WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: Saga #10 – It was not close as none of the other comics last week put up much of a fight.  They’re all just kinda whimpering in the corner after being thrashed by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples’ monster of a comic.  Not only do I love the family drama projected onto a space opera, but I love the quality of the writing.  A lot of comics these days are nothing more than high-quality fan fiction, but in just about every issue, BKV works in a line or two that makes think, “Wow.  I could never write something that clever.”  [Note: This issue it was the “Oh no…..it’s a timesuck!” line.]

Most anticipated this week: 1). The Unwritten #46 – We’ve been toying with this idea that stories are dying in the world of The Unwritten for a year or so now, but it never made complete sense what that actually meant.  Last issue of the series took a moment to really explain it and that makes me think that the concept is important and they want to ensure that everyone is on-board before they move forward.  It is a very interesting concept and I can’t avoid the thought that it is a bit of a meta-commentary on the current state of the comic industry where we get a lot of recycled tales and miniseries, but very little longer form storytelling.  As I always say, you DO need to start this series from the beginning…..but it’s worth the effort.  This is probably the most ambitious series from a storytelling standpoint that is currently being published.

2). FF #4 – I caught up on FF last month after everyone flipped for FF #3.  Even though I LOVE the art team of Michael/Laura Allred, I had avoided FF because it’s been a loooooong time since Matt Fraction wrote a story I enjoyed.  But….I loved this series.  If you’re like me and are kinda burned out on Big 2 superheroes, this might be a series to check out because (a) it’s so different (b) it probably won’t ever be pulled into a crossover with X-Force or the Avengers and (c) since the Allreds have proven their ability to do monthly books in the past, we probably won’t get too many guest artists.

3). Witch Doctor: Malpractice #4 – This is a series more people should be talking about.  For one thing, the art is stellar.  Seriously, this is Eisner-quality art.  The draftsmanship reminds me a lot of old-school horror magazines.  And the writing is punchy and funny.  It’s tough to make me laugh while reading a comic and this Witch Doctor is usually able to do just that.

4). Five Weapons #1 – This is a new series from Jimmie Robinson, the creator of Bomb Queen.  I’ve read all 20+ the Bomb Queen that were ever published and while I love the antics and off-color humor of the Queen, I think Robinson has already wrung all the story out of that concept.  So I’m curious to see something new from him.  Is he a one-trick pony?  Or can he tell us a different type of story?  This is supposedly about a school where assassins send their children to learn the deadly arts.

5). The Massive #9 – I don’t “love” this series yet, but it is beginning to find it’s footing.  The problem was that the first 5-6 issues told a bunch of one-shot type stories that seemed really disjointed, even if they did – kinda – establish a peri-crash world.  Now that Brian Wood has laid out his story of a world on the ecological ropes, he is starting to tell us actual stories that have coherence across several issues.  In this current arc, he’s telling the story of how our protagonists come into conflict with a newly sovereign “country” that consists of a bunch of oil-rigs lashed together on the high seas.  I’m still not sure where the story is going long-term, but it is interesting to see what happens and Brian Wood typically has a plan.

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week:  Saga #10 – Oh, Brian K. Vaughan, you evil man.  This was a great issue with great characters, dialogue that continually made me laugh, and a real shocking and gut-wrenching final page that will haunt you.  It’s basically everything you could ask of a comic.  Some of Staples’ art and designs here, particularly with the planet-sized monster, was really just stunning in scale and beauty.  Meanwhile, the cast continues to gel.  Also, Izabel is back and she’s just as lovable and funny as ever.

Saga is really one of the rare cases where I have to remind myself that this was actually $2.99, not $3.99.  With a comic that feels so slick and top-shelf in its production value, colors, art, and sheer quality plus an extended and genuinely amusing letters section, Saga really does feel like a steal for $2.99.

Most Anticipated: Batman Incorporated #8 – I’ll be honest, while it’s been head and shoulders above his run on Action Comics, this latest volume of Grant Morrison’s Batman Inc. has been hit or miss for me.  That said, DC released this news, and the cover, this week that Damian would most likely be meeting his end in this issue.  What can I say?  Curiosity has gotten the better of me.

Hawkeye #8 – For starters, LOOK at that cover.  Hawkeye is my favourite Big Two title and as such, it’ll always merit a spot on this list.  That said, this issue gets particularly special mention given that it heralds the return of David Aja on art duties.  I loved Javier Pulido’s work on the book, but more Aja is always going to be something to celebrate.

FF #4 – This book has been steadily improving since it’s first issue, which didn’t blow me away.  As of last issue, however, everything felt like it finally “clicked.”  Now, the sky is the limit for this book and I look forward to seeing Matt Fraction and Mike Allred capitalize on that potential.  I really can’t say enough how much I loved FF #3 so I anxiously await this latest installment.  Also, that cover is hilarious: it’s a Valentine’s Day issue and you have the moloids staring at She-Hulk lecherously.  That’s so great.

Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 – I’ll be honest, I never read the DnA stuff and know little to nothing about the cosmic corner of the Marvel Universe.  What I do know, however, is that Brian Bendis has been completely revitalized by this relaunch, springing to life thanks to finally leaving his rut of Avengers titles.  Even more than the X-Men titles, Guardians gives Bendis a drastically different playground and given how well Bendis has been doing these days when given new toys to play with, I think he’ll acquit himself well.  Also, Steve McNiven.

Uncanny X-Men #2 – Even more Bendis!  I really do feel that Uncanny delivered in its first issue.  It wasn’t quite at All-New‘s level, but if there’s one thing that All-New showed us, it’s that Uncanny will probably get better and better with each issue.  I enjoy it’s distinctive, darker voice and after that last page reveal of the traitor in Cyclops’ midst, I’m all in for Bendis’ mutant revolution.

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Hugo’s Top Picks

Pick of the week: Thor: God of Thunder #5 – Sorry Saga, as awesome as you were this week, my favourite thing was Jason Aaron mythic and creatively awesome tale of our favourite Viking god. He has been killing it with his story and Esad Ribic has been wonderful on the art side as well and this week was no different.

Most anticipated this week: 1) FF #4 – This book is full of Kirby goodness, especially in Michael Allred’s beautiful art. The story of these replacement Fantastic Four is actually very compelling though, especially considering what their mission statement is now.

2) Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 – Brian Michael Bendis has been on a roll these last few months with his X-Men and his Daredevil limited series, but this title will determine for me if I can still have faith in him. This sounds rough, yet he is handling one of my favourite team right here, as I had absolutely loved DnA’s lattest volume. I believe this is an origin story about Star-Lord here and it is by no mean a proper number one, but I do hope it will stick to the spirit of the latest run featuring Star Lord.

3) Journey Into Mystery #649 – The latest issues of this title have been terrific, as Kathryn Immonen has turned Sif into an unbelievably badass character and is doing some very nice work with the Asgardian mythology. As an added bonus, there is a team-up with Spider-Ock here.

4) Batman Incorporated #8 – Although I could not avoid the spoilers that are currently circulating on the comic sites, I am still very eager to see where Morrison is going with his Batman story. I have been a fan of this run for quite some time and seeing him place the elements for his grand finale, it makes me wonder just how he could close it all.

5) Uncanny Avengers #4 – The finale of the first arc being here, I am curious to see how Remender will close this. This has not been the strongest of title so far, but I have faith that with a new regular artist and some strong characterization, Remender could turn this title around.

Saga #10 – Review

By: Brian K. Vaughan (story), Fiona Staples (art)

The Story: Most mothers only joke that it feels like they’re giving birth to a little planet.

The Review: In Saga #8, we got a deeper glimpse into A Night Time Smoke, a book which figures heavily in Alana’s history as a soldier and whose contents interested Prince Robot too much to just be a trashy romance.  Clearly, there’s more to the book than a steamy attraction between a flesh-and-blood girl and a rock monster, but what that is exactly is more of a mystery, as well as the exact impact it had on our heroes’ lives.

Here, we finally learn more about the exact nature of A Night Time Smoke.  Despite the rather mundane language Alana reads from the book, the words seem to stun Marko.  Amazingly, he sees “[i]t’s not a love story at all, is it?  It’s about us, about the war between Landfall and Wreath.”  You should read the excerpt of the book yourself, but as an English major, even I feel there’s some extreme extrapolation going on for Marko to make that conclusion.

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.