powers; it was the first Bendis book I ever read and was one of the books that got me back into comics.  It’s a big part of why I’ll follow Bendis around no matter what he writes.  So any week with an issue of Powers out is a good one.  Better still is how the last volume closed, which was a HUGE moment for the book; I’ll even go so far as saying that the second last issue of that volume was one of my favourite issues of Powers ever.  Bring it on, Bendis and Oeming!  My body is ready!

Uncanny X-Men #1 – Of Marvel NOW, All-New X-Men #1 was probably the biggest surprise for me.  Years of uninspired, often phoned-in work on Avengers gave me some pretty tempered expectations.  But ‘lo and behold, All-New X-Men has seen a revived Bendis, delivering injections of addictive, mutant soap opera goodness.  And now I’m going to have ANOTHER ongoing of Bendis X-book goodness?  Sold!  I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest Chris Bachalo fan in the world, but his work can be fun from time to time and doesn’t detract much from my excitement.

Batman #17 – It’s Snyder’s Batman and, hopefully, it’ll reveal what’s under that silver dish.  This has been great, creepy, tense stuff so far and this is quite possibly DC’s best book from their best writer.  As such, Batman will basically always make this list.

Fatale #12 – Another “always makes this list” entry, Brubaker/Phillips keep right on doing their thing, delivering a highly polished creator-owned book that is all their own.  And, oh wait, what’s that?  We’re getting a one-shot set in Medieval times?!  As a big fantasy fan, that’s right up my alley; a mash-up of medieval horror noir is too good to pass up!

Manhattan Projects #9 – I love this book, but last issue was INCREDIBLE.  MP is always an injection of pure craziness, but last week delivered gritty, manly heroism in a big, man-sized portion.  That’s only raised my enthusiasm for this book, one where I genuinely have no idea what the hell I’m going to get or what’s going to happen in any one issue.

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Hugo’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week: New Avengers #3 – This was an amazing issue, full of important and absolutely bold events. Jonathan Hickman promised big things and he really delivered with this one. I have no idea where this title will go, but I can’t wait to find out.

Most Anticipated: 1) Batman #17 – ‘’Death of the family’’ has been nothing short of fantastic, thanks to Scott Snyder pacing and Greg Capullo’s art. With the big finale in this issue, I am anxious to see just how he could possibly end this and still keep the same quality.

2) Threshold #2 – More cosmic goodness from Keith Giffen, who has created one of my favourite event comic of all time: Annihilation. I truly cannot wait to see if he can achieve the same level of greatness on DC cosmic side.

3) Fatale #12 – This mix of noir and horror has really caught my attention, as the Brubaker/Phillips duo are really doing some amazing work in this setting. If they keep up the same level of quality from the previous issues, this one should be great.

4) Uncanny X-Men #1 – Brian Michael Bendis is doing some great work in the X-Corner of the Marvel universe right now. Not just that, but he’s doing something that I always thought impossible: making me like Cyclops as a character. I am eager to see if he can continue this quality streak with a title headlined by Cyclops and his gang.

5) Secret Avengers #1 – A new number one on this series which last volume ended last week. I am curious to see if Nick Spencer and Luke Ross can get our attention with their S.H.I.E.L.D variation of the Secret Avengers theme.