WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: The Unwritten #35 – What a great week for comics!  My method for picking a “winner” is to take the stack of comics and separate them into “possible contenders” and “nope”.  This week, the “possible contender” stack was much larger than “nope”.  My runner-up is Saga #1, but I gave the nod to The Unwritten #35 because it is more difficult to provide satisfying answers after ~2.5 years of storytelling than it is to have a gangbusters #1 issue.  I give points for degree of difficulty!  The Unwritten has been a slow-burn of a series that has spun a lot of intricate questions during its run.  Sometimes these types of stories collapse upon themselves, but that looks not to be happening.  All of the answers provided in this issue were satisfying and made sense.  And, in doing that, this issue is also helping The Unwritten to achieve it’s bigger goal of becoming an evergreen title that people still read in trade 10 years later.  You know how these ongoing Vertigo series are: If the finales are mediocre, they kinda diminish what has come before.  Based on this issue, The Unwritten still has a chance to become one of those timeless classics.  Again, Saga #1: very good and I’m sure that Brian K. Vaughn will give us 30+ issues of excellent story, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Most Anticipated: Batman #7 – See, it isn’t all about creator-owned comics with me!  I can get excited about superheroes too….when they’re good.  And the Snyder, Capullo, et al Batman has been so wonderful thus far that it’s my pick this week.  I’ve never read a Snyder comic book that I didn’t like.  I’ve never read a Capullo-illustrated comic that wasn’t insanely attractive.  These two guys are currently batting 1.000 and logic would say that they can’t keep it up…..but they haven’t disappointed yet.  Thus, I’m most excited about Batman #7 in a week that is stacked with interesting comics.  It’s really insane that this pathetically small comic industry is producing so much excellent product.  We comic fans are spoiled.

Other Picks: Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child #1, Michael Kaluta Sketchbook Series Vol. 1, Rocketeer Adventures 2 #1, Hoax Hunters #0, Prophet #23, Rebel Blood #1, Amazing Spider-Man #682, Kick Ass 2 #7, Super Crooks #1, Hack/Slash #14

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Fantastic Four #604 – I thought it impossible that something would beat Saga #1, but here we are.  The conclusion of Jonathan Hickman’s 3-year story was nothing less than a perfect, fist-pumping, watery eyed conclusion.  Great, great comics here.

Most Anticipated: Batman #7 – Scott Snyder’s Batman is without a doubt one of the finest books on stands currently.  After a couple of months lost in a maze, getting the crap kicked out of him both mentally and physically, I’m very much looking forward to Bruce, now having escaped, getting his revenge on the Court of Owls.  It’s time for Batman to go back to being the hunter.

Other Picks: Justice League #7, Wonder Woman #7, Invincible Iron Man #514, Uncanny X-Men #9, Wolverine #303

Hack/Slash #14 – Review

By Tim Seeley, (Writer) Emily Stone, (Artist) and Val Staples (Colors)

I don’t think I am making too much of a leap when I say that nearly everyone reading this site has, at one point, gotten pissed off at the constant stream of remakes coming out of Hollywood. It seems as though nothing is sacred anymore. I honestly believe that horror fans have gotten the worst of it as rarely is there a day that goes by without news of another remake going into production.

The latest issue of Hack/Slash tackles the remake craze in a way that only Hack/Slash can: by serving up dark humor and loads of gore on the set of a Wizard of Oz remake that’s being directed by the guy who did “Epic Movie 2 and 4 Fast 4 Furious” (Yeah…Tim Seeley gets it). While this one scores big points on concept alone, it isn’t as strong as it could be. There is a lot of potential for gory fun (darkly comic murders inspired by Oz? Sign me up!), but much of it goes unrealized because everything happens way too fast due to the inclusion of odd breaks in the story. I understand the need to advance the three overall series arcs, but it comes across as tacked on when they have next to nothing to do with what the bulk of the issue is about. This one is good, but nearly as great as it could have been.

Tim Seeley serves up some great humor and brings some interesting elements into the series that should play out well in future issues. While I disagree with the way he used this issue to bring those elements into play, I must admit that I am looking forward to the direction the overall plot is taking. In particular, next month looks to be one hell of a ride (80s horror fans are in for a treat).

Emily Stone’s artwork is solid (as usual), but marred by some questionable color work by Val Staples. While the majority of the book looks just fine visually, the gore scenes are hit or miss due to the strange use of pinks and purples for most of the blood. I am able to forgive Staples somewhat though, because a certain scientific serum looks absolutely perfect.

Hack/Slash #14 is a lot of fun, but could have been better. It scores points for concept, comedy, and future plot potential, but not many as were up for grabs. I expect big things next month, so I hope this one makes good on all the promise it holds. (Grade: C+)

-Kyle Posluszny