WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: The Private Eye #1 – This was a cool comic in several ways.  Most importantly, I loved Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin’s new story about a near-ish future that happens years after an internet breakdown causes everyone’s private information to be released to the world.  Suddenly, the most important thing to everyone is their privacy, so they wear masks in public, nobody uses the internet, it’s illegal to take someone’s picture, etc.  BKV is such a clever social commentator because you could imagine a future where everyone regrets all those posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc.  The other star of the issue is that art duo of Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente.  If you loved them in Amazing Spider-Man and Daredevil recently, you’ll LOVE the art here.  The other cool thing about this comic is the delivery system: they’re selling the comic on a digital-only, “pay what you want” basis without any DRM.  I’m a huge fan of the Comixology service, but I sure wouldn’t mind getting pdfs of everything.

Most anticipated this week: LOTS of comics this week.  I don’t know whether to be scared or excited!

1). Morning Glories #25 – This is the end of “Season One” of Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma’s strange story about a boarding school gone horribly wrong.  The story has been confusing sometimes and may be better suited for reading in collected editions, but….I can’t wait to see what sorts of revelations are coming our way in this issue.  I’m realistic enough to know that we won’t get the answers to “everything”, but I’m sure there will be some resolutions.  Since this comic series began, Vertigo has basically died as a home for longer-form comic storytelling.  That makes me treasure Morning Glories just a little more.

2). East of West #1 – I almost always enjoy Jonathan Hickman’s stories and I love Nick Dragotta’s art, so this is kinda a no brainer.  It claims to be a “sci-fi Western” set in a dystopian future America.  Sounds cool!

3). The Unwritten #47 – The last few issues of The Unwritten have really been scorchers from a storytelling standpoint.  It seemed like the creators wanted to make sure the entire classroom was caught-up before they ventured off into some bold, new direction.  Well, this issue would seem to indicate that bold new direction as Tommy Taylor continues trying to pull his friend Lizzie back from Hades.

4). Planetoid #5 – This story is basically a post-apocalypse, but set on an alien planet as a crashed soldier and other shipwrecked folks try to fight off the rulers of the wasteland.  The art has been great and I love how writer/artist Ken Garing is keeping the story streamlined.

5). Rachel Rising #15 – Wow, this series is already up to issue #15?  Amazing how time flies.  We’re now heading into the “middle” portion of this tale which means the implications of the larger conflict between resurrected witches and the townies is starting to become clear.

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Hugo’s Top Picks

Pick of the week: Transformers: More Than Meets The Eyes #15 – I know, this seems like heresy to take this over the masterful piece of works that is Saga, but that issue was just great. It had emotions, payoff, action and close to everything I look for in a comic. The fact that it managed to do so with a bunch of characters I cared nothing about a year ago is what makes this title so impressive, deserving the spot for issue of the week for me.

Most anticipated this week: 1) East of West #1 – A new post-apocalyptic, sci-fi western written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Nick Dragotta, what can go wrong here? I am actually pumped for this, as this is the sort of concept I am sure Hickman can go very far with, just like Manhattan Projects.

2) Guardians of the Galaxy #1 – I was a huge fan of the cosmic era of Marvel, with Annihilation and War of Kings, but I have to admit my very favourite thing was this book when it was written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. With Bendis being reinvigorated with Marvel Now!, I am eager to see if he can recapture the magic of his All-New X-Men with one of my very favourite team.

3) Fatale #13 – The solicitation about this issue spoke of a one-shot story set in the old west. A noir western spaghetti with Lovecarft undertones? Bring it on I say!

4) Batman Incorporated #9 – With the huge event happening in the latest issue of that book, I am very eager to see the repercussion in Batman’s mission and his methods. With the closing chapter of Morrison Batman epic coming nearer, I’m sure he will fire on all cylinders to give us something of quality along with Chris Burnham.

5) FF #5 – More Kirby take on this odd team with Matt Fraction aloof writing and Mike Allred superb Kirby styled art, what more can I possibly need from this book?

FF #5 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Barry Kitson (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: The siege on Old Atlantis comes to a head as Sue comes to learn what Reed’s been keeping from her.

What’s Good:  With Old Atlantis under siege, Hickman gives us an issue that is both epic and desperate.  Seeing Sue and Alex stand against hordes of angry Atlanteans and Moloids, war engines and all, is exciting and grandiose.  All told, it both looks and reads impressively.  I loved seeing Alex play hero and unleash some real power.

Better still is Sue’s encounter with an “evil Reed.”  Her reaction is well-written and the whole thing, and really this whole issue, continues to turn the alter-Reeds into not only a credible villainous contingent, but one that’s downright frightening.  This month’s evil Reed in question, particularly in his treatment of Sue, is ice cold chilling and overall, the tone in which Hickman writes the Reeds goes a long way in making them a not only unique, but also very threatening enemy.  Sue’s confronting her Reed about all this is also a moment that is written sincerely and genuinely.

There’s also a little two-page interlude in which Alicia Masters plays grief counselor with Ben.  It may sound like this would be jarring, given that it comes out of nowhere, but it’s a nice little reprieve.  It’s heartfelt and Kitson’s Thing looks almost too adorable with his frowny demeanor.  It was only two-pages, but I could’ve done with more of this.

Barry Kitson’s art continues to be a major boon for FF moving forward.  His work has a slightly old school feel that brings a great deal of liveliness and energy to go along with the detail and general artistic horsepower.  His armies of monstrous looking Old Atlanteans and mole things look great, and his facial expressions on the various Reeds and the very slimy Mole Man are well done.  I also like his take on Sue, who has a distinct face as opposed to just being another good-looking blonde in the Marvel U.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Batman: Gates of Gotham #2 – Detective work and an overarching sense of mythos and history that serves to enhance the story and provide atmosphere without overwhelming the reader makes for an awesome read.  Really fun artwork makes it an even more awesome read.

Most Anticipated: Scalped #50 – Though it doesn’t get as much press as it should, make no mistake, issue after issue, Scalped is continually among the best of the month.  If you at all enjoy Jason Aaron’s other work, you need to be reading this; it’s the man’s best work by far.And here we are, at 50 issues.  Not at all shabby for a creator-owned Vertigo series.  I’m really interested to see what Aaron has in store for us in this sure to be special, landmark issue.

Other Picks: Detective Comics #878, THUNDER Agents #8, American Vampire #16, Amazing Spider-Man #664, FF #5, Venom #4

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: 2000 AD June “Pack” Progs 1732 – 1735 – This is kinda a weird pick because it isn’t one comic…..it’s four.  I just started reading 2000 AD for the first time and really enjoyed my first exposure.  If you aren’t familiar, 2000 AD is a weekly anthology comic that has been published in England since 1977, so the numbers get high really fast.  Here in the United States, we get them in monthly “packs” of 4 issues at once although they are going to weekly publication in the US in August I believe.  I can’t tell you how satisfying these were to read.  Even though I was picking up in the middle of an anthology series and many stories were 3-4 episodes into a tale, they had just enough exposition that I knew basically what was going on.  Bravo!  Really strong art too!  Why can’t American comics be more like this?

Most Anticipated: American Vampire #16 – Good Lord is this a packed week.  As I stared at my pull list about the only thing I was sure of was that X-Men: Prelude to Schism #4 would NOT be my most anticipated comics of the week.  Picking AV #16 off this list is like asking which of your 10 children do you love the most.  Still, Scott Snyder and Rafa Albuquerque’s tale of vampirism on a Japanese occupied Pacific island in WWII was taking some very cool twists toward the end of AV #15 and I’m very eager to see how things begin to resolve themselves.  American Vampire should be on everyone’s pull list.

Other Picks: Creepy Comics #6, Detective Comics #878, Scalped #50, Butcher Baker the Righteous Maker #4, The Walking Dead #86, Amazing Spider-Man #664, FF #5, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6